Question

Antarctica (南极洲) is the fifth largest continent on Earth. It is also the coldest, windiest, driest and highest. It is an ice-covered place where no large plants grow, and no land animals live there. Antarctica covers an area of more than 13.6 million square kilometres. It is nearly twice the size of Australia, or one-and-a-half times the size of the United States of America.

Antarctica does not belong to one country, and it has no government. People visit Antarctica – usually as tourists, or to do scientific research – but no one lives there all the time.

Antarctica was the last place to be discovered. It is not certain who first saw Antarctica, but sailors began to map Antarctica’s coast from their ships in the 1800s. The first proved landing was in the mid-1890s.

Over the next few years, several men tried but failed to reach the South Pole, which is the Earth’s southernmost point.

Finally, a team led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911. By then, countries around the world were becoming more and more interested in the frozen place, and soon Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom had laid claim（声称）to parts of Antarctica.

As so many nations had made a claim to govern in Antarctica, it was clear that fighting might break out. Diplomats(外交官) from different countries wanted to stop a war from starting, so they began talking about a treaty for Antarctica. A treaty is a written agreement signed by two or more nations.

Several countries had already set up research stations in Antarctica where scientists could live and work. Most scientists worked during the summer months when it was not as cold as in winter. Scientists hoped a treaty would allow them to continue their work and to exchange information with scientists from other countries.

Answer the following questions. (No more than six words)

1.What’s the area of Antarctica?

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2.When did sailors begin to map Antarctica’s coast from their ships?

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3.What do we call the Earth’s northernmost point?

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4.How many nations had laid claim to parts of Antarctica?

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5.Why did diplomats from different countries begin talking about a treaty for Antarctica?

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Answer 1