You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three state-of-the art (最先进的) ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class ships were built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn’t even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were marvels of sea engineering, but they seemed cursed to suffer disastrous fates.
The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on marking them the most luxurious ships on the water.
Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ship were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas. The Olympic got wrecked before the Titanic did, but it was the only one survive and maintain a successful career of 24 years. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.
Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship’s smoke stacks, but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls (船体) believed to make them “unsinkable”, perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic’s and the Britannic’s tragic end.
The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World War I. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the three Olympic class ships?| A．They performed marvelously on the sea. |
| B．They could all break the ice in their way. |
| C．They all experienced terrible misfortunes. |
| D．They were models of modern engineering. |
| A．Their capacity of sailing across all waters. |
| B．The utmost comfort passengers could enjoy. |
| C．Their ability to survive disasters of any kind. |
| D．The long voyages they were able to undertake. |
| A．Their unscientific designs |
| B．Their captains’ misjudgment |
| C．The assumption that they were built with the latest technology |
| D．The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body |
| A．was used to carry troops |
| B．was sunk in World War I |
| C．was converted into a hospital ship |
| D．was retired after her naval service |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The ancient Romans drank 47 million gallons of wine every year: a bottle aday for every man, woman, and child in the city. Wine was consumed by both therich and the poor, drunk at every meal. Even slaves were given a weekly amount of 5 quarts each in order to preserve their strength.
Though wine was always popular, the Romans did not plant their own vineyards (葡萄园) until they had taken control of the Italian peninsula in thesecond century AD. Vineyards quickly sprang up all over the Roman countryside and beyond. By the first century, wine was being imported from Gaul and Iberia(modern day France and Spain) in order to quench Rome’s endless thirst for it.
Transporting wine over such vast distances was a serious challenge. Winecontainers needed to be airtight in order to prevent oxidation (氧化), strong enoughto keep from breaking, and light enough to be carried by hand. It was also important that the container be made out of a material that wouldn’t upset the wine’s flavorand be kept at a cool, stable temperature in order to prevent damage, a majorconcern for wine makers to this day. The Romans used clay and oak to solve theseproblems, creating one of the greatest and most wine-soaked cultures.
The drinking habits of Ancient Rome had an enormous influence on Europeanculture. As they conquered Europe, they not only brought their laws, but also theircustoms, exporting their love of wine throughout their empire. They were the first to plant vineyards in the Rhone Valley and across France. They introduced wineto Germany and Britain, and used their knowledge of wine craft to transform andexpand Spanish vineyards. The Roman study of vineyard skills not only improvedthe wine’s quality, but also helped guarantee its survival following the breakdownof Rome and the turmoil (动乱) of the Middle Ages.
1. What does the underlined word “quench” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Limit. | B．Satisfy. |
| C．Explain. | D．Experience. |
| A．How to distinguish the quality of wine. |
| B．How to spread the culture of wine. |
| C．How to choose wine containers. |
| D．How to preserve wine properly. |
| A．The Romans’ contribution to wine culture. |
| B．The Romans’ rule of the European continent. |
| C．The Romans’ efforts in building a big empire. |
| D．The Romans’ remarkable skills in making wine. |
| A．The Romans produced wine mainly for export. |
| B．The Romans learnt to preserve wine from the Europeans. |
| C．The Romans gave slaves wine to make them work harder. |
| D．The Romans began to plant vineyards when wine first became popular. |
【推荐2】In ancient Maya civilization, cacao — which chocolate is made from — wasn’t just for the elites (精英). Traces of the sacred plant show up in antiques from all types of neighborhoods and in and around a former Maya city, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding suggests that, contrary to previous thinking, cacao was consumed at every social level of Maya society.
“Now we know that the ceremonies with cacao were likely played out by everyone,” says AnabelFord, an archaeologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Cacao was sacred to the ancient Maya, consumed in ceremonies and used as a currency. The cacao tree itself was linked to Hun Hunahpu, a Mayan god. Previous research found cacao in burials (墓地), suggesting that its use was restricted to those at the top.
To explore the extent to which cacao was used in broader Maya society, Ford and colleagues examined 54 antiques dating from A. D. 600 to 900. The antiques come from jars, mixing bowls, serving plates and vases thought to be drinking vessels. All the pieces were found in residential and ceremonial civic areas of varying size and status from city centers, foothills, upland areas and the valley around the former Maya city of El Pilar, on the present-day border of Guatemala and Belize.
To identify cacao, the researchers searched for theophylline, a compound found in trace amounts in the plant. The team found the compound on more than half of the samples, on all types of antiques and distributed throughout social contexts.
Future research will move beyond who consumed cacao and explore the role of farmers in managing the critical resource. “A better question is to understand who grew it,” Ford says, because those people probably had greater access to the valuable commodity.
1. What do traces of cacao found in Mayan antiques indicate?| A．Cacao was once unique to Maya society. |
| B．Cacao was only available to wealthy Mayan people. |
| C．Cacao was accessible to Mayan ordinary people. |
| D．Cacao left more traces in the Mayan city center. |
| A．There is no need to do further research on cacao. |
| B．Mayan people liked eating chocolate very much. |
| C．Mayan festivals were the same as those of the modern times. |
| D．There were some limitations in previous research about cacao. |
| A．To make copies of Mayan antiques. |
| B．To learn about the Mayan eating habits. |
| C．To find out cacao’s relationship with the religion. |
| D．To know about Mayan social groups of cacao use. |
| A．The varieties of cacao. | B．Ways cacao was spread out. |
| C．Cacao tree growers. | D．The cacao’s value. |
【推荐3】THE CHINESE WRITING SYSTEM:
CONNECTING THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
China is widely known for its ancient civilisation which has continued all the way through into modern times, despite the many ups and downs in its history. There are many reasons why this has been possible, but one of the main factors has been the Chinese writing system.
At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language. It dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu — animal bones and shells on which symbols were carved by ancient Chinese people. Some of the ancient symbols can still be seen in today’s hanzi.
By the Shang Dynasty (around 1600-1046 BCE), these symbols had become a well-developed writing system. Over the years, the system developed into different forms, as it was a time when people were divided geographically, leading to many varieties of dialects and characters. This, however, changed under Emperor Emperor Qinshihuang of the QinDynasty (221-207 BCE).
Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one unified country where the Chinese writing system began to develop in one direction. That writing system was of great importance in uniting the Chinese people and culture. Even today, no matter where Chinese people live or what dialect they speak, they can all still communicate in writing
Written Chinese has also become an important means by which China’s present is connected with its past. People in modern times can read the classic works which were written by Chinese in ancient times. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be seen in the development of Chinese characters as an art form, known as Chinese calligraphy, which has become an important part of Chinese culture.
Today, the Chinese writing system is still an important part of Chinese culture. As China plays a greater role in global affairs, an increasing number of international students are beginning to appreciate China’s culture and history through this amazing language.
1. What happened at the third important time of the development of the Chinese writing system?| A．Written Chinese was a picture-based language. |
| B．The writing system developed into different forms. |
| C．The Chinese writing system began to develop in one unified direction. |
| D．Symbols carved on Longgu had become a well-developed writing system. |
| A．It allowed Chinese people to communicate with each other. |
| B．It helped Chinese people record what they had done. |
| C．It made it possible for the government to issue orders. |
| D．It made the Chinese people think alike. |
| A．The ancient Chinese wrote large numbers of articles for the people today to read. |
| B．Chinese people today can read and understand classic works from ancient times. |
| C．It helped Emperor Qinshihuang unite the seven major states into one unified country. |
| D．Chinese people today are connected with those of the past by writing calligrapgy. |
| A．The continuous development of China’s agriculture. |
| B．A relatively powerful government. |
| C．The large population. |
| D．An open mind to embrace different cultures. |
【推荐1】Widespread descriptions of animals in pop culture could actually be hurting the animals’ survival chances in the wild, new research suggests.
Researchers of the University of Paris-Sud was interested in the idea of “charisma” (魅力) in animals. They wanted to know: What species do people consider charismatic? And what are the influences of being charismatic on populations in the wild?
In a research published this month, they listed the top 20 charismatic species, most of which are large mammals living on land. Coming in first place were tigers, followed by lions, elephants, giraffes, panthers, pandas, cheetahs, polar bears, wolves, and gorillas. However, at least half of the interviewees didn’t have the awareness that five of the top ten most charismatic species are in danger. How absurd (荒谬的) that we haven't been able to protect the species we care about the most.
The study has also found that we are flooded with images of these creatures, even as their populations have fallen in the wild. The study suggests that too many images might be creating a “virtual population” of the animals in peoples’ minds, making them believe there are far more individuals in the wild than is exact.
The study authors suggest that companies who benefit from the use of these images should set aside a small percentage of their profits to protection efforts and informational campaigns. “That would be not only something fair, but that would be something that could bring a win-win situation for them,” Franck Courchamp, chief researcher of the team, says. “It could bring them positive public relation, for example. Besides, if a company’s mascot dies out, that could hurt them from a marketing perspective.” Some companies do take this to heart, he says, mentioning protection efforts by Jaguar and Lacoste. But not enough companies are “truly concerned about the protection of the species that they work on,” he adds.
1. It can be inferred that the widespread images of animals in pop culture ________.| A．leads people to forget the less charismatic animals |
| B．brings a win-win situation for both animals and companies |
| C．raises people’s awareness of wildlife protection. |
| D．makes a false impression of the animals’ real situation |
| A．It is high time that people should protect the endangered species. |
| B．It is natural to regard the large mammals as charismatic. |
| C．It is strange that people's thoughts aren't in line with their behaviors. |
| D．It is terrible that the species are dying out at an alarming speed. |
| A．giving examples | B．taking quotes | C．making comparisons | D．using numbers |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Supportive. | C．Dissatisfied. | D．Positive. |
【推荐2】Chimps use loud calls and gestures to make their feelings known but until now, the exact meaning for individual movements has remained a mystery. Now researchers believe they have translated the key gestures used in the chimp community and identified their intentions for the first time.
From 4,351 gestures, experts were able to identify 66 that are used for 19 specific message meanings, including showing a foot to tell a child they can climb on their back. The researchers were able to narrow down these 66 gestures to 36 that are used intentionally to achieve 15 purposes. The translations were made by Dr Catherine Hobaiter and her colleagues at St Andrews University in Scotland.
Dr Hobaiter used behavior sampling and filmed all recorded cases of gestural communication. Other gestures include stomping their feet to ask another chimp to stop what they are doing, and slapping objects together to ask another to follow them. Of the 19 meanings,17 encouraged interactions to start, or to develop, such as “move closer,” and “change play”. Some of the gestures were found to have more than one meaning. and only 10 of the 66 gestures were used for only a single meaning.
Researchers collected a total of 471 video clips from two social groups of chimps at a shelter near Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. As well as identifying what the gesture means, they also discovered the technique needed to increase the chances of success.
“Human children use gestures to communicate before they produce their first words, and their earliest gestures typically appear around 10 months of age,” explained the researchers. “In great apes, there is good evidence that language-trained individuals are capable of acquiring and understanding signals, but this is far less clear in their natural communication. ”
1. Chimps slap the objects to____________.| A．tell others to stop what they are doing | B．ask others chimps to join them |
| C．gather other chimps to move closer | D．encourage interactions to start |
| A．Chimps trained in language are good at understanding signals. |
| B．Two social groups of chimps live at a shelter near Kinshasa. |
| C．Language-trained individuals do well in natural communication. |
| D．Chimps’earliest gestures appear around 10 months of age. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By examining differences. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By following time order. |
| A．A New Research on Chimps | B．Human Children and Chimps |
| C．Getting the Chimps Trained for Language | D．Translating the Sign Language of Chimps |
【推荐3】Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us, shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me, it’s something I would rather avoid. Thank goodness for the Internet! It’s more convenient to buy CDs, electrical items, even food, from the comfort of your sofa. But that’s not the only reason: price is an important factor. We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy. This has led to a type of shopping called “showrooming”.
Showrooming is something I’ve done. I will go to a shop to see, touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock-down price. I’m not alone in doing this. Research by a company called Foolproof, found 24% of people showroomed while Christmas shopping in 2013.
Amy Cashman, head of Technology at TNS UK, says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that “people are lacking time, lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying”. She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around.
But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change. They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in-store discounts or free gifts.
We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare. It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by showrooming, you get the best of both worlds!
1. The two questions in Paragraph l are raised to ________.| A．introduce the topic |
| B．give two examples |
| C．compare different opinions |
| D．get answers from readers |
| A．Trying in shops and buying online. |
| B．Showing products in a room. |
| C．Buying something in a store. |
| D．Shopping on the Internet. |
| A．The lack of time. |
| B．The comfort of the sofa. |
| C．The shortness of money. |
| D．The security of the product. |
| A．critical | B．neutral |
| C．supportive | D．casual |
