What doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline. On a moonless night of April 15, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic ,with 1,500 lives lost.
A century later many people presented new theories to explain the real reason for the disaster. Now two new studies argue that rare states of nature played major roles in the disaster.
The first says Earth’s nearness to the Moon and the Sun — a proximity not matched in more than 1,000 years — resulted in record tides that help explain why the Titanic met with so much ice, including the fatal iceberg.
Recently, a team of researchers found an apparent explanation in the heavens. They discovered that Earth had come unusually close to the Sun and Moon that winter, enhancing their gravitational pulls on the ocean and producing record tides. The rare orbits took place between December 1911 and February 1912 — about two months before the disaster came about. The researchers suggest that the high tides refloated masses of icebergs traditionally stuck along the coastlines of Labrador and Newfoundland and sent them adrift into the North Atlantic shipping lanes.
And a second, put forward by a Titanic historian from Britain, contends that the icy waters created ideal conditions for an unusual type of mirage(海市蜃楼) that hid icebergs from lookouts whose duty was to watch carefully for danger ahead and confused a nearby ship as to the liner’s identity, delaying rescue efforts for hours.
Most people know mirages as natural phenomena caused when hot air near the Earth’s surface bends light rays upward. In a desert, the effect prompts lost travelers to mistake patches of blue sky for pools of water. But another kind of mirage occurs when cold air bends light rays downward. In that case, observers can see objects and settings far over the horizon. The images often undergo quick distortions — not unlike the wavy reflections in a funhouse mirror.
Now, scholars of the Titanic are debating these new theories. Some have different opinions on it. Over all, though, many experts are applauding the fresh perspectives. (words:353)
小题1:The underlined word "It" in the title probably refers to _______.
A．the Titanic
B．the record tide
C．the cause of the disaster
D．an unusual mirage小题2:According to Theory First, what was the right chain of causes leading to the Titanic’s disaster?
① record tides’ forming and icebergs’ being refloated
② icebergs’ being drifted into the North Atlantic shipping lanes
③the Earth’s strange closing to the Sun and the Moon
④increasing of the gravitational force on the ocean
A．①→②→③→④
B．③→④→①→②
C．④→③→②→①
D．②→③→④→①小题3:According to Theory Second, the disaster happened to the Titanic mainly because______.
A．the freezing weather made the watcher not be able to watch clear
B．the mirage on the sea attracted the watcher and made him forget his work
C．the high tides drove the icebergs float so fast that the watcher didn’t respond to them
D．the mirage made the watcher not find icebergs and a nearby ship delay rescuing小题4:What is the chief function of the sixth paragraph?
A．to infer the possibility of the mirage appearing
B．to explain to the readers the ways of the mirage forming
C．to summarize the various kinds of the mirage
D．to analyze the conditions of the mirage arising小题5:This passage is organized generally in the pattern of________.
A．comparison and contrast
B．time and events
C．conclusion and proof
D．definition and classification（分类)）
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:A
小题5:C
题目分析：本文讲述了泰坦尼克号沉没的另外两个原因，一个是因为地球，太阳，月亮的位置引起潮汛的变化，另外一个是海市蜃楼的出现。
小题1:C 推理题。根据文章第一行What doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline.说明It指的是泰坦尼克号，本文也正是说明泰坦尼克号沉没的另外两个原因。故C正确。
小题2:B 排序题。本题可以使用排除法。根据文章3,4段内容可知，说明Earth had come unusually close to the Sun and Moon that winter是起因，就可以排除ACD项，故B正确。
小题3:D 推理题。根据第五段2,3，4行the icy waters created ideal conditions for an unusual type of mirage(海市蜃楼) that hid icebergs from lookouts whose duty was to watch carefully for danger ahead and confused a nearby ship as to the liner’s identity, delaying rescue efforts for hours.说明海市蜃楼的出现让这些负责安全的瞭望员没有发现冰山也让附近的一艘船没有及时救援。故D正确。
小题4:A 段落大意题，根据本段最后In that case, observers can see objects and settings far over the horizon. The images often undergo quick distortions — not unlike the wavy reflections in a funhouse mirror. 主要分析的就是海市蜃楼出现的可能性，说明A项正确。
小题5:C 推理题。本文是通过提出证据来证明自己所提出的结论，是通过总结并举例来组织全文的。故C项正确。
点评：本文讲述了泰坦尼克号沉没的另外两个原因，一个是因为地球，太阳，月亮的位置引起潮汛的变化，另外一个是海市蜃楼的出现。要求考生能够准确把握每一段的中心思想，根据题目及选型的内容结合文本信息作出合理的判断和推理。