VOA标准英语2011--Titanic Exhibit Brings the Tragic Story

Titanic¹ Exhibit Brings the Tragic² Story to Life

When the ocean liner RMS Titanic hit an iceberg³ and sank on its maiden⁴ voyage in 1912, more than 1,500 passengers died. It made headlines as one of the worst peacetime maritime⁵ disasters in history. The fateful voyage was the backdrop for the blockbuster 1997 movie Titanic. Now the ship's story has come to life in an exhibit at a Las Vegas hotel.
As they enter the exhibit at the Luxor Hotel, each visitor receives a boarding pass with the name of an actual passenger aboard the Titanic. They enter the exhibit as if they were boarding the ocean liner on April 14, 1912.
They walk past an unadorned third-class cabin before reaching the elegantly-furnished first-class section - considered more luxurious⁶ than any hotel of the era.
The more than 300 artifacts on display were recovered from the ocean floor, after the wreck⁷ was discovered in 1985. The jewelry⁸, personal toiletries, china and silverware take visitors like Eric Barr back in time.
"When you actually see the artifacts, it brings you a little closer to life, to the boat. It makes you feel like you were actually on the ship with the passengers," said Barr.
The Artifact Exhibition also features replicas⁹. The most noteworthy is the grand staircase that most people recognize from the movie Titanic. Laurie Maidment is from England.
"It was amazing, especially the scene where you come into the first class where the stairs are and what it was like in the first class," she said. "And you could imagine Rose from the film walking down the stairs. It was fantastic, really good."
Exhibit specialist Randy Dale finds a section of the ship's hull¹⁰ named "The Big Piece" to be "fascinating."
"It is the only one of its kind around the globe. It is the largest piece ever brought up from the Titanic itself," said Dale. "It is 15 tons and it is 26 feet [8 meters] wide. And it fills up an entire room and when you go in that room you feel the essence of the ship itself."
"Amazing, absolutely amazing," said one visitor standing¹¹ in front of "The Big Piece."
Visitors are invited to touch a specially-created iceberg to feel how cold the water was when the supposedly unsinkable ship went down.
"And the individuals that lost their lives, most of them did not die from drowning, they died of hypothermia, which is where their body basically shuts down because it gets too cold," said Dale.
The emotional journey through the exhibit ends at the Memorial Wall, where visitors learn their passenger's fate.
" He survived," said Barr. "He survived... right there. It is cool. He is only 21 years old. Very educational and emotional. I felt like I was one of the surviving passengers, you know, kind of like telling the story."
It's a story The Artifact Exhibition in Las Vegas will be telling until it closes in 2018.

1 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

4 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

5 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

6 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

7 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

8 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

9 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

10 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。