Winter in Antarctica: Staying sane at the Bottom of World

On Antarctica南極洲, the world's coldest continent, the average high temperature is -49 degrees Celsius攝氏度. In the summer, the sun never sets, and in the winter, it never rises. Keeping sane理智的 there is its own special challenge. The McMurdo Station麥克默多站 is a research base perched棲息 on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf羅斯冰架, the world's largest body of floating ice浮冰. The station is administered管理 by the United States and is the largest community in Antarctic.

Capable有能力的 of supporting more than 1200 residents居民, the population of the station drops to下降到 150 brave (perhaps foolish) people when winter begins in March. Their task任務(wù) is to maintain the station during the months of total night. The biologists, astronomers, geologists地質(zhì)學(xué)家, and climate scientists who were there before, have gone, as any research is impossible in the brutal殘酷的 winter.

Every day the remaining剩下的 staff of maintenance維護(hù) personnel perform執(zhí)行 their routine例程 tasks and make repairs when needed. Sometimes they peer through the darkness透過(guò)黑暗窺視 toward their friends from New Zealand, at Scott Base斯科特基地, about two miles away. Though most of the time they're just voices on the radio, it's nice to have neighbors not too far away. Together, they share a power grid網(wǎng)格 and one coast海岸 of a dark forbidding continent大陸.

Though the days are dark and freezing cold in the depths深度 of winter, the moon will rest above the horizon地平線 for weeks at a time, Its pale暗淡的 light illuminates照亮 the cold, craggy崎嶇的landscape景觀 as if acknowledging a companion同伴 and reaffirming重申、再肯定 the bonds of life, So even for those who live in the darkest part of the Earth, there's light.

What is the tone of the piece of writing? It's in spiring.

What is this text about? —It’s about the importance of connections (to each other and the world.)

Which of following statements about Antarctica is false? The highest temperature is minus 49 degrees Celsius.

What does the text share with the reader?? It gives some insight into what it feels like to live and work in Antarctica.

What the remaining maintenance staff do during the winter? They perform routine tasks and make repairs.

Something is routine if it? is normal and expected.

To be brutal殘酷的 means to be harsh or cruel.

To illuminate something means to shine light on it.

To acknowledge something means to recognize or admit its existence.

How far is? Scott base from the McMurdo Station? Sometimes they peer through the darkness toward their friends from New Zealand, at Scott Base, about two miles away.

To keep sane means to… not go insane or crazy.

Most of the researchers leave because it’s impossible to do the research during the winter.

The writer shares what it feels like to live and work in Antarctica.

A power grid provides the electricity.

A power grid is needed to supply electricity.

When does the Antarctica's winter begin?Capable of supporting more than 1200 residents, the population of the station drops to 150 brave (perhaps foolish) people when winter begins in March.

What do the remaining? staff from the US share with the neighbors from New Zealand? Together, they share a power grid and one coast of a dark forbidding continent.

What rests above the horizon for weeks at a time?Though the days are dark and freezing cold in the depths of winter, the moon will rest above the horizon for weeks at a time,

Chernobyl: Lessons from Nature

On April 26, 1986, Unit 4 of the Chernobyl切爾諾貝利 nuclear核 reactor反應(yīng)堆 in northern Ukraine烏克蘭, then a part of the Soviet Union, was shut down關(guān)閉 for an unauthorized未經(jīng)授權(quán)的 safety test. When the nuclear fuel rods燃料棒 hit the cooling water, the fission裂變 reaction accelerated加速 out of control due to a sudden power surge涌、飆升. This caused the reactor to overheat過(guò)熱 and build up建立 pressure until its structure failed and it blew up爆炸、爆發(fā), releasing釋放 large amounts of radiation輻射. It took officials a whole day to comprehend理解 the scale規(guī)模 of the disaster災(zāi)難 and to order an evacuation疏散 of the surrounding area. Some 50,000 people had to leave, not knowing that they would never return.

In the following months, massive巨大的 efforts were made to decontaminate凈化 the area while increased radiation levels were detected檢測(cè)到 across much of Europe. Fallout影響 from the disaster continues to this day, decades later, and long-term長(zhǎng)期 effects such as cancers are still being investigated. Estimates估計(jì) of the number of deaths that will eventually最終 result from the accident vary不同 enormously巨大的.

The forest area near the reactor site is one of the most radioactive places on Earth. Named the Red Forest because its trees turned a reddish-brown紅褐色 color as they died, the forest is trying to make a recovery復(fù)蘇. Animals such as elk麋鹿 and eagles鷹 have been seen in the area. And birch樺木 trees grow where the radioactive放射性 trees of the forest were bulldozed清除 and buried by the Soviet government.

Some people have returned as well, mostly former residents居民 who returned illegally非法地 after the evacuation疏散. The old company town of Pripyat普里皮亞季, once home to 50,000 plant workers is still deserted廢棄的, but is slowly being reclaimed回收 by the forest. It seems that nature can recover and even thrive繁榮、茁壯成長(zhǎng) where humans cannot. Let's hope that humans can learn from this experience. Chernobyl, and more recently最近, Fukushima福島 in Japan, have lessons to teach us.

What is the purpose of this text ? It's to educate.

What is one of the lessons we should learn from Chernobyl? Never underestimate the danger of nuclear technologies.

What do we know about the old company town of Pripyat? It is still deserted.

A surge in power means to increase in strength.

for place to be deserted means that there's nobody there.

From this article, it's clear that officials were unprepared for such an accident.

The nuclear reactor exploded because too much pressure built up inside.

If something is contaminated, it can't be used because it contains harmful substances.

If something is thriving it is doing well.

Fallout from a nuclear explosion contains radioactive particles carried into the atmosphere.

Something is authorized if it is officially permitted.

To reclaim something means to take it back from where it was lost or stolen.

What is one of the most radioactive places on Earth? The forest area near the reactor site is one of the most radioactive places on Earth.

It's clear that officials were completely unprepared for the accident.

We should never underestimate the danger of nuclear technologies.

What cause the reactor to overheat? When the nuclear fuel rods hit the cooling water, the fission reaction accelerated out of control due to a sudden power surge.

What is one of the most radioactive places on Earth? The forest area near the reactor site is one of the most radioactive places on Earth.