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1、Module 1Antarctica:the last continent1_Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. Its also the driest. With annual rainfall close to zero, Antarctica is technically a desert. Covering about 14 million square kilometres around the South Pole, it is the fifth largest continent in the world. A high moun
2、tain range, the Trans-Antarctic range, runs from east to west, cutting the continent in two. There are volcanoes too, but they are not very active. Antarctica holds 90% of the worlds ice, and most of its fresh water (70%) is in a frozen state, of course. 98% of the surface is covered permanently in
3、the ice cap. On average it is two kilometres thick, but in some places it reaches a depth of five kilometres.Strong winds driven by gravity blow from the pole to the coastline, while other winds blow round the coast. It is difficult to imagine a more inhospitable place.2_Yet Antarctica is full of wi
4、ldlife, which has adapted to its extreme conditions.There are different types of penguins, flying birds, seals, and whales. But the long Antarctic winter night, which lasts for 182 days (the longest period of continuous darkness on earth), as well as the extreme cold and lack of rainfall, means that
5、 few types of plants can survive there. Only two types of flowering plants are found, while there are no trees on the large continent. The rest of the plants are made up of mosses, algae and lichen. Some forms of algae have adapted to grow on ice.3_Most of the ice has been there for thousands of yea
6、rs. As a result, it has become a window on the past, and can give researchers lots of useful information. Gases and minerals, in the form of volcanic dust trapped in the ice, can tell us a lot about what the worlds climate was like in past ages. Antarctic rocks are also very important for research.
7、Most of them are meteorites from outer space. One rock, known us the “Alien” rock, may contain evidence of extra-terrestrial life. Since most Antarctic rocks arc dark in colour, they stand out against the while background and are easy to identify and collect. 4_Antarctica was the last continent to b
8、e discovered. But more than two thousand years ago Greek geographers believed that there was a large land mass in the south which balanced the land in the north. They called it Anti-Arktikos, or Antarctica: the opposite of Arctic. When Europeans discovered the continent of America in the 15th centur
9、y, the great age of exploration began. However, progress to the South Pole was slow. Not until the late 18th century did the British explorer James Cook cross the Antarctic Circle, but he never saw land. Then in 1895, a Norwegian called Carstens Borchgrevink became the first man to set foot on the A
10、ntarctic mainland. The race to the pole had begun. It was finally reached on 11th December, 1911 by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen.5_Today scientists from many countries travel to Antarctica to study its resources. A spirit of international friendship has replaced the rivalry that existed between many
11、 of the earlier explorers. In 1961, a treaty signed by 12 countries, including Britain, France, and the USA, made Antarctica the worlds biggest nature reserve. The aim of the treaty is to prevent the commercial and military use of the continent. In particular, it aims to keep Antarctica free from nu
12、clear tests and radioactive waste; to promote international scientific projects; and to end arguments about who owns the land. Today countries representing 80% of the worlds population have signed the treaty. Antarctica has become perhaps the most successful symbol of mans efforts to work together f
13、or progress and peace.How Failure Became SuccessOn 8th August, 1914,27 men who had replied to an advertisement in The Times boarded a ship leaving for the Antarctic. The name of the ship was the Endurance and the captain was an Irishman called Ernest Shackleton.The aim of the journey was to cross th
14、e frozen continent via the South Polea journey of 1,800 miles. Shackleton thought the journey would last six months.But when land came into sight, the Endurance became trapped in the ice and began to break up. Shackleton and his men watched the Endurance sink into the icy sea. They then headed north
15、, pulling three lifeboats behind them.After six days, bad weather forced them to give up and the men set up camp on a sheet of ice which began slowly moving across the Antarctic Circle.They survived on the ice for five months. Then, on 16th April, 1915,Shackleton saw land. It was Elephant Islanda la
16、rge rock with nothing growing on it, but much better than a floating piece of ice. When they reached the island, Shackleton came up with an ideait was a risk but he would have to take it. He and five men would take one of the lifeboats, and sail 800 miles to South Georgia, where there was a permanent camp.
