Visiting the Arctic
ZHOU Mingfeng, 17, has
only stepped out of his birthplace, Qingdao, once to visit the top of the
world, the Arctic!
The Senior 2 student
from the High School Attached to Ocean University of China joined a two-week
journey to the Arctic at the beginning of this month, after he was recommended
for the trip. Including his teacher, Wu Jianying, the adventure group consisted
of 12 students and teachers from China, Spain, Canada, Britain and the US.
“The trip brought the
whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” Zhou said.
Before they landed by
air on Canada’s research icebreaker (破冰船) in the Arctic,
Amundsen, the group visited an Inuit (英纽特人的) community. Zhou
also got the chance to experience dog-sledding for the first time!
He was surprised to
find that Inuit people don’t live in snow igloos (圆顶建筑) any longer. “They live in modern, warm wooden houses and
travel mostly by snowmobile,” he said.
During the time on
board Amundsen, every day was science orientated (以……为主).
Zhou and other teenagers were guided by scientists, who work there, to take
part in laboratory and field work. Sometimes they went outside to collect ice
and snow samples for experiments despite the windy, freezing climate.
As the only Chinese
student, Zhou didn’t feel very confident due to his English inefficiency.
“Those students soon
got close to the onboard scientists and became involved (参与)
in their research,” he recalled in admiration.
However, it didn’t
prevent Zhou from enjoying the unique and remote life there.
When the wind died and
the sun shone on the frozen desert, Zhou and his new friends recorded their
days with photo shoots out on the ice beside the Amundsen!
“The views were
breathtaking! Everything around us seemed lifeless, which is shocking,” he
said.
But there proved to be
something alive, under the ice caps. A seal popped out of the water below the
ship and greeted them on the last day of their stay.
“It was the only animal
I saw in the Arctic!” he said. “But it’s a pity that I didn’t see a single
polar bear in the ‘capital’ of the creature.
59. According to the
passage, the students and teachers visiting Artic are most likely to _______.
A. go
sightseeing B. take part
in some science research
C. learn
English D. learn
about Inuit community
60. In the passage,
Amundsen is _________.
A. an
icebreaker B. an Inuit igloo C. a place in
Artic D. a dog-drawn sled
61. Which of the
following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Zhou was surprised
to find the Inuit lived in modern, warm wooden houses.
B. Zhou visited an Inuit
community first.
C. Zhou’s inefficient
English made him unable to enjoy the life in Artic.
D. Zhou took many
photos with his new friends.
62. The underlined
sentence “The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to
life,” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
A. The trip made what
had been learned in geography lessons more vivid or interesting.
B. The trip suddenly
started working.
C. The trip completely
changed his life.
D. The trip made
animals in Artic live.