More than a century after the Titanic sank in April 1912, few new stories are discovered about the accident. The history of the Chinese passengers who escaped the Titanic has largely been forgotten, even in their homeland.
The average survival rate for men in third class was just one in six. But when disaster struck, being a poor sailor with limited English turned into an advantage for the eight Chinese men on board - and six of them survived.
All eight Chinese men came from southern China. They had previously worked on cargo (货物) ships traveling between China and Europe, and they likely planed to move to the US to start a new life. They boarded the Titanic in Southampton, England, on a single ticket listing eight names. This was a common practice for third-class passengers at that time. Like other unmarried third-class men, they were housed in windowless cabins (船舱).
When the ship struck an iceberg, the men living in the worst conditions saw everything with their own eyes. Freezing water flooded into their living cabins, while on the upper levels, the crew (全体船员) were still reassuring (……安心) first-and second-class passengers that nothing was serious. Relying on their own survival skills, the Chinese sailors would have reacted quickly to leave the ship, especially since they likely did not understand orders in English to stay in their rooms.
Five of the six Chinese survivors made it directly onto lifeboats, while the sixth, Fang Lang, was one of the few lucky people picked up by Lifeboat 14, the only boat to return and search for survivors. He was found floating on a door to which he had tied himself. After he was pulled, freezing, he helped row the lifeboat to safety and was praised for his efforts.
The six men's lucky escape is little -known in China, despite the popularity of the Titanic story in the nation.
1. Why did the eight Chinese men board the Titanic?| A．They were working on this ship then. |
| B．They planned to travel to Europe. |
| C．They went to the US to earn a living. |
| D．They meant to make an unforgettable experience. |
| A．thought nothing was serious | B．helped to comfort other passengers |
| C．stayed in their rooms calmly | D．realized the ship was in great danger |
| A．Eight. | B．Six. |
| C．Five. | D．One. |
| A．survival skills and poor English | B．their confidence and survival skills |
| C．their kindness and courage | D．their bravery and patience |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】I'm Victor Bobra from Belarus. When I was three years old, a nuclear explosion (核爆炸) blew up in Chernobyl, Ukraine. At the time, I was living on the border with Ukraine.When the explosion happened, my dad, was looking after the trucks at the station. When he heard about the disaster, he took us to Brest on the truck. After that, my family moved to Minsk.
Many years have passed since the explosion. Different places were affected differently. If you live in an area like Minsk, it's not as polluted as other areas. Kids there were born normally. Maybe they were underweight or something, but this was because of the problems of the economic situation. If kids were born around the Brest area, they were, born almost perfectly, because it's the cleanest area in Belarus. But if kids were born around the area to the east of Belarus,most of the kids were born deformed (畸形的).
I don't know much about how it has affected my health. But what happened was that everybody had a medical check-up after the disaster. The doctors found that I had got some protein inside me: So they thought there was something wrong with me, and suggested I should be treated.
My mum set up 'a charity, Chernobyl Children Lifeline, which raised some money for me. I've stayed here for treatment since then. The reason I can't go to Belarus is because of the radiation (辐射). If I go back, I might get radiation and get ill. Certainly there isn't any medical care, because the country is very poor. At the moment I can't even see my parents for a holiday. My parents probably miss me. I think the fault (过失) that Chernobyl blew up is the government's.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．People in Minsk were rich before the disaster. |
| B．Victor Bobra lived in the cleanest area in Belarus. |
| C．The east of Belarus was seriously affected by the disaster. |
| D．Kids born in Minsk were underweight because of the disaster. |
| A．provide home for the homeless |
| B．collect money for his treatment |
| C．raise money for deformed kids |
| D．help those suffering from radiation |
| A．The author's father didn't survive the disaster. |
| B．The author lived in Minsk when the disaster happened. |
| C．The author was given good treatment with the help of the government. |
| D．The author thought the government should take responsibility for the disaster. |
| A．everybody had a medical examination after the nuclear explosion |
| B．the doctors did not think it necessary to have the author treated |
| C．the author's country can afford to provide medical care |
| D．the author is living with his parents now |
| A．To prove the great force of the nuclear explosion. |
| B．To tell readers the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl. |
| C．To show the bad effects of the nuclear explosion. |
| D．To find out the truth of the nuclear explosion. |
【推荐2】On a rainy winter day, several decades ago, a British artist named Christopher got on a train in Oxford to go to London. When he began his journey, he never knew that it was the beginning of almost 40 years of accidents and near death experiences.
During the journey, the train fell into an icy river, killing 12 passengers. Christopher managed to swim back to the river bank. He only had a broken leg.
Two years later, Christopher was on a plane from London to Manchester when a door suddenly opened and he fell out. A few minutes later, the plane crashed; 27 people were killed. Christopher was so lucky that he landed in a haystack (干草堆).
A few years later, he was hit by a bus, but again had no serious injuries. Then a year after that, he was driving on a mountain road when he saw a truck coming straight at him. He drove the car off the road, jumped out, landed in a tree — and watched his car fall 100 meters down the mountain.
''There are two ways you can look at it, '' Christopher said. ''I'm either the worlds unluckiest man, or the world's luckiest. '' When a reporter asked Christopher what he thought, he chose the ''luckiest'' one.
Two years ago, aged 71, Christopher bought his first lottery ticket (彩票) in 50 years and won more than 2 million. After this, a TV company in America said they wanted him to make an advertisement. At first he accepted, but then he changed his mind. Christopher said he would not fly to Los Angeles for the filming, because he did not want to push his luck. Who knows? If he had accepted the invitation, maybe he would have had another accident. But Mr. Christopher is a lucky man. If he had had another accident, he probably would have survived that too!
1. What happened in the plane accident from London to Manchester?| A．Christopher fell out of the plane. |
| B．Christopher fell into an icy water. |
| C．Christopher landed in a tree. |
| D．Christopher was the only passenger to survive |
| A．worried | B．confused |
| C．doubtful | D．fortunate |
| A．Because he was not good at filming. |
| B．Because he had enough money. |
| C．Because he was sure of another accident. |
| D．Because he didn't want to risk his life. |
| A．A man with nine lives |
| B．The unluckiest man in the world |
| C．A man who traveled around the world |
| D．A man who earned ￡2 million in a lottery |
【推荐3】Do you know what to do when there is an emergency? By calling the police, you can protect yourself and those around you.
Call the police in all of the following emergencies:
◆ A crime, such as a theft, especially if it is still in progress.
◆ A car accident, especially if someone is injured.
◆ Domestic violence, such as a child being mistreated.
◆ Anything else that seems like an emergency.
You may also call the police when you see something suspicious(可疑的)in your neighborhood:
◆ Someone you don’t know is frequently walking around in your neighborhood. This could be a sign that the person is trying to break into a house.
◆ Someone is trying to open the doors of a car. This could be a sign that the person is trying to steal the car.
When you see something suspicious, do not suppose someone else has already called the police. People often hesitate to call the police for fear of danger. However, the police want to help prevent crime.
What should you do when you call the police?
◆ Dial 911 (the U.S. emergency number; the number varies from one country to another—in China, you dial 110 to call the police). Stay calm when calling and give your name, address and phone number. Then, tell the person why you are calling (What happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Is it still in progress?). Follow any instructions you are given. For example, the dispatcher (调度员) might say, “Stay on the line,” or “Leave the building.”
◆ If you dial the emergency number by mistake.do not hang up. Doing so could make the dispatcher think an emergency really exists. Instead，just tell the person that you called by mistake.
Most police departments have a communication center. The communication center staff reach police officers by radio. Police officers carry headsets. like earphones, to stay in touch with the communication center.
1. When calling the police, you DON’T need to give ______ to the dispatcher.| A．your name | B．your phone number |
| C．your ID card number | D．some details of the emergency |
| A．Power off your smartphone. | B．Hang up your phone at once. |
| C．Tell the dispatcher you called by mistake. | D．Go to a police station to explain your mistake. |
| A．Monitor police officers. | B．Answer emergency calls. |
| C．Tell people what to do in an emergency. | D．Reach police officers when there is an emergency. |
| A．To tell people when and how to call the police. |
| B．To introduce a police officer’s general duties. |
| C．To share the author’s experience of calling the police. |
| D．To thank the police for trying to prevent crimes. |
【推荐1】As time went on, Philip’s deformity was accepted like one boy’s red hair and another’s unreasonable obesity. But meanwhile he had grown horribly sensitive. He never ran if he could help it, because he knew it made his limp more noticeable. He stood still as much as he could, with his badly shaped foot behind the other. Because he could not join in the games which other boys played, their life remained strange to him; sometimes they seemed to think that it was his fault if he could not play football, and he was unable to make them understand. He was left a good deal to himself. He had been inclined to talkativeness, but gradually he became silent.
The biggest boy in his dormitory, Singer, took a dislike to him, and Philip, small for his age, had to put up with a good deal of hard treatment. About half-way through the term there was a game called Nibs. It was a game for two, played on a table or a form with steel pens. Soon nothing was seen but boys playing this game, and the more skilful acquired vast stores of nibs. But in a little while Mr. Watson made up his mind that it was a form of gambling, and forbade the game. Then he ordered all the nibs in the boys’ possession be handed in. Philip had been very skilful, and it was with a heavy heart that he gave up his winning; but his fingers itched to play still, and a few days later, on his way to the football field, he went into a shop and bought a pennyworth of J pens. He carried them loose in his pocket and enjoyed feeling them. Presently Singer found out that he had them. Singer had given up his nibs too, but he had kept back a very large one, called a Jumbo, which was almost unconquerable, and he could not resist the opportunity of getting Philip's Js out of him. Though Philip knew that he was at a disadvantage with his small nibs, he had an adventurous disposition and was willing to take the risk; besides, he was aware that Singer would not allow him to refuse. He had not played for a week and sat down to the game now with a thrill of excitement. He lost two of his small nibs quickly, and Singer was jubilant, but the third time by some chance the Jumbo slipped round and Philip was able to push his J across it. He crowed with triumph. At that moment Mr. Watson came in.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
He looked from Singer to Philip, but neither answered.
“Don’t you know that I’ve forbidden you to play that game?”
Philip’s heart beat fast. He knew what was coming and was dreadfully frightened, but in his fright there was a certain exultation. He had never been swished. Of course it would hurt, but it was something to boast about afterwards.
“Come into my study.”
The headmaster turned, and they followed him side by side. Singer whispered to Philip:
“We’re in for it.”
Mr. Watson pointed to Singer.
“Bend over,” he said.
Philip, very white, saw the boy quiver at each stroke, and after the third he heard him cry out. Three more followed.
“That’ll do. Get up.”
Singer stood up. The tears were streaming down his face. Philip stepped forward. Mr. Watson looked at him for a moment.
“I’m not going to beat you. You’re a new boy. And I can’t hit a cripple. Go away, both of you, and don’t be naughty again.”
When they got back into the school-room a group of boys, were waiting for them. They set upon Singer at once with eager questions. But he did not answer. He was angry because he had been hurt.
“Don’t ask me to play Nibs with you again,'” he said to Philip. “It’s jolly nice for you. You don’t risk anything.”
“I didn’t ask you.”
“Didn’t you!”
He quickly put out his foot and tripped Philip up. Philip was always rather unsteady on his feet, and he fell heavily to the ground.
“Cripple,” said Singer.
For the rest of the term he tormented Philip cruelly, and, though Philip tried to keep out of his way, the school was so small that it was impossible; he tried being friendly and jolly with him; he abased himself, so far as to buy him a knife; but though Singer took the knife he was not placated. Once or twice, driven beyond endurance, he hit and kicked the bigger boy, but Singer was so much stronger that Philip was helpless, and he was always forced after more or less torture to beg his pardon. It was that which rankled with Philip: he could not bear the humiliation of apologies, which were wrung from him by pain greater than he could bear. And what made it worse was that there seemed no end to his wretchedness; Singer was only eleven and would not go to the upper school till he was thirteen. Philip realized that he must live two years with a tormentor from whom there was no escape. He was only happy while he was studying and when he got into bed. And often there recurred to him then that queer feeling that his life with all its misery was nothing but a dream, and that he would awake in the morning in his own little bed in London.
1. Why did Philip put his badly shaped foot behind the other?| A．Because he could maintain a balance. |
| B．Because he fell into that particular habit. |
| C．Because he had a strong desire to fit in with others. |
| D．Because he wanted to escape any reference to it. |
| A．the game amounted to much as to Mr Watson. |
| B．the game was very fashionable among the boys. |
| C．the game was the only way for Philip to socialize with others. |
| D．the game favored those who were the most patient and skilful. |
| A．Fragile and frustrated. | B．Depressive but strong-willed. |
| C．Talkative and adventurous. | D．Aggressive but independent. |
| A．Mr. Watson showed sympathy for Philip. |
| B．Mr. Watson discriminated in favor of Philip. |
| C．Mr. Watson looked down upon Philip. |
| D．Mr. Watson expected none of Philip. |
| A．He didn’t intend to make up with Singer. |
| B．He felt inferior and left out. |
| C．He was negative about his future in the end. |
| D．He didn’t take pleasure in studying. |
【推荐2】Chien-Shiung Wu spent most of her life in the United States, but the Chinese-American nuclear physicist is at least as well known, if not much more, among the Chinese than among Americans.
On March 17, 2016 the US Department of Energy website published an article praising Wu’s many achievements during National Women’s History Month this month. She was known as the “Chinese Madame Curie”, “First Lady of Physics”, and many other titles given by her students. Wu was born in Shanghai on May 31, 1912, and grew up in Jiangsu.
Wu was lucky at a time of few educational opportunities for women in China. She attended the elementary school for girls founded in 1913 by her father. After graduating from Suzhou No 2 Women’s Normal School in 1929, Wu was enrolled in the National Central University (now Nanjing University) to study mathematics and then physics. In August 1936, Wu pursued further study in the University of California Berkeley in the US. Receiving her PhD in 1940. Wu taught for two years at Smith College and Princeton University. She joined the secret Manhattan Project in 1944.
Wu is best known for her1956 experiment that disproved(推翻) the conservation of parity(守恒定律). The experiment was regarded vital in securing fellow Chinese-born scientists Yang Zhenning and Li Zhengdao the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Wu had won numerous honors, being the first woman with an honorary doctorate from Princeton University in 1958, and the first person selected in 1978 to receive the Wolf Prize.
Her name and stories became widely known in China after she made many trips in China in later years. She was honorary professor at many Chinese universities and one of the first foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1994.
Wu died of stroke on Feb 16,1997 in New York. An asteroid(小行星)(2752 Wu Chien-Shiung) was named after her in 1990.
1. Paragraph 3 is mainly about Chien-Shiung Wu’s ________.| A．living conditions | B．family background |
| C．education experience | D．major development |
| A．she was given many titles by her students |
| B．she is a female Chinese-American physicist |
| C．she secured Yang and Li the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics |
| D．she was the first woman to receive the Wolf Prize |
| A．Wu is widely known among the Chinese. |
| B．Wu was devoted to Chinese science in later life. |
| C．Many Chinese universities awarded Wu honors. |
| D．Wu’s Chinese trips made her the honorary professor. |
| A．An introduction to a physicist. |
| B．Achievements made by a physicist. |
| C．Praise to a physicist. |
| D．An experiment making a physicist well-known. |
【推荐3】Princess Louisa Inlet, a fjord lying 60 miles from Vancouver, Canada, is a stretch of wilderness. Accessible only by boat or plane, the 6-kilometer-long area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Its dense forests are home to a variety of wildlife, including mountain goats, eagles, etc. Now, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, the land will be preserved forever for future generations to enjoy.
The chain of events began in June 2019, when three neighboring privately-owned land parcels came up for sale. With several logging companies expressing interest, BC Parks Foundation knew it had to do something to save the land. Although it had “zero funds”, the nonprofit foundation agreed to acquire the land for CAN $ 3 million(US$ 2.3 million). Fortunately, the owners gave the nonprofit three months to collect the money.
After much consideration, the nonprofit decided to reach out to the general public through a crowdfunding campaign. To its surprise, money started rolling in from people worldwide. Among the donors was a class of fifth-grade students from Cambridge Elementary School in Surrey, British Columbia, who raised an impressive CAN $1,109 for the cause.
But in spite of the outpouring of support, on August 28, 2019——the day of the sale deadline, the nonprofit was still short of CAN $ 100,000. Just as the officials thought there was no chance of success, a businessman from Vancouver stepped in with the funds. He wrote, “These protected areas are our crown jewels, and I think it’s madness to consider letting them go for short-term economic gain when they always provide much more.”
“It’s just an amazing thing people have done. They together have saved the fjord,” said BC Parks Foundation CEO Andrew Day. “Hopefully we do see more of this kind of thing, in the right places at the right time.”
1. What can we say about Princess Louisa Inlet according to paragraph 1?| A．It is a wild place and not approachable. | B．It is impressive but not easily accessible. |
| C．It is likely to be at risk of being in ruins. | D．It is especially loved by indoor enthusiasts. |
| A．People’s sincere pray for the Inlet. | B．The sacrifice of logging companies. |
| C．People’s support for the campaign. | D．The permission to purchase the land. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Cautious. | C．Annoyed. | D．Serious. |
| A．To introduce the beauty of the wilderness. | B．To stress the significance of the campaign. |
| C．To show the benefits of exploring the fjord. | D．To evaluate the value of Princess Louisa Inlet. |
