Albert Einstein 2024-1: Inglês

Read the text to answer questions from 11 to 15.

Rescuers spotted debris from the tourist submarine Titan on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic on June 22, 2023, indicating that the vessel suffered a catastrophic failure and the five people aboard were killed. Below, Purdue University professor Nina Mahmoudian talks about vehicles for deep ocean research.

Nina Mahmoudian: When we talk about water studies, we’re talking about vast areas. And covering vast areas requires tools that can work for extended periods of time, sometimes months. Having people aboard underwater vehicles, especially for such long periods, is expensive and dangerous.

One of the tools researchers use is remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. Basically, there is a cable between the vehicle and operator that allows the operator to command and move the vehicle, and the vehicle can transmit data in real time. ROVs can reach deep ocean — up to a depth of 6,000 meters. It’s also better able to provide the mobility necessary for observing the sea bed and gathering data.

Autonomous underwater vehicles provide another opportunity for underwater exploration. They are usually not tied to a ship. They are typically programmed ahead of time to do a specific mission. And while they are underwater they usually don’t have constant communication. At some interval, they surface, relay the data that they have gathered, change the battery or recharge and receive renewed instructions before again submerging.

Crewed¹ submersibles will be exciting for the public and those involved. However, they will be much more expensive compared with uncrewed explorations because of the required size of the platforms and the need for life-support systems. So, uncrewed vehicles provide better opportunities for exploration at less cost and risk in operating in inhospitable locations. Using remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles gives operators the opportunity to perform tasks that are unsafe for humans, like observing under ice and detecting underwater mines.

(https://theconversation.com, 23.06.2023. Adapted.)

¹crewed: carrying or operated by a person or people on board

11. (Albert Einstein 2024) The fact which motivated the publication of this article on the specific date of June 23, 2023 was the

1. dramatic sinking of a so-called “unsinkable ship”.
2. fatal tragedy with a crewed submersible ship.
3. similarity between two ship accidents happening 100 years apart.
4. development of new underwater vehicle models.
5. increasing interest in tourist trips to the bottom of the sea.

12. (Albert Einstein 2024) Professor Nina Mahmoudian, mainly,

1. compares the depth reached by the modern ROVs with that achieved by the Titan.
2. disapproves of crewed underwater vessels due to the drawbacks in their conventional design.
3. reports underwater research of extensive ocean areas and for long periods of time.
4. argues for the advantages of crewless submersibles in long-term deep-sea expeditions.
5. explores plausible reasons behind incidents such as the one with the Titan underwater vehicle.

13. (Albert Einstein 2024) In the third and fourth paragraphs, the descriptions of the remotely operated vehicle and the autonomous underwater vehicle tell us that they both

1. are particularly suitable for unmmaned explorations in unfavourable conditions.
2. lose contact with the surface after a time under deep ocean.
3. can function independently of real-time support from the surface.
4. can collect deep sea information and transmit it instantaneously.
5. have all their trip details planned in advance so as to avoid mistakes.

14. (Albert Einstein 2024) According to the fifth paragraph, uncrewed submersibles have some advantages over crewed ones, such as the fact that uncrewed submersibles

1. favor safe storage of the data collected from the sea.
2. are the only vessels to reach hostile deep waters.
3. replace humans in the highest-risk tasks.
4. dismiss the need for ground or sea platforms.
5. can be very easy to operate.

15. (Albert Einstein 2024) Read the ad which Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famed explorer of the Antarctica, supposedly printed in the London newspaper The Times. (https://shackletonequity.com) Both the ad and the text mention the following aspect of exploratory expeditions:

1. continuing fear.
2. severe temperature.
3. prolonged trip time.
4. possibility of personal success.
5. uncomfortable human conditions.