双语阅读：泰坦尼克号背后的10个秘密

　　8. One wrong turn

　　愚蠢的“左满舵”命令

　　As Titanic’s grand staircase ascended to the boat deck, it divided into left and right halves. First-class male passengers who chose the left side were doomed; Second Officer Charles Lightoller strictly enforced the "women and children first" rule on the port side, allowing just one male passenger into a boat to help with rowing. Those who turned to the right at the top of the staircase had a chance to survive; First Officer William Murdoch enforced a policy of "women and children first, but men when there were no women."

　　泰坦尼克号一直延伸到甲板的大楼梯将船分成了左右两部分。失事后，头等舱男乘客只能呆在左舷等死;二副查尔斯·耐特罗严肃表示“妇孺优先”，只留一名男乘客上救生艇摇船。而那些爬上右舷楼梯顶的乘客尚有一线生机;可是，大副威廉·默多克强硬表示：“妇孺优先，所有妇女全都上救生艇后，才有男人的份。”

　　9. More boats?

　　多一点救生艇?

　　Despite certifying Titanic’s capacity as 3,547 passengers and crew, the British government determined the ship needed lifeboat space for 960.

　　虽然泰坦尼克号能容纳3547名乘客及船员，但英国政府规定的救生艇数量是960个。

　　Titanic actually carried boats for 1,178, exceeding requirements. Even if more boats had been installed, there would not have been time to launch them; Titanic’s last two boats floated off as the ship sank. Of the available 1,178 seats, 465 were sent away empty.

　　其实，泰坦尼克号还超出限额，配备了1178艘救生艇。但就算救生艇再多，当时也没有足够时间全部用上。船沉后，还有两只救生艇就那样漂走了。1178只救生艇，有465只放下后完全没用上。

　　10. Titanic’s present and future

　　泰坦尼克号的现状和未来

　　Titanic lies 12,500 feet below the surface in a lightless, hostile environment. Strong undersea currents press strongly against the ship’s sides, damaging already-weakened areas. Perhaps within a generation, the ship’s upper portions largely will have disappeared. Eventually, only the inch-thick steel hull will remain.

　　现在，泰坦尼克号正躺在12500英尺下的海底，周围一片黑暗、凶险无常。剧烈的海底洋流冲击着船身，腐蚀着已然破败的残骸。或许几十年后，大部分现有残骸都会消失殆尽，最后只剩下一点钢片了吧。

　　More than 6,000 objects have been retrieved from Titanic’s debris field; no artifacts come from the ship’s interior. As decks collapse, what’s left of Titanic’s interior splendor will be sealed off forever.

　　人们从泰坦尼克号残骸里找回了6000多件物品，但船内的装饰却荡然无存。船体坍塌的刹那，它舱内的辉煌就已经被永远封存了。

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