媒體英語會帶大家一起學習BBC撰稿人在報道世界大事時常用到的單詞和短語。
Background: 好萊塢經典電影《泰坦尼克號》講述了在 1912 年與冰山相撞而沉船的超級豪華客輪的故事。據最近來自一個澳大利亞大學的研究報告稱，當年船上英國乘客的生存率低于美國乘客，是因為英國乘客們在上救生船時遵守了排隊的禮貌規則。
Questions:請在聽下面錄音的時候試著回答這些問題。這是一個用來幫助你提高聽力技能的練習。
1. True or false: The Titanic went down on its first trip.
2. How many people died in the disaster?
3. True or false: According to the new research, poorer passengers were locked below deck and unable to escape.
4. According to the research, did people let women and children off the Titanic first?
Queuing on the Titanic 在泰坦尼克號上排隊
The story of the Titanic continues to grip 吸引 us. The Hollywood blockbuster 大片 starring Leonardo diCaprio and Kate Winslet brought the horror and romance of the tragedy to a new generation.
But when the 'unsinkable' luxury liner ‘永不沉沒的’超級豪華客輪 went down after hitting an iceberg 冰山 on her maiden voyage 初次航行 more than 1,500 people perished 死了 in the icy waters of the north Atlantic.
Now David Savage, a Behavioural Economist from Queensland University of technology, has concluded 總結 that more British passengers died than Americans because they stood in line.
But his study also destroys another enduring myth 長期以來的一個說法. He found no evidence that poorer passengers were locked down below 被鎖在 （甲板層）下面 and unable to reach the deck 甲板 to escape. And his work also suggests that gallantry 紳士風度 withstood 擋住了 the rising waters. Mostly, he says, the women and children first rule 女士孩子優先的常規 was followed.
But if he's right about the rest then Leonardo diCaprio, who played an American in the movie, would have cheated to survive and Kate Winslet would have got a seat in a lifeboat 救生船 much sooner, whilst the Brits would have gone down 沉下去 not to the sound of the band playing, but to the sound of a polite chorus 合唱 of "After you", "No, after you"...
GLOSSARY 詞匯表 (收聽發音, 請單擊英語單詞)
Answers
1. True or false: The Titanic went down on its first trip.
True. The boat hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage – its first trip.
2. How many people died in the disaster?
More than 1,500 people perished, or died, in the disaster.
3. True or false: According to the new research, poorer passengers were locked below deck and unable to escape.
False. David Savage found no evidence that poorer passengers were locked below deck.
4. According to the research, did people let women and children off the Titanic first?
Yes, David Savage says that mostly the women and children first rule was followed.
Listen to Rob Broomby's report 點擊此處下載錄音材料
