第16课（320字 2分钟）

Passage Sixteen

（K9 level）

1. On May 21, 1941, the British received an alarming report.

2. The German battleship Bismarck, hailed as the most powerful warship in the world, was making its way into the vast Atlantic Ocean.

3. Its mission: to annihilate supply ships traveling from the United States to England, already ravaged by war.

4. The British had long dreaded such a mission.

5. None of their warships could rival the Bismarck in terms of speed or firepower.

6. Armed with eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns, the Bismarck was a formidable force.

7. It could sail at an impressive speed of 30 nautical miles per hour.

8. Believed to be unsinkable, the Bismarck still had to be destroyed by the British.

9. A task force led by their top battleship, the Hood, was dispatched to track down the Bismarck.

10. On May 24, the Hood finally encountered the Bismarck.

11. This was a confrontation that the German commander, Admiral Luetjens, had hoped to avoid.

12. His orders were clear: destroy British supply ships but steer clear of battles with their warships.

13. The ensuing battle was brief but intense.

14. Although the Bismarck sustained minor damage during the skirmish, it remained operational.

15. Its commander made the decision to head toward German-occupied France for repairs.

16. The British pursued, but the Bismarck’s superior speed and dense fog allowed it to vanish from their sight.

17. For two days, British ships across the Atlantic searched desperately for the Bismarck but failed to locate it.

18. Eventually, it was spotted by a reconnaissance plane near Ireland.

19. The British launched airstrikes to slow the Bismarck down, buying time for their ships to catch up.

20. The Bismarck was hit, and on the morning of May 27, the final battle began.

21. Four British warships unleashed their firepower, and the mighty Bismarck was finally sunk.

生词表（New Words）

1.report 报告 received 收到 alarming 警觉  

2. battleship 战舰 powerful 强大的 Atlantic Ocean 大西洋  

3. mission 任务 annihilate 摧毁 supply 补给

ravaged 战火中的  

4. dreaded 担忧  

5. rival 媲美 speed 速度 firepower 火力  

6. armed 配备 formidable 可怕  

7. sail 航速 impressive 惊人  

8. unsinkable 无法击沉 destroyed 摧毁  

9.dispatched 派出 track down 追踪  

10. encountered 遭遇  

11. confrontation 对峙 commander 指挥官 avoid 避免  

12. orders 命令 battles 战斗  

13. ensuing 随后的 brief 短暂 intense 激烈  

14. sustained 受到 minor 轻微 damage 损伤  

15. commander 指挥官 repairs 维修  

16. pursued 紧追不舍 dense 浓雾 vanished 失踪  

17. searched 拼命 locate 发现 desperately 拼命  

18. reconnaissance 侦察 spotted 发现  

19. airstrikes 空袭 buying time 争取时间  

20. hit 击中 morning 清晨 final 最后

began 开始  

18. unleashed 全力开火 firepower 火力 sunk 击沉

mighty 强大的

1. 1941年5月21日，英国收到了一份令人警觉的报告。

2. 德国战舰“俾斯麦号”，被誉为世界上最强大的战舰，正在驶向广阔的大西洋。

3. 它的任务是：摧毁从美国运往战火中的英国的补给船只。

4. 英国人一直对这样的任务感到担忧。

5. 他们的任何战舰都无法在速度或火力上与“俾斯麦号”媲美。

6. “俾斯麦号”配备了八门15英寸火炮和81门较小的火炮，是一股可怕的力量。

7. 它的航速高达每小时30海里，非常惊人。

8. 尽管“俾斯麦号”被认为是无法击沉的，但英国人仍然必须将它摧毁。

9. 英国派出了一支由顶级战舰“胡德号”领衔的特遣舰队去追踪“俾斯麦号”。

10. 5月24日，“胡德号”终于与“俾斯麦号”遭遇。

11. 这是德国指挥官吕特晏斯海军上将希望避免的一次对峙。

12. 他的命令很明确：摧毁英国的补给船只，但要避开与英国战舰的战斗。

13. 随后的战斗虽短暂却激烈。

14. 虽然“俾斯麦号”在交火中受到了一些轻微的损伤，但它仍然可以正常运作。

15. 它的指挥官决定驶向德国占领的法国进行维修。

16. 英国舰队紧追不舍，但由于“俾斯麦号”的速度快且浓雾笼罩，他们失去了它的踪迹。

17. 两天里，英国在大西洋的舰队拼命寻找“俾斯麦号”，但未能发现。

18. 最终，一架侦察机在爱尔兰附近发现了它的踪迹。

19. 英国发动空袭试图减缓“俾斯麦号”的速度，为舰队追上它争取时间。

20. “俾斯麦号”被击中，5月27日清晨，最后一场战斗打响。

21. 四艘英国战舰全力开火，最终将这艘强大的“俾斯麦号”击沉。