[00:01.040]--- lesson 10 The loss of the Titanic “
[00:05.840]--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
[00:11.360]--- What would have happened if only two of the sixteen water-tight compartments had been flooded?
[00:19.720]The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th,
[00:29.040]She was carrying 1,316 passengers and a crew of 891
[00:37.360]Even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship. 。
[00:44.560]At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built,
[00:50.240]but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen watertight compartments.
[00:57.280]Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float.
[01:02.640]The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.
[01:13.080]Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic,^“
[01:20.480]a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout.
[01:25.320]After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision.
[01:33.040]The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her.^“
[01:44.040]Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened.
[01:52.280]The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged.
[01:58.080]Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly,
[02:04.200]for five of her sixteen watertight compartments had already been flooded!^16
[02:10.120]The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water.
[02:15.960]As there were not enough lifeboats for everybody, 1,500 lives were lost.^