Question

The report came to the British on May 21st, 1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England.

The British had feared such an act. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed or in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 30 nautical miles an hour. She was believed to be unsinkable.

However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task-force headed by their best battleship, Hood, to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24th, the Hood found the Bismarck.

It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships.

The battle didn't last long. The Bismarck's first torpedo(魚雷)hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1,419 men with her.

But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged. Her commander decided to run for repairs to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarck's speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her.

For two days, every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck, but with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit.

On the morning of May 27th, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck, and she was finally sunk.

1. The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean ________ .

A. to sink the Hood

B. to gain control of France

C. to cut off American supplies to Britain

D. to stop British warships reaching Germany

2. Many people believed that the Bismarck could not be defeated because she ________ .

A. was fast and powerful

B. had more men on board

C. was under Luetjens' command

D. had bigger guns than other ships

3. What happened on 24 May?

A. The British won the battle against the Bismarck.

B. The Bismarck won the battle against the British.

C. The British gunfire damaged the Bismarck seriously.

D. The Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British.

4. Luetjens tried to sail to France in order to ________ .

A. have the ship repaired

B. join the other Germans

C. get help from the French

D. get away from the British

5. Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?

A. The British air strikes.

B. The damage done by the Hood.

C. Gunfire from the British warships.

D. Luetjens' decision to run for France.

Answer 1

 1. C。第一段即本題答案出處。 2. A。第二段即本題答案出處。 3. B 4. A。第六段即本題答案出處。5. C。最后一段即本題答案出處。