The Antarctica is actuallly a desert

Antarctica holds 90% of the world’s ice, and most of its fresh water (70%) is in a frozen .

A．state

B．condition

C．situation

D．solution

The Antarctica is actually a desert.
The Antarctica is all ice all the year. The warmest temperature ever recorded there is zero at the South Pole. Explorers(探险家) used to think that a place so cold would have a heavy snowfall. But less than ten inches of snowfalls each year. That is less than half an inch of water. Ten times that much moisture(水分) falls in parts of the Sahara.
The little snow that falls in Antarctica never melts(融化). It continues to pile up deeper and deeper year after year and century after century. When the snow gets to be about eighty feet deep, it is turned to ice by the weight of the snow above it.
1. Antarctica is called a desert because it _____.
A. is sandy
B. has the same temperature as a desert
C. has little moisture
D. all of the above
2. The Antarctica has _____.
A. ten times as much moisture as the Sahara
B. the same amount of moisture as the Sahara
C. about one-tenth the moisture of the Sahara
D. none of these
3. The snow in Antarctica is very deep because it _____.
A. never stops falling
B. piles up year after year
C. never melts
D. Both B and C
4. The best title for this passage is “_____”
A. A Strange Continent
B. The Antarctica—An Ice Desert
C. Snowfall at the South Pole
D. The World’s Greatest Desert

Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecules. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP.
49. What is the text mainly about?
A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. B. A special fish living in freezing waters.
C. The ice shelf around Antarctic. D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.
50. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.
B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.
51. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A. A type of ice-salt mixture. B. A newly found protein.
C. Fish blood. D. Sugar molecule.
52. What does “glycol” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A. sugar B. ice C. blood D. molecule

Antarctica is in the most southern part of the world. It is like nowhere else on the earth. It is much larger than Europe, and nearly twice the size of Australia. Antarctica is the coldest and windiest place in the world, even colder and windier than the North Pole. In summer, the sun shines for twenty-four hours a day, but in winter it’s completely dark for about three months. Very few plants grow there, but there is some wildlife, including whales, seals and penguins.
When Captain James Cook traveled around Antarctica in the 1770s by ship, he found no one living there. Today, a few scientists work in Antarctica, but they only spend a short time there.
Many scientists are studying the ozone layer , which is getting thinner and thinner worldwide. The biggest “hole” is above Antarctica, and weather there is getting warmer. Scientists think that this cold and lonely place can teach us a lot about the earth and how to keep the earth safe.
小题1:When did Captain James Cook travel around Antarctica?

A．In the 1670s.

B．In the 1760s.

C．In the 1770s.

D．In the 1780s.

小题2:The underlined part “ozone layer” means “________” in Chinese.

A．冻土层

B．大气层

C．臭氧层

D．高压层

小题3:How many kinds of animals are mentioned in the passage?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

小题4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Antarctica is much bigger than Australia in size.

B．Scientists spend a long time in Antarctica.

C．There is no plant growing in Antarctica.

D．In winter, it’s dark for about 70 days in Antarctica.

小题5:Why is the weather in Antarctica getting warmer and warmer?

A．Because there are more and more people living there.

B．Because the ozone layer is being destroyed.

C．Because the sun shines a long time every day there.

D．Because the weather in other places is getting warmer.

Far from the land of Antarctica(南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content. It is called a glycoprotein . So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.
小题1:What is the text mainly about?

A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.

B．A special fish living in freezing waters.

C．The ice shelf around Antarctica.

D．Protection of the Antarctic cod.

小题2:Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?

A．The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.

B．It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.

C．A special protein keeps it from freezing.

D．Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.

小题3:What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．A type of ice-salt mixture.	B．A newly found protein.
C．Fish blood.	D．Sugar molecule.

小题4:What does “glycol-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?

A．sugar

B．ice

C．blood

D．molecule

[ ]

For me traveling to Antarctica proved to be the beginning of a new life, ________ I had thought I would never see.

A．what

B．that

C．one

D．it

The Exploration of Antarctica(南极洲)
1773	James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle, but he didn’t see land.
1898	Adrien de Gerlache and his members were trapped in the Antarctic. They became the first to spend an Antarctic winter.
1911	Norwegian Roald Amundsen led a five-man expedition that reached the South Pole for the first time.
1929	Richard E.Byrd and three others from the US became the first to fly over the South Pole
1935	Caroline Mikkelsen from Norway became the first woman to arrive in Antarctica with her husband.
1947	The US sent the largest ever expedition of over 4,700 men, 13 ships and 23 airplanes to Antarctica. They took many photos to make a map.
1957－1958	12 countries built over 60 space stations in Antarctica. It became the beginning of international work in Antarctica.
1997	Boerge Ousland from Norway became the first person to cross Antarctica unsupported.
March 2007－ March 2009	International Polar Year-Researchers got the opportunity to work in both polar places or work in summer and winter.

小题1: _______ is from the United States of America.

A．Boerge Ousland	B．Richard E. Byrd
C．Roald Amundsen	D．James Cook

小题2:The underlined word “opportunity” means “______”.

A．chance	B．advice
C．guide	D．plan

小题3: ______ is the first woman to get to Antarctica.

A．Roald Amundsen	B．Boerge Ousland
C．Caroline Mikkelsen	D．Adrien de Gerlache

小题4: Which is WRONG according to the passage?

A．There were more than 60 space stations in Antarctica in the 1950s

B．Roald Amundsen was the first to fly over the South Pole.

C．Americans took many photos in the Antarctic to make a map.

D．Adrien de Gerlache was the first to spend an Antarctic winter.

小题5:The main idea of the passage is _____.

A．how to get to the Antarctic

B．the way of the exploration of Antarctica

C．the people who got to the Antarctic

D．the history of the exploration of Antarctica