1 . It takes eight hours and $250, 000 to get to what remains of the RMS Titanic. On Sunday, five people got into the underwater craft Titan to make that journey. The craft lost contact only an hour and 45 minutes into the eight-day expedition. Later wreckage (残骸) was found matching that of the craft. Despite the danger of traveling some 12, 500 feet below the surface, this was an irresistible opportunity — very few people get to see the Titanic with their own eyes. Actually, dives to the Titanic have been around for more than 20 years.

It wasn’t until 1985 that an expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel discovered the Titanic’s final resting place. In July 1986, Ballard placed a memorial on the ship, asking that the site be left undisturbed in memory of the more than 1, 500 people who died there.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, competition over who would be allowed to salvage (打捞) artifacts (文物) from the ship heated up. In part, it was an effort to document and conserve the artifacts - but it was also a rush for profits from artifact sales and public displays.

In 1992, a federal court ruled that TVLP was the first and exclusive salvor of the Titanic. Now known as RMS Titanic Inc. , the company has conducted eight expeditions to the Titanic, and has sold more than 5, 000 objects taken from the site, including jewelry.

While battles for visitation and salvage rights were fought in court, expeditions to the Titanic continued, giving rise to a small but pricey tourist market. Multiple companies offered public tours to explore the Titanic wreck, with prices ranging from $32, 500 to $105, 129 per person over the years. The Titanic was damaged significantly upon impact with the seabed, and slowly, iron-eating bacteria are consuming what remains. In 2019, a dive confirmed huge portions of the ship were collapsing. Today the surrounding site is littered with trash. Visitors have also littered the area with memorials. Attempts to protect the wreck are ongoing. In 2020, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to work together to grant or deny licenses to people entering and taking artifacts from the site.

1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．How people explored the Titanic	B．The danger of diving to the Titanic.
C．People’s strong interest in the Titanic	D．The details of Titanic expedition.

2. Why did Ballard put a memorial on the Titanic?

A．To mark the ship for further research.	B．To honor his dead teammates.
C．To celebrate his achievement.	D．To protect the ship’s remains.

3. What motivates the competition over the rights to salvage objects from the Titanic?

A．Scientific exploration	B．Historical research
C．Economic interest	D．Technological development

4. What is the current condition of the Titanic?

A．It is being restored	B．It is being moved to a new place.
C．It is preserved in a museum.	D．It is under united protection.

7 . Last week, I participated in a spelling bee competition along with my friend, Emma. The competition began with a lot of _________ and pressure as we all got ready to try our best. As the rounds progressed, Emma and I were the only ones left _________ for the first prize. I was leading the pack with my _________ spelling skills, but the competition rules were a little tricky, as we could seek assistance twice in case we _________ with a word. When Emma was asked a word she didn’t know, she _________ looked at me hopefully without any hesitation (犹豫), seeking my _________ to spell out the word. Although I was amazed by her trust in me, I was also _________ that she would get ahead of me. I assumed that helping her would _________ my win.

As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, past _________ of sweet moments between us crowded in on me. She had always been there for me. She cheered me on when I was feeling __________. Suddenly, I realized that winning wasn’t everything, and my __________ with her mattered more.

With that in mind, I decided to help her. I reminded her of the correct __________ for the word she was unsure of, and she flashed me a grateful smile as she wrote down the answer. The audience __________ as the host announced the result: Emma finished at the top. After the competition, she hugged me, __________ what I had done for her.

Although I had lost the race, I had __________ something much more valuable — a deeper understanding of the importance of friendship.

1.

A．excitement

B．tension

C．surprise

D．depression

2.

A．competing

B．struggling

C．debating

D．heading

3.

A．significant

B．creative

C．graceful

D．impressive

4.

A．got bored

B．got away

C．got stuck

D．got tired

5.

A．hardly

B．finally

C．immediately

D．extremely

6.

A．encouragement

B．authority

C．inspiration

D．assistance

7.

A．curious

B．confident

C．focused

D．concerned

8.

A．affect

B．promise

C．reject

D．predict

9.

A．spots

B．scenes

C．topics

D．virtues

10.

A．high

B．down

C．up

D．out

11.

A．friendship

B．competition

C．memory

D．effort

12.

A．writing

B．meaning

C．pronunciation

D．spelling

13.

A．chatted

B．paraded

C．clapped

D．greeted

14.

A．appreciating

B．congratulating

C．protesting

D．promoting

15.

A．gained

B．created

C．performed

D．reflected