The North and South poles are remote and freezing places that receive lots of animal visitors but few human tourists．
But even if you never plan to visit the polar bears in the north or penguins in the south, now is a perfect time to start thinking about them．That’s because 2007 marks the beginning of the International Polar Year （ IPY）, a two-year-old activity of science projects that aim to show how important the poles are to the health of our planet．During the IPY, which will last until March 2009,thousands of researchers from more than 60 countries will conduct more than 200 projects and expeditions to both the top and bottom of the world．
In recent years, the polar regions have begun to change severely as a result of global warming．Temperatures there are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth．As a result, the ice and snow in these regions are melting at record-setting rates．One result is that sea levels are rising around the world, putting animals and people at risk．
Only by studying the poles, say IPY researchers, can we find ways to protect them and ourselves．
Both the Arctic and the Antarctic and cold and remote, but the two regions have important differences．For one thing, the Arctic is an ice-covered ocean surrounded by land．The Antarctic, on the other hand, is a continent of ice-covered land surrounded by water．
Most polar studies have focused on the Arctic, and that is where scientists have observed the most remarkable changes in the ice．During a typical year, Arctic ice expands in the winter and shrinks in the summer．But recently, the amount of ice covering the ocean has been steadily dropping in both seasons．
1．Which of the following might be the best tile of the passage?
A．Earth’s Poles Interest Scientists
B．The Animals of Earth’s Poles
C．Earth’s Poles in Danger
D．The Discoveries of Earth’s Poles
2．The goal of the International Polar Year is ．
A．to make it clear that the poles have much to do with a healthy earth
B．to provide practical theory to further develop this distant area
C．to call on as many scientists as possible to do research on the poles
D．to discover more mysteries unknown to man
3．What is the main factor that has caused the changes of the poles?
A．The increasing number of animals．
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C．The melting of the poles．
D．The rising temperature．
4．The main idea of the fifth paragraph probably is ．
A．to explain the poles are cold and remote
B．to show the Arctic is more important
C．to tell readers the differences of the two poles
D．to stress the Antarctic is more remarkable
5．What unusual phenomenon worries the scientists?
A．In summer the ice of the Arctic loses faster．
B．The ice covering the Arctic decreases even in winter．
C．The ice of the Arctic increases less than in the past．
D．The changes in the Arctic are more serious．