C

The report came to the British on May 21, 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 a task. 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(海里) 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 24, 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 (損壞). 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 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck. And she was finally sunk.

9. 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

10. 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

11. We learn from the text that 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 Bismarch seriously

D. the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British

12. 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. Luetjen's decision to run for France