Test 2

Reading Passage 1: Raising the Mary Rose

During a sea battle between English and French fleets in 1545, the English ship the Mary Rose,
despite not being hit by enemy fire, sank into the Solent with 500 men aboard.

Because of the particular angle at which the ship sank into the seabed, the starboard side of the
Mary Rose was peserved by sand, mud, and subseuqently a layer of clay.

The ship was discovered in 1836 by diver John Deane, when he was approached by fishermen who
requested that he free their gear after it had become entangled in the wreckage.

The site of the Mary Rose was forgotten until the ‘Solent Ships’ project, under historian and amateur
diver Alexander McKee, located the wreckage via sonar in 1967.

Part of the ship’s frame was uncovered in 1971 and growing interest led to the formation of the
Mary Rose Trust, which directed the operation to salvage the hull in 1982.

The condition of the wreck necessitated the use of various pieces of specialized equipment during
the long process of the lift, which was completed successfully on 11 October 1982.

Reading Passage 2: What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island?