高中外研版英语教材选修8课文

MODULE1ANTARCTICATHELASTCONTINENT1_ANTARCTICAISTHECOLDESTPLACEONEARTHITSALSOTHEDRIESTWITHANNUALRAINFALLCLOSETOZERO,ANTARCTICAISTECHNICALLYADESERTCOVERINGABOUT14MILLIONSQUAREKILOMETRESAROUNDTHESOUTHPOLE,ITISTHEFIFTHLARGESTCONTINENTINTHEWORLDAHIGHMOUNTAINRANGE,THETRANSANTARCTICRANGE,RUNSFROMEASTTOWEST,CUTTINGTHECONTINENTINTWOTHEREAREVOLCANOESTOO,BUTTHEYARENOTVERYACTIVEANTARCTICAHOLDS90OFTHEWORLDSICE,ANDMOSTOFITSFRESHWATER70ISINAFROZENSTATE,OFCOURSE98OFTHESURFACEISCOVEREDPERMANENTLYINTHEICECAPONAVERAGEITISTWOKILOMETRESTHICK,BUTINSOMEPLACESITREACHESADEPTHOFFIVEKILOMETRESSTRONGWINDSDRIVENBYGRAVITYBLOWFROMTHEPOLETOTHECOASTLINE,WHILEOTHERWINDSBLOWROUNDTHECOASTITISDIFFICULTTOIMAGINEAMOREINHOSPITABLEPLACE2_YETANTARCTICAISFULLOFWILDLIFE,WHICHHASADAPTEDTOITSEXTREMECONDITIONSTHEREAREDIFFERENTTYPESOFPENGUINS,FLYINGBIRDS,SEALS,ANDWHALESBUTTHELONGANTARCTICWINTERNIGHT,WHICHLASTSFOR182DAYSTHELONGESTPERIODOFCONTINUOUSDARKNESSONEARTH,ASWELLASTHEEXTREMECOLDANDLACKOFRAINFALL,MEANSTHATFEWTYPESOFPLANTSCANSURVIVETHEREONLYTWOTYPESOFFLOWERINGPLANTSAREFOUND,WHILETHEREARENOTREESONTHELARGECONTINENTTHERESTOFTHEPLANTSAREMADEUPOFMOSSES,ALGAEANDLICHENSOMEFORMSOFALGAEHAVEADAPTEDTOGROWONICE3_MOSTOFTHEICEHASBEENTHEREFORTHOUSANDSOFYEARSASARESULT,ITHASBECOMEAWINDOWONTHEPAST,ANDCANGIVERESEARCHERSLOTSOFUSEFULINFORMATIONGASESANDMINERALS,INTHEFORMOFVOLCANICDUSTTRAPPEDINTHEICE,CANTELLUSALOTABOUTWHATTHEWORLDSCLIMATEWASLIKEINPASTAGESANTARCTICROCKSAREALSOVERYIMPORTANTFORRESEARCHMOSTOFTHEMAREMETEORITESFROMOUTERSPACEONEROCK,KNOWNUSTHE“ALIEN”ROCK,MAYCONTAINEVIDENCEOFEXTRATERRESTRIALLIFESINCEMOSTANTARCTICROCKSARCDARKINCOLOUR,THEYSTANDOUTAGAINSTTHEWHILEBACKGROUNDANDAREEASYTOIDENTIFYANDCOLLECT4_ANTARCTICAWASTHELASTCONTINENTTOBEDISCOVEREDBUTMORETHANTWOTHOUSANDYEARSAGOGREEKGEOGRAPHERSBELIEVEDTHATTHEREWASALARGELANDMASSINTHESOUTHWHICHBALANCEDTHELANDINTHENORTHTHEYCALLEDITANTIARKTIKOS,ORANTARCTICATHEOPPOSITEOFARCTICWHENEUROPEANSDISCOVEREDTHECONTINENTOFAMERICAINTHE15THCENTURY,THEGREATAGEOFEXPLORATIONBEGANHOWEVER,PROGRESSTOTHESOUTHPOLEWASSLOWNOTUNTILTHELATE18THCENTURYDIDTHEBRITISHEXPLORERJAMESCOOKCROSSTHEANTARCTICCIRCLE,BUTHENEVERSAWLANDTHENIN1895,ANORWEGIANCALLEDCARSTENSBORCHGREVINKBECAMETHEFIRSTMANTOSETFOOTONTHEANTARCTICMAINLANDTHERACETOTHEPOLEHADBEGUNITWASFINALLYREACHEDON11THDECEMBER,1911BYTHENORWEGIANROALDAMUNDSEN5_TODAYSCIENTISTSFROMMANYCOUNTRIESTRAVELTOANTARCTICATOSTUDYITSRESOURCESASPIRITOFINTERNATIONALFRIENDSHIPHASREPLACEDTHERIVALRYTHATEXISTEDBETWEENMANYOFTHEEARLIEREXPLORERSIN1961,ATREATYSIGNEDBY12COUNTRIES,INCLUDINGBRITAIN,FRANCE,ANDTHEUSA,MADEANTARCTICATHEWORLDSBIGGESTNATURERESERVETHEAIMOFTHETREATYISTOPREVENTTHECOMMERCIALANDMILITARYUSEOFTHECONTINENTINPARTICULAR,ITAIMSTOKEEPANTARCTICAFREEFROMNUCLEARTESTSANDRADIOACTIVEWASTETOPROMOTEINTERNATIONALSCIENTIFICPROJECTSANDTOENDARGUMENTSABOUTWHOOWNSTHELANDTODAYCOUNTRIESREPRESENTING80OFTHEWORLDSPOPULATIONHAVESIGNEDTHETREATYANTARCTICAHASBECOMEPERHAPSTHEMOSTSUCCESSFULSYMBOLOFMANSEFFORTSTOWORKTOGETHERFORPROGRESSANDPEACEHOWFAILUREBECAMESUCCESSON8THAUGUST,1914,27MENWHOHADREPLIEDTOANADVERTISEMENTINTHETIMESBOARDEDASHIPLEAVINGFORTHEANTARCTICTHENAMEOFTHESHIPWASTHEENDURANCEANDTHECAPTAINWASANIRISHMANCALLEDERNESTSHACKLETONTHEAIMOFTHEJOURNEYWASTOCROSSTHEFROZENCONTINENTVIATHESOUTHPOLEAJOURNEYOF1,800MILESSHACKLETONTHOUGHTTHEJOURNEYWOULDLASTSIXMONTHSBUTWHENLANDCAMEINTOSIGHT,THEENDURANCEBECAMETRAPPEDINTHEICEANDBEGANTOBREAKUPSHACKLETONANDHISMENWATCHEDTHEENDURANCESINKINTOTHEICYSEATHEYTHENHEADEDNORTH,PULLINGTHREELIFEBOATSBEHINDTHEMAFTERSIXDAYS,BADWEATHERFORCEDTHEMTOGIVEUPANDTHEMENSETUPCAMPONASHEETOFICEWHICHBEGANSLOWLYMOVINGACROSSTHEANTARCTICCIRCLETHEYSURVIVEDONTHEICEFORFIVEMONTHSTHEN,ON16THAPRIL,1915,SHACKLETONSAWLANDITWASELEPHANTISLANDALARGEROCKWITHNOTHINGGROWINGONIT,BUTMUCHBETTERTHANAFLOATINGPIECEOFICEWHENTHEYREACHEDTHEISLAND,SHACKLETONCAMEUPWITHANIDEAITWASARISKBUTHEWOULDHAVETOTAKEITHEANDFIVEMENWOULDTAKEONEOFTHELIFEBOATS,ANDSAIL800MILESTOSOUTHGEORGIA,WHERETHEREWASAPERMANENTCAMPTHEYCOULDTHENRETURNTORESCUETHERESTOFTHEMENITTOOKSHACKLETON17DAYSTOREACHSOUTHGEORGIAUNFORTUNATELYHELANDEDONTHEWRONGSIDEOFTHEISLAND,ANDHADTOWALK36HOURSOVERMOUNTAINSTOREACHTHECAMPTHEWHALEHUNTERSATTHECAMPCOULDNTBELIEVETHEIREYESWHENTHEYSAWTHESIXMENWALKINGDOWNFROMTHEMOUNTAINSSHACKLETONKEPTHISPROMISEMORETHANTHREEMONTHSLATER,HERETURNEDTOELEPHANTISLANDTORESCUETHECREWHEHADBEENFORCEDTOABANDONHEHADFAILEDTOREACHTHEPOLEBUTHEHADSAVEDTHELIVESOFALLHISMENWELCOMETOTHESOUTHPOLESSOUTHPOLESHOWMANYARETHEREINFACT,THEREARETHREESOUTHPOLESACEREMONIALPOLE,WHICHISONTHEMOVINGGLACIER,AGEOGRAPHICALORTRUEPOLE,ANDAMAGNETICPOLEWHICHCHANGESITSPOSITIONACCORDINGTOTHEMOVEMENTOFTHEEARTHISITSAFEBECAUSETHESOUTHPOLEISAHIGHALTITUDESITE,THEGLAREOFTHESUNLIGHTHEREISVERYINTENSEITSALSOREFLECTEDBYTHESNOW,SOIFYOUGOOUTSIDE,REMEMBERTOWEARSUNGLASSESANDUSESUNCREAMIFYOUDONT,THERESASEVERERISKTHATYOULLDAMAGEYOUREYESIGHTORGETBADLYSUNBURNTISITCOLDYESBEVERYCAREFULOUTINTHEOPENAIRTHETEMPERATUREISBETWEENMINUS21INTHESUMMERANDMINUS78INTHEWINTER,ANDYOUCANBECOMENUMBWITHCOLDWITHOUTREALISINGTHERESHEAVYFROSTEVENONTHEWARMESTSUMMERDAY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