In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his 27-member crew left England in a wooden sailing ship called the Endurance. Shackleton hoped to become the first to cross Antarctica. But in 1915, the Endurance became trapped in the thick ice over the Weddell Sea. The ice crushed the Endurance and later sank it. Shackleton and all of his men lived, but the tale of their long and difficult return is one of the most famous survival stories of all time.

Much was known about the location of the Endurance. The ship’s captain kept accurate records of the ship’s position. The ship’s photographer even took pictures of it as it went down. But the ship, deep in the icy waters near Antarctica, had never been found. On Wednesday, a search team called “Endurance22” announced that it had located the ship. The Endurance was found 1.87 miles below the ocean’s surface, about four miles south of its last known position.

The Endurance22 team reports that the ship is in excellent shape. The name can be clearly read on the back of the ship. Its wheel looks ready to be turned. “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck(沉船) I have ever seen,” said Mensun Bound, who was in charge of the exploration. Even though the ship is made of wood and is over 100 years old, it has survived with little damage. Scientists say that the small organisms(微生物) that normally break down wooden objects underwater don’t live in the cold waters around Antarctica.

The Endurance22 effort is led by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. The team ran the project from an ice-breaking ship able to handle the difficult conditions of the Weddell Sea. To locate the Endurance, the team used two underwater robots called Sabertooths. These robots can travel by themselves deep under the sea, as far as 100 miles away from the base ship.

For the last two weeks the Sabertooth robots have been scanning the sea floor in a 150-square mile area around the Endurance’s last known location. The Sabertooths were especially useful, since they could travel under the ice and go where the ship could not. The robots were looking for anything sticking up above the sea floor. Last Saturday, the ship was found.

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1.Why did Ernest Shackleton start the trip to Antarctica?

A To hunt the treasure.

B To explore a new land on the Earth.

C To look for another sunken ship.

D To become a pioneer crossing Antarctica.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段“Shackleton hoped to become the first to cross Antarctica.”可知，沙克尔顿希望成为第一个穿越南极洲的人。故选D。

2._________ confirmed the original position of the Endurance underwater?

A The ship’s captain

B The Endurance22 team

C The Sabertooths robots

D Another polar explorer

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段“The ship’s captain kept accurate records of the ship’s position.”可知，当时船长准确记录了该船的沉没位置。故选A。

3.Why could the Endurance be well kept?

A A special type of wood was used to make it.

B The sea floor protected the wooden shipwreck.

C The cold waters around Antarctica contributed a lot.

D The organisms in the icy waters near Antarctica helped.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第三段“Scientists say that the small organisms(微生物) that normally break down wooden objects underwater don’t live in the cold waters around Antarctica.”可知，通常会在水下分解木质物体的微生物不会生活在南极洲周围的寒冷水域。由此推断寒冷的海水保护着这艘船免受微生物的侵害。故选C。

4.What’s the feature of the Sabertooths?

A They can guide the diver to the target area.

B They must be controlled by people on the ship.

C They can travel as far as 100 miles at one time.

D They can automatically search for things under the deep sea.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第四段“These robots can travel by themselves deep under the sea, as far as 100 miles away from the base ship.”可知，这些机器人可以在深海中独自前行，最远可到达距离基地船100英里远的地方。故选D。