Antarktika. All About Antarctica

1.

Antarctica
What do you know about Antarctica? Read the fact
file. Which piece(s) of information do you find most
impressive?

2.

All About Antarctica
It is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest place in the
world.
It is approximately 48 times the size of the UK and twice as
big as Australia.
It has over 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of its fresh
water.
In some places, its ice is over 3 km thick.
It has not rained in the ‘dry valleys’ region of Antarctica for
at least 2 million years.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 89.6º C
Some of the fish around Antarctica have proteins in their
bodies which stop their blood from freezing.

3.

Study the words. How could these things be related to Antarctica?
Read the text to find out.
greenhouse gases - парниковые газы
melting ice – таяние льда
global warming – глобальное потепление
rising world temperatures – повышение температуры на Земле
burning fossils fuel – сжигание ископаемого топлива
adventures tourists – экстремальные туристы ( любители всего
захватывающего и интересного)
CO2 emissions – выхлопы углекислого газа

4.

Read and choose the correct word for (A-D) for each gap (110).
The Challenge of Antarctica
A hundred years ago, the great
explorers Scott, Shackleton
and Amundsen were racing to
be the first to reach the South
Pole. Today, the beautiful
frozen continent of
Antarctica is facing some very
different challenges…
Global Warming
Global warming is nothing new. We all know that burning
fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and deforestation are 1) _____
world temperatures to rise.
1 A meaning
B causing
C putting
D effecting

5.

But 2) _____ the past 50 years, Antarctica’s
temperatures have increased by about 3º C, around 10
times more than the rest of the world! As a result
glaciers and the sea ice are melting and ice shelves are
breaking off into the sea, which is very bad news! If
Antarctica’s thick, polar ice sheet 3) _____ melts, not
only will the world heat up generally, but global sea
levels could rise by about 6 metres, flooding many
coastal areas. This is extremely worrying, as almost
every city with over 10 million people is 4) _____ the
coast.
2 A to
B from
C about
D over
3 A eventually B lastly
C lately
D truly
4 A at
B on
C about
D around

6.

Another problem is that melting ice forms clouds, which 5)
_____ to more snowfall. This can make life very difficult for
some of the wildlife in Antarctica, such as penguins, whose eggs
rot in the snow.
Scientists are also worrying about rising sea temperatures. In seas
just 2º C warmer, mollusks cannot bury themselves in the
seabed, limpets cannot turn over and scallops can’t swim. These
creatures are then caught more easily by predators and the 6)
_____ food chain is affected. It won’t be long, therefore, before
larger birds and animals such as whales, seals and sealions are
endangered if sea temperatures continue to rise!
5 A directs
6 A whole
B leads
B total
C follows
C big
D results
D full

7.

Human Impact
Antarctica isn’t called ‘ The Earth’s
last great wilderness’ for no 7) ___ !
No country owns it and no native
people live there. Therefore, its
clean air, water and ice make it
the perfect place for scientists
to 8) _____ out research. Therefore,
Antarctica has become the world’s largest laboratory! Many
countries have 9) _____ scientific bases there, which means that
the population now ranges from about 1,000 in winter to about
4,000 in summer. Also, 30,000 adventures tourists now visit
Antarctica each year.
7 A intention
B cause
C opinion D reason
8 A carry
B put
C bring
D have
9 A set down
B made up
C set up
D put down

8.

It might seem like a nice idea to visit a totally unspoilt
place full of amazing scenery, wildlife, glaciers and
icebergs, but wherever there are humans, there is
impact on the environment such as rubbish, CO2
emissions from burning fuel and pollution from boats. If
we are not careful, both scientists and tourists may 10)
_____ the very qualities that draw them to Antarctica!
10 A break
B kill
C injure
D damage
Explain the words/phrases in bold.