Passage
On 10 April 1912, the largest luxury ship in the world set sail from Southampton in England to New
York. She was called the Titanic. The world ‘Titanic’ means ‘huge’. this was her maiden voyage, that
is her first voyage. She set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean and she carried more than two thousand
passengers. The Titanic was like a floating town.
Every one called the Titanic the finest ship in the world. Everyone was proud of her. She was as tall
as a building with fifteen storeys. Inside, she was like a large hotel with grand staircases, diningrooms, shops and swimming pools.
Everyone thought that the Titanic could never sink. They called her unsinkable ship. The ship’s
builders were so sure of this, that they put a few life-boats on the ship.
The journey was very comfortable. The passengers were proud because they were travelling in the
best ship in the world. They felt safe.
Then came the night of 14 April. The sky was clear and the sea was calm. Many of the passengers
were asleep. Captain Smith knew that there were ice bergs nearby, so he told a man to keep a
watch from the top of the ship. Suddenly at 11: 40 p.m. the man saw something. He grew cold with
fear. A huge iceberg stood right in the path of the Titanic. ICEBERGE! He yelled.
A2) Do you know the sea voyages? Why did people call ‘Titanic’ the unsinkable ship? 2
A3) Write – ing form of the word 2
i) Travel ii) Swim
A4i) Captain Smith told the man to keep a watch from the top of the ship. (underline the infinitive)1
ii) The journey was very comfortable. (Add a question tag) 1
A5) Which mode of transport you like to travel by bus, train, or a ship? why?
Answers
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The Titanic must be one of the most famous ships ever built. She set off on her maiden voyage in April 1912, crossing from Southampton in England to New York City in America. In between, she would make stops at France and Ireland. The Titanic was such a huge ship that she weighed more than 46 000 tons and was about 270 meters long.
Thought to be virtually unsinkable, she was built such that any flooded compartment could be sealed off quickly and easily, preventing the spread of water through the ship. Passengers would then have ample time to be rescued since the builders of the ship believed that in the worst scenario, the Titanic would probably take two to three days to be completely submerged.
That fateful night, the temperature was close to zero degree Celsius. Two lookouts stationed at a high point on the ship were freezing but they had to be alert to watch for any signs of danger that the giant ship might face. In that temperature, icebergs-huge mountains of ice floating in the sea -- were a constant threat. It was already close to midnight, so the darkness that surrounded them greatly impeded their field of vision. Even if they perceived any dangerous icebergs, it might be too late to avert a disaster. The moonless sky only worsened the situation.
Then the worst happened. One of the lookouts spotted a huge iceberg right in the path of the Titanic. He immediately rang the alarm. The captain of the ship reacted just as promptly and ordered the Titanic to change her direction. For a few moments, it seemed as if a disaster had been avoided as the Titanic glided past the iceberg. Then suddenly, the ship hit the ice. As a result of the huge size of the ship, the passengers did not feel much of the impact, but the damage was done. The first six compartments of the ship were flooded and immediately sealed off. However, the six compartments were located at the front of the ship. The additional weight caused it to tilt forward. Consequently, sea water entered the ship again. The front of the ship became so heavy that the propellers, located at the end of the ship, were lifted out of the water.
The captain realized that all the passengers would have to be evacuated. Yet, all the lifeboats combined could only save less than half the passengers on the ship.
At 2.20 a.m., the Titanic vanished below the sea. Along with her went more than 1500 people, including the captain, the designer of the ship and many famous people. In just about three hours, the Titanic ironically went from being an unsinkable ship to a ship that lay at the bottom of the ocean
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