【泰坦尼克号纪念邮轮起航】泰坦尼克号邮轮
时间：2019-04-25 03:29:01 来源：雅意学习网 本文已影响 人 
今年是泰坦尼克号失事100周年，全球各地掀起了各种纪念活动，除了最近热映的3D版电影《泰坦尼克》之外，还有重走泰坦尼克号当年航线的巴尔莫罗尔号邮轮在泰坦尼克号沉没地点举行的纪念仪式。一个世纪前，豪华游轮泰坦尼克号缓缓驶离英国南安普敦港口，乘客向亲友挥手告别。可是谁也想不到，这一别竟是永诀。4月8日同一时刻，另一艘游轮再从这里起航，重走当年泰坦尼克号的航线，以纪念这场和平时期遇难人数最多的海难。
A cruise ship carrying descendants of some of the people who died in the Titanic disaster set sail from a southern British port on 8 April. The trip was designed to retrace the doomed liner’s route on its maiden voyage 100 years ago. The Titanic Memorial Cruise was carrying 1,309 passengers, the same number as were on the Titanic, and departed from Southampton docks in England.
This ship, the Balmoral, left England’s south coast in the afternoon and followed the Titanic’s exact route to the spot where the liner sank. Passengers gathered for a ceremony to mark the moment of the sinking.
The story of the Titanic has been the subject of countless films, books and documentaries. But for many on board this centenary cruise there is a deeply personal connection with what happened in April, 1912. The passengers included the relatives of survivors of the tragedy and those who were killed when the ship sank after striking an iceberg. They were joined by enthusiasts or the so?鄄called “Titanoraks”. Among them are a couple who are using the trip as their honeymoon after a themed wedding in Belfast where the ship was built. They are tracing the route taken by the Titanic and stopping to pay tribute at the spot in the Atlantic Ocean where the wreck still lies deep below.
Many have no doubt that, for them, this is an incredibly emotional journey. Some relatives were bringing flowers and family artifacts in memory of those who died. Passengers making the journey, who come from more than 20 countries, include relatives of survivors, authors, historians and people who are fascinated by the Titanic story. They will eat meals from the Titanic’s original menu and attend lectures given by historians and experts.
From the wreck site, the Balmoral went on to Nova Scotia, where some of the bodies of those who died are buried, and then to New York City, the destination the Titanic never reached.
It was a 12?鄄night journey designed by Miles Morgan Travel. Miles Morgan, managing director, said the company had sought to make the voyage“a sympathetic memorial to the passengers and crew who lost their lives”.
Link: The Titanic Story
Titanic was one of three“Olympic Class” liners owned by the White Star Line to be built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Construction began on the first of these great ships, Olympic, on 16 December 1908. Work on Titanic started soon after, on 31 March 1909. These huge ships were the industrial marvels of their age and Titanic was supposed to be the biggest, fastest and most luxurious liner. After just three years, Titanic was finished—a floating city, ready to set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. On board was a collection of passengers including millionaires, silent movie stars, school teachers and emigrants, in search of a better life in the United States.
By the fifth day of its journey, Titanic was making swift progress across the Atlantic. Although Captain Edward Smith had set a new course upon hearing earlier reports of ice from other liners, there were many more communications that day of ice in Titanic’s path. On the night of 14 April 1912, the sea was flat calm, the sky clear and moonless, and the temperature was dropping towards freezing. Under such conditions, sea ice is very hard to find.
At 11：40 p.m. the lookout sounded the alarm and telephoned the bridge saying“Iceberg, right ahead.” The warning came too late. Titanic had no time to avoid the iceberg and struck it less than 40 seconds later, tearing a series of holes along the side of the hull. Upon finding the damage, Titanic’s chief naval architect Thomas Andrews said to Captain Smith that the ship would certainly sink. Six of the watertight compartments at the front of the ship’s hull were broken, five of them flooded within the hour. Titanic was designed to stay afloat with only four compartments flooded.
Less than three hours later Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, nearly four kilometers down. The sinking of Titanic claimed more than 1,500 lives. For many, the tragic fate of Titanic would come to mark the passing of the richness of the Edwardian era and foreshadowed the global tragedy of World War One. The story attracted the public imagination across the world, producing countless books, films, plays, memorials, museums and exhibitions. The discovery of the wreck by oceanographer Robert Ballard on a Franco?鄄American expedition in 1985 gave rise to a fresh wave of interest that continues to this day.
descendant n. 后裔；子孙
例如： In 1600, Anne Marbury the descendant of Sir John Spencer moved to Massachusetts, America from Lincolnshire. 1600年，约翰·斯潘塞爵士的后裔安妮·马伯里从林肯郡迁移到美国的马萨诸塞州。
retrace vt. 追溯；折回；重描
例如：So I drove back to the town and began to retrace the route, taking frequent glances at the map. 所以我又驱车返回那个小镇，频频查看地图，重新按路线行驶。
maiden voyage 初航，首航
enthusiast n. 狂热者，热心家
pay tribute 致敬；朝贡
例如：Many conquered nations have to pay tribute to the ruler of ancient Rome. 许多被征服的国家要向古罗马的统治者纳贡。
sympathetic adj. 有同情心的 例如：Sympathetic words said to people in sorrow will alleviate their suffering. 对伤心的人说几句安慰同情的话，常可以使这人痛苦缓解。
marvel n. 奇迹
luxurious adj. 奢侈的；丰富的
making swift progress
快速前进
hull n. 外壳；船体
chief naval architect
总造船工程师
watertight compartment
防水舱
foreshadow v. 预示
The 3D Film Titanic
A 3D re-release of the film Titanic was timed to the centennial of the ship’s sinking. It has taken in about ＄100 million soon after its release—＄11.6 million domestically and ＄88.2 million in 69 overseas markets. That included ＄58 million in China.
Added to the film’s ＄1.84 billion taken in by its original release, Titanic now stands at ＄2.03 billion worldwide.
Only one other movie has topped ＄2 billion, and it’s also by Cameron. His 2009 sci-fi film Avatar earned ＄2.8 billion worldwide.
James Cameron really lives up to the name of king of the worldwide box office.
live up to the name 名符其实
例如：There’s even no swimming pool in the hotel. It cannot live up to the name of a four?鄄star hotel. 这家酒店连游泳池都没有，还说是四星级酒店，真是名不符实。
