53] Titanc, the Unsinkable Ship + Writing a Summary

Read the text and then answer the questions below:

In 1912, an American shipping company launched a new ship called the "Titanic". It was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner of that time. It weighed 46,000 tons and could carry about 2,200 passengers. Experts said that nothing could sink it, it was definitely unsinkable. 

On 14th April, 1912, the ship sailed on its first voyage across the Atlantic from Southampton in England to New York in the USA, with 2,224 passengers. On 15th April just before midnight the ship struck an iceberg. The iceberg tore a great hole in the ship's side, and the unsinkable "Titanic" began to sink.

There was a great alarm on board. Warning bells rang out. Everyone rushed to the lifeboats, but there was room for only 1,178 passengers. The lifeboats took mostly the women and children. The men had to remain on the ship. The" Titanic" sent out signals for help, but no help came. Another ship, the" Californian", was only twenty miles away, but the radio operator was asleep and did not hear the signals. In the early morning the "Titanic "sank.

Twenty minutes later another liner, the Carpathia" arrived on the scene and helped to rescue survivors from the icy water. But of the 2,224 passengers, only about 700 survived, It was a terrible disaster, but something good came out of the sinking of the "Titanic".

In 1913 there was a committee of inquiry into the disaster. It drew up many new rules for shipping companies. Since then, every ship has had to provide life-boat places for each passenger and has had to organise life boat drills during each voyage .Every ship has had to carry enough radio operators so that there is always one of them on duty .Also, an international ice patrol was formed. This patrol warns ships about ice and ice bergs in the North Atlantic. 

A) Answer the following questions:

1. What were the precautions taken to help sinking ships? 

2. How many people remained alive after the sinking of the "Titanic"?

3. What does the underlined word "it" refer to ? 

4. What made the ship sink?

B) Choose the coorect answer from A, B, C, or D: 

5. The men had to remain on the ship to ......

A. play music and dance

B. help the crew of the ship

C. help women and children survive

D. send out signals for help

6. The Californian didn't help the sinking ship because ....

A. there was no contact between them.

B. the operation was difficult to perform. 

C. the passengers were playing their radios loud.

D. the radio operator wasn't awake.

7. The underlined words "arrived on the scene" mean .....

A. they enjoyed the play much.

B. they came to the site. 

C. they reached the place of the "Titanic"

D. they finished the scene.

C. Write a summary of the text in 80 words of your own.