1 . Antarctica

Weather

Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃!

Population

Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5,000 scientists and researchers there in the summer.

History of exploration (探险)

During 1907-1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers — a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen — raced 1,400 kilometers to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first.

Animals and birds

There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica.

1. When did the lowest temperature appear in Antarctica?

A．In 1786.

B．In 1907.

C．In 1911.

D．In 1983.

2. Who first stayed in Antarctica for some time?

A．Fishermen.

B．Scientists.

C．Researchers.

D．Explorers.

3. Where is Earnest Shackleton from?

A．Britain.

B．Norway.

C．The South Pole.

D．The North Pole.