Four teams of explorers are separately trying to reach the deepest part of the ocean. The Mariana Trench is a deep and long hole in the Pacific Ocean floor between Japan and Australia. At nearly seven miles deep, it could fit the whole of Mount Everest in to it.
No-one has been to the bottom since 1951, but now four exploration teams are trying to do just that. So who are they and why are they doing it?
The Triton Sub
This US based company have built a three man yellow submarine, which they say will take 120 minutes to reach the ocean floor. They want to offer trips to members of public, charging each person £159,000 for a ride!
Virgin Sub
If successful, this one man machine would become the first ever solo vessel to make it into the Mariana Trench. Fitted with wings and a tail fin, its design is based on that of a plane.
Doer Sub
The team behind this sub say it's not about coming first in a race but creating something that will benefit science. It has robotic arms that will collect scientific samples and it should take 90 minutes to get to the bottom.
The Mystery Sub
The final sub is being backed by the Hollywood film director James Cameron. The man behind films like Titanic and Avatar is keeping his plans a secret at the moment but wants to pilot the sub himself.
Match the words below to their definitions
benefit / director / explorers / robotic / solo / trench
a narrow, deep hole in the earth
people who travel to places where no one has ever been in order to find out what is there
alone and without other people
helpful or good effect, or something intended to help
describes a machine that performs jobs automatically
person who is in charge of a film or play and tells the actors how to play their parts
True or false?
1. The Mariana trench has never been visited before.
2. The Triton submarine is being built to make money.
3. The Virgin submarine will have a single pilot.
4. The Doer submarine is designed for scientific research.
5. The Triton submarine will descend more quickly than the Doer submarine.
6. The Mariana trench is bigger than Mount Everest.
7. The Virgin submarine can also fly.
8. James Cameron has revealed his submarine’s design.
What is the missing word?
1. Fitted with wings and a tail fin, its_____________is based on that of a plane.
2. They want to offer trips to_____________of the public.
3. The final sub is being_____________by the Hollywood film director James Cameron.
4. It should take 90 minutes to get to the_______________.
KEY
trench a narrow, deep hole in the earth
explorers people who travel to places where no one has ever been in order to find out what is there
solo alone and without other people
benefit helpful or good effect, or something intended to help
robotic describes a machine that performs jobs automatically
director person who is in charge of a film or play and tells the actors how to play their parts
True or false?
1. False
2. True
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. False
Same or different?
1. design
2. members
3. backed
4. bottom
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