TEXT II
Read the text below and answer question.
Chinese divers surrounded by sharks
Jan 03, 2025
[1] Nine Chinese individuals, including seven tourists and
two diving instructors, went missing while diving in Palau
on December 26.
[2] Experienced diving instructor Liu Xin and another diving
guide took seven Chinese tourists to dive on December 26
around 9:30 am. As the dive was coming to an end, Liu
sent a signal to the surface. Typically, after seeing the
signal, the captain would slowly maneuver the boat to
follow the divers, allowing them to board once they floated
off. __________ when they surfaced, they could not locate
the boat.
[3] They couid only float in the sea for nearly three hours,
believing that someone would come to rescue them, but
the ocean current changed direction, and they were swept
by currents into an area between two islands. At that point,
a new threat emerged. The underwater terrain shifted, and
the most physically fit diver among the nine felt as if he had
stepped on something. Liu looked down and noticed that a
bull shark was circling around his feet, along with six other
sharks nearby.
[4] Liu swiftly assembled everyone to make themselves
appear larger as most wild animals typically target
creatures that are smaller and tend to avoid approaching
larger groups. Fortunately, with Liu and the entire team
huddled together, the sharks refrained from acting
aggressively, and they avoided any danger.
[5] By evening, they had gone nearly 11 hours without
food. To conserve their energy, they used their diving
masks to collect rainwater and drank it to stay hydrated.
After spending too much time in the water, they started to
feel cold, so they used their buoyancy devices to hold each
other to stay together and preserve warmth. And, to
prevent falling asleep and risking hypothermia, they took
turns calling out their numbers every 30 minutes to stay
alert.
[6] After drifting in the water for about 27 hours, a rescue
boat located the nine individuals.
[7] "Alli nine Chinese citizens who went missing while diving
in Palau have been rescued and are reported to be in
stable condition", the Chinese Embassy in the Federated
States of Micronesia said on Friday.
[8] Liu said that the key reasons for their safe return
included the selfless assistance from fellow travelers, the
favorable ocean currents that kept them in proximity to
their initial location, and, most importantly, the excellent
physical condition and positive attitude of the group.
"Throughout those 20-plus hours, we maintained a lighthearted atmosphere, chatting and laughing without any
complaints," Liu said.
(Adapted from https://www.globaltimes.cn)
Decide if the statements below are true (T) or false (F)
according to text II. Then, mark the option that contains the
right sequence.
( ) The nine people who went missing were
inexperienced divers.
( ) Despite the difficulties, the divers were able to collect
and drink rainwater.
( ) The divers were surrounded by a dozen sharks.
( ) The sharks did not injure the divers.
( ) After about 27 hours, the divers were finally rescued
by the captain of their boat.
