英语听力—环球英语 1092 The Titanic

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The Titanic². Some people called it “The Wonder Ship.” Others called it “The Millionaires’ Special.” Some people even called it “Unsinkable”. It was the Titanic. But on April 15, 1912, this luxury³ ship sank. It now lies on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Today’s Spotlight is on the Titanic.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Before airplanes, ships were the only way to travel from continent to continent. It could take weeks, and sometimes months, to travel across the ocean. So people used ships to travel safely from one place to another.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the 1800s, it became popular to build ships that offered people the ease⁴ of home. Passengers could have their own private rooms. There were dining areas where people could eat good meals. There were places to exercise. There were libraries with books where people could sit and read. Some ships even had swimming pools!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　One ship company was the White Star Line. In 1909, it decided⁵ to build the biggest, greatest ship. The company named its ship the Titanic. The word titanic means gigantic⁶, or very big.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When people looked at the size of the Titanic they could easily believe that it was strong. The Titanic was 269 metres long. It had 9 different decks⁷, or levels. If the ship were to stand on its end it would have been taller than many buildings during that time!

 

　　The ship weighed about 60 million kilograms. And it could carry 3547 people.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The people who built the Titanic tried to make it the safest ship as well as the biggest ship. The ship had 16 water-tight rooms. These rooms were at the bottom of the ship. They were filled with nothing but air. The air helped the Titanic to float. If the ship experienced⁸ damage and one room started to fill with water, the other rooms would keep the ship floating. In fact, people believed that the ship could still float even if five of the rooms were filled with water. At the time the water-tight rooms were a new engineering⁹ idea. Passengers believed that this would protect the Titanic from sinking.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The Titanic was also the finest luxury ship of its time. The inside of the Titanic looked like the home of a king! There were stairs that connected each different level. One set of stairs was called the “Grand Staircase¹⁰.” That is because it was so beautiful. There were many details cut into the wood. There were golden lights on the ceilings. And there were also lights made of fine crystal¹¹ glass. Many of the ships in that day had hard wood floors. But the ship builders put soft cloth carpet on the floors of the Titanic.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　People could purchase first, second, or third class tickets to ride on the Titanic. The first class tickets cost the most money. People holding a first class ticket experienced all of the best things on the ship. But everyone riding the Titanic experienced wonderful things that they usually did not experience at home.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For example, many people with third class tickets were poor. They wanted to ride on the Titanic from Europe to America. They did not plan to ever return home. They were going to start a new life in America. But even the poor, third class passengers felt special on the Titanic. All of the rooms on the ship had water in the rooms. This was something many of the third class passengers did not have at home.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　On April 10, 1912 the Titanic started on its first trip. It was travelling from Southampton, England to New York City in the United States.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Four days into the trip the captain received warnings about icebergs¹³. These large pieces of ice float on the ocean. And several large icebergs were in the path of the Titanic. However, the captain was not concerned about the ice. He believed that it would not damage the ship. At eleven o’clock, on April 14, the Titanic hit an iceberg¹². The ice did cause damage. It made a large tear on the bottom of the boat.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Cold, icy, water poured into the bottom of the Titanic. It filled a few of the water-tight rooms. Soon, because of an engineering mistake, most of the water-tight rooms were filled with water. The Titanic began to sink.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　People on the ship were not prepared. They did not know how to get off the boat safely. There were lifeboats - small boats that could float to safety. But there were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers. Even worse, the crew of the ship did not fill the lifeboats. Many more people could have escaped.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In this situation, some people showed great bravery. One famous example was the ship’s musicians. They knew that they would not escape. So they sat with their instruments, and played music for the people left on the boat. Some people reported that they played the Christian¹⁴ song, “Nearer My God to You.” The words of this song speak about how God is close in difficult times.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But soon, the ship was sinking fast. It broke into two pieces, and many passengers fell into the cold water. They died quickly from the extreme cold. Others drowned inside the ship as it sank. The lifeboats only rescued thirteen people from the water.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　At that time, the rule was that women and children escaped first. So more than ninety percent of the men on the ship died. Most second and third class passengers also did not escape. About 1500 people died - two thirds of the people on the ship. It was a great tragedy - one of the worst accidents on the sea at that time.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　After many hours in the cold water, another ship came to rescue the people in the lifeboats. When they finally arrived in New York, the passengers were famous. People were very interested in the story - the fine luxury ship, the terrible tragedy, and the amazing stories of survival¹⁵. And this interest has continued since that time.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 1997, James Cameron made a film about the ship. This film, Titanic, became one of the most popular films in the world. Maybe you have seen it! In an interview, Cameron explained why he made the film, and why it was so popular.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I wanted to show the beauty, excitement, good wishes and hope of the Titanic, and her passengers and crew. For Titanic is not just a warning story. It is also a story of faith, courage, sacrifice, and more than anything else, love.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Rebekah Schipper. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘The Titanic’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 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。

3 luxury   

n.难得享受到的愉悦；奢侈，奢华的生活

参考例句：

• He invited me to his suite. The luxury takes your breath away.他请我到他的套房里去，那豪华的气派真会令你吃惊。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods.政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

4 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 gigantic   

adj.巨大的，巨人似的

参考例句：

• He has a gigantic appetite and eats gigantic meals.他有很大的食量，能吃很多的食物。
• The earth may be thought of as a gigantic magnet.整个地球可以想像为一块硕大无朋的磁石。

7 decks   

n.a floor built across a ship over all or part of its length 甲板( deck的名词复数 )；层面；一副纸牌；（船或公共汽车的）一层

参考例句：

• All the soldiers began to clear the decks for action. 全体士兵开始准备战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The perfect decks itself in beauty for the love of the Imperfect. “完全”为了对“不全”的爱，把自己装饰得美丽。 来自辞典例句

8 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

9 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

10 staircase   

n.楼梯，楼梯间

参考例句：

• Footsteps on the staircase interrupted his train of thought.楼梯上传来脚步声，打断了他的思路。
• I crossed the staircase landing,and entered the room she indicated.我经过一个楼梯平台，走进她说的那个房间。

11 crystal   

n.水晶，水晶饰品，结晶体；最好的玻璃器皿

参考例句：

• It used to be a crystal stream.那曾是条清澈见底的小溪。
• Those fine wine glasses are made of crystal.那些漂亮的酒杯是用水晶做的。

12 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。

13 icebergs   

n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句

14 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。