| 阅读理解。 |
| Working in the control room of the salvage vessel (求助打捞船) Seaprobe at two o'clock one morning in 1977, Robert Ballard was shocked by a large piece of equipment that crashed onto the deck just three feet above him. The ship shook with the force of an explosion (爆炸). A drill pipe and its attached equipment broke and fell into the Atlantic, abruptly ending the explorer's test to find the RMS Titanic. "I lost a lot of credibility with sponsors (赞助商), who had lent the $600 000 worth of equipment" for the 1977 exploration. "It took me eight years to recover from that." But recover he did, despite doubt from other scientists, failed money-raising efforts and other unfortunate happenings. After the Seaprobe failed, Ballard says, "I had to come up with another way to search for the Titanic." He returned to work as a U.S. Navy officer. At a time the geologist cut a deal with Navy officials: He would offer his expertise (专业知识) if they supported the development and testing of Argo, a camera-equipped underwater robot, and allowed him to use it for exploration. The Navy sent Ballard and Argo to search for Thresher and Scorpion, two submarines (潜水艇) that sank during the 1960s. Those vessels lay in waters not far from the Titanic. After having found the Scorpion in 1985, Ballard began to look for the lost liner Titanic. And two miles down, in the dark sea at 49°56' W, 41°43' N, he found it. The oceanographer, who later found the German battleship Bismarck and the liner Lusitania, says simply, "Failure and success are bedfellows, so I'm ready to fail." Ballard's worked in the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography. Students will join him on his latest research-exploring ancient trade routes in the Black and Mediterranean seas. |
| 1. Ballard failed his attempt to find the RMS Titanic mainly because _____. |
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| A. an explosion damaged the salvage vessel greatly B. the equipment for the exploration broke and sank C. the sea condition was too terrible for the exploration D. something was wrong with the drill pipe |
| 2. What influence did the failure have on Ballard? |
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| A. Sponsors wouldn't provide him with money any more. B. He became a navy officer in charge of the research on Argo. C. It took him eight years to seek support from other scientists. D. He had to work in a university to launch the program once more. |
| 3. The U.S. Navy decided to help Ballard because _____. |
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| A. They wanted to test the use of the Argo B. They also wanted to find the RMS Titanic C. They were the sponsors of the 1977 expedition D. Ballard would offer them his expert skill and knowledge |
| 4. Where did Ballard find the RMS Titanic? |
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| A. Near the submarine Thresher. B. Near the German battleship Bismarck. C. Just next to the liner Lusitania. D. Not far from the submarine Scorpion. |