An Australian billionaire named Clive Palmer is building a life-sized replica of the Titanic.
The Titanic is a famous ship that sank in 1912. The dramatic story of the ocean liner has fascinated millions of people around the world. It was supposed to be an unsinkable ship but it hit an iceberg and sank on its very first voyage.
There have been many documentaries, films and books about the Titanic. Interest in the ship was heightened in 1997 when a blockbuster movie called Titanic was released, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
The replica Titanic ocean liner will be called Titanic II (two). It is scheduled to sail in 2016, from Southampton, England to New York in the United States.
It is being built in China. The designers want it to be as similar to the original Titanic as possible, except for some modifications that will make it safer and more stable. And unlike the original Titanic, which was powered by coal-fired boilers and steam engines, the Titanic II will have modern diesel and electric engines. Also, unlike the first ship, the Titanic II will have more than enough lifeboats to accommodate everyone on board if something should go wrong.
Palmer’s design would include many features of the original Edwardian design, including the grand staircase and Turkish baths. Passengers would be given Edwardian costumes so the whole experience would feel like they were back in 1912. No modern conveniences like televisions or cell phones would be allowed.
But don’t book your ticket to New York just yet. Clive Palmer has a reputation for starting outrageous projects and not seeing them through. For instance, a few years ago he created a company to build a zeppelin (a type of airship that floats in the air like a giant balloon), but it never happened.
If the same thing happens with Titanic II, it could leave some people disappointed—more than 40,000 people have asked for a ticket on Titanic II’s first voyage, including some who have offered to pay more than a million dollars for a first-class cabin on board.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Technologies such as smart phones, computers, the Internet and social media, have changed the world. These inventions have allowed us to connect more easily and literally have information at our fingertips. In general, technology has sped up the pace at which we work and learn. As a result, we spend a lot of our timing thinking about the future and wondering “what’s next?”
So why, then, do you think some people want to leave this technology behind to relive and recreate the past?
Reading Prompt: Interconnected Skills
Before reading the article, share what you know about the Titanic. Have you read about the Titanic before? Have you seen the movie Titanic? Have you heard any stories about the Titanic?
How does this background knowledge help you to better understand the article?
Junior
Explain, in conversations with peers and/or the teacher or in a reader’s notebook, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read (OME, Reading: 4.2).
Intermediate
Explain, in conversation with the teacher and/or peers or in a reader’s notebook, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read (OME, Reading: 4.2).
Grammar Feature: Verb Tense
Circle the verbs (action words) in the article and identify whether they are written in the past, present or future tense.
How is a verb that is written in the past tense different from one written in the future tense? How is a verb written in the present tense different from one written in the past?
