_____himtomorrow.

ThediscoveryoftheAntarcticnotonlyprovedoneofthemostinterestingofallgeographicaladventures,butcreatedwhatmightbecalled“theheroicageofAntarcticexploration”.Bytheirtremendousheroism,mensuchasShakleton,Scott,andAmundsencausedanewcontinenttoemergefromtheshadows,andyetthatheroicage,littlemorethanacenturyold,isalreadypassing.Modernscienceandinventionsarerevolutionizingtheendurance,futurejourneysintotheseicywasteswillprobablydependonmotorvehiclesequippedwithcaterpillartractionratherthanonthedogsthatearlierdiscoverersfoundsoinvaluableandhardlycomparable.

FewrealizethatthisAntarcticcontinentisalmostequalinsizetoSouthAmerica,andenormousfieldofworkawaitsgeographersandprospectors.Thecoastsofthiscontinentremaintobeaccuratelycharted,andthemapingofthewholeoftheinteriorpresentsaformidabletasktothecartographerswhoundertakethework.Oncetheirlaborsarecompleted,itwillbepossibletoprospectthevastnaturalresourceswhichscientistsbelievewillfurnishoneofthelargesttreasurehoardsofmetalsandmineralstheworldhasyetknown,andalmostinexhaustiblesourcesofcopper,coal,uranium,andmanyotheroreswillbecomeavailabletoman.SuchdiscoverieswillusherinaneraofpracticalexploitationoftheAntarcticwastes.

Thepolardarknesswhichhidesthiscontinentforthesixwintermonthswillbedefeatedbyhugebatteriesoflight,andmakepossibletheestablishingofair-fieldsforthefutureinter-continentalairservicesbymakingtheseareasaslightasday.Presentflyingrouteswillbecompletelychanged,fortheAntarcticrefuelingbaseswillmakeflightsfromAustraliatoSouthAmericacomparativelyeasyoverthe5,000milesjourney.

Theclimateisnotlikelytoofferaninsuperableproblem,fortheexplorerAdmiralByrdhasshownthattheclimateispossibleevenformencompletelyuntrainedforexpeditionsintothosefrozenwastes.Someofhispartiesweremenwhohadneverseensnowbefore,andyetherecordsthattheysurvivedtherigorsoftheAntarcticclimatecomfortably,sothat,providedthattheappropriateinstallationsaremade,wemayassumethathumanbeingsfromallcountriescouldlivetheresafely.Byrdevenaffirmsthatitisprobablythemosthealthyclimateintheworld,fortheintensecoldofthousandsofyearshassterilizethiscontinent,andrendereditabsolutelygermfree,withtheconsequencesthatordinaryandextraordinarysicknessanddiseasesfromwhichmansuffersinotherzoneswithdifferentclimatesarehereutterlyunknown.Thereexistnoproblemsofconservationandpreservationoffoodsupplies,forthelatterkeepindefinitelywithoutanysignsofdeterioration;itmayevenbethatlatergenerationswillcometoregardtheAntarcticasthenaturalstorehouseforthewholeworld.

Plansarealreadyonfoottosetuppermanentbasesontheshoresofthiscontinent,andwhatsofewyearsagowasregardedasa“deadcontinent”nowpromisestobeamostactivecenterofhumanlifeandendeavor.

1.WhendidmanbegintoexploretheAntarctic?

A.About100yearsago.

B.Inthiscentury.

C.Atthebeginningofthe19thcentury.

D.In1798.

2.Whatmusttheexplorersbe,eventhoughtheyhavemodernequipmentandtechniques?

A.Braveandtough

B.Stubbornandarrogant.

C.Well-likedandhumorous.

D.Stoutandsmart.

3.Themosthealthyclimateintheworldis___.

A.inSouthAmerica.

B.intheArcticRegion.

C.intheAntarcticContinent.

D.intheAtlanticOcean.

4.WhatkindofmetalsandmineralscanwefindintheAntarctic?

A.Magnetite,coalandores.

B.Copper,coalanduranium.

C.Silver,naturalgasanduranium.

D.Aluminum,copperandnaturalgas.

5.Whatisplannedforthecontinent?

A.Buildingdamsalongthecoasts.

B.Settingupseveralsummerresortsalongthecoasts.

C.Mappingthecoastandwholeterritory.

D.Settinguppermanentbasesonthecoasts.

Nearlyallthefamiliescanmanagetomeetthesoaringtuitioncoststhroughvariousinvestmentplans.

Passage4

Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingpassage:

Thenewglobalsatellitecommunicationssystemswillofferthreekindsservice,whichmayoverlapinmanydifferentkindsofreceivers.

VOICE.SatellitetelephoneswillbeabletomakecallsfromanywhereontheEarthtoanywhereelse.Thatcouldmakethemespeciallyusefultoremote,thirdworldvillages(someofwhichalreadyusestationarysatellitetelephones),explorersanddisaster-reliefteams.Today’smobiletelephonesdependonearth-boundtransmitters,wheretechnicalstandardsvaryfromcountrytocountry.Sobusinesstravelerscannotusetheirmobilephonesoninternationaltrips.Satellitetelephoneswouldmakethatpossible.

MESSAGING.Satellitemassagershavethesameglobalcoverageassatellitetelephones,butcarrytextalone,whichcouldbeusefulforthosewithlaptopcomputers.Equippedwithasmallscreenliketoday’spapers,satellitemassagerswillalsoreceiveshortmessages.

TRACKING.Voiceandmessagingsystemswillalsotelltheiruserswheretheyaretowithinafewhundredmeters.Combinedwiththemessagingservice,thelocationservicecouldhelprescueteamstofindstrandedadventurers,thepolicetofindstolencars,exporterstofollowtheprogressofcargoes,andhaulagecompaniestocheckthatdriversarenotdetouringthepub.America’smilitaryGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)satellitewillprovidebetterpositioninginformationtoanyonewhohasareceiverfortheirsignals,butGPSdoesnotcarrymessages,sosuchareceivercannotbeusedonitsownfortrackingorrescue.Bythemid-1990s,GPSreceiverswillbeabletotellpeoplewheretheyaretowithin70metersanywhereintheworld,andtowithinameterorsoinareaswheretheserviceissupplementedbyground-basedtransmitter.

16.Globalsatellitecommunicationssystemswillbeusefulto.

A.laptopcomputerusers

B.remotevillages

C.disaster-reliefteams

D.allabove

17.Satellitetelephonewillmake.

A.businesstravelersusemobilephonesoninternationaltrips

B.possiblecallsfromanywhereonearthtoanywhereelse

C.explorershappy

D.allabove

18.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

A.ThepositioningprecisionofthevoicesystemisbetterthanthatofGPS.

B.ThepositioningprecisionofGPSisBetterthanthatofthevoicesystem.

C.ThepositioningprecisionofthemessagingsystemisbetterthanofGPS.

D.Thepositioningprecisionofvoicesystemisbetterthanthatofthemessagingsystem.

19.Whatcanwesayaboutthenewglobalsatellitecommunicationssystems?

A.Theyarewidelyused.

B.Theyareveryhelpful.

C.Theyarecostly.

D.BothAandB.

20.Whichofthefollowingmaybethebesttitleforthepassage?

A.GlobalSatelliteCommunications

B.NewVoiceandMessagingSystem

C.NewGenerationSatellite

D.AlwaysinTouch

PartIVTranslation：

Oneofthemwasfrommyschooldays,whenourninthgradeteacher,MissRaber,wouldpickoutwordsfromtheReader’sDigesttotestourvocabulary.(PassageFour)