内容正文:
新北师大版高中英语必修二Unit5 Humans and Nature
Race to the Pole
Background knowledge
The South Pole
It is located on Antarctica, one of the Earth’s seven continents.
It is the southernmost point on the Earth.
The South Pole has low temperatures and humidity and high elevation, making it an outstanding place to study astronomy.
Look at the photos of Antarctica. What difficulties do you think explorers may face there?
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temperature
transportation
weather
terrain
...
[təˈreɪn]
n. 地形
What preparations do the explorers need to make?
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Try to think:
How would they get food?
What’s their way of transportation?
How would they get over the harsh weather?
carry or depot enough food, build food bases...
sledges, skis...
carefully choose the optimal travel time...
Here is an account of two teams’ journeys to the South Pole. Read the text and find out when the two journeys began and what happened to the two teams.
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On 1 June, 1910, Captain Robert Falcon Scott left London to begin his journey to Antarctica. While he was on the way to Antarctica, he received a message from the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen which said he was going south, too. Then the race to the South Pole began!
During the polar summer of 1910 — 1911, both teams organised food bases in preparation for their journeys the next year. Then came the total darkness of the polar winter. Scott and Amundsen waited anxiously for spring.
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Amundsen was the first to leave on 8 September, 1911. He had teams of dogs pulling the sledges and all his men were on skis. Because of this, he made rapid progress. Scott left on 1 November and soon had problems. First, his two sledges broke down and then the horses began to have serious difficulties with the snow and the cold. After a while, Scott and his men had to push the sledges themselves.
Amundsen reached the Pole on 14 December, 1911 and put a Norwegian flag there. Then he prepared for the return journey.