Question

In Antarctica, you learn not to take anything for granted. Everything people depend on has to be shipped or flown into the continent. Why? There are no farms on the icy continent. There are certainly no cows, pigs or chickens. As for drinking water, special systems and a great deal of energy are needed to take the salt out of seawater to make it useable.

Then there is the matter of waste. The US Antarctic Program is committed (致力于) to reducing its impact- or footprint--on the Antarctic environment. That means that every bit of garbage a person might produce in a day has to be transported off the continent. That's true whether it's the wrapper from your candy bar, the green beans you didn't want to eat or the paper towels you used to wipe your hands,

McMurdo Station has put into place technology that helps it reduce its footprint. It starts with energy. The US research base has partnered its nearby neighbor, New Zealand's Scott Base, to share energy produced from three large wind turbines. Scott Base gets 100% of its power from wind, says Ron Blevins, manager at a power plant, while the American base gets about 35% of its energy from wind. The much larger US base uses oil-fired generators(發(fā)電機(jī)) to supply the rest of its energy needs. The waste heat produced by the generators is then used to warm many of its buildings.

The McMurdo base also has a wastewater treatment plant. Yubecca Bragg, an organic farmer, manages the treatment plant. Bragg explains that treatment depends on allowing microorganisms(微生物) to break down the waste until the liquid part of the waste can be safely released into the ocean. Between 150, 000 and 180,000 pounds a year of the remaining solid waste is packed into containers and sent back to the US.

1.We can learn from the first paragraph that .

A. farmers have to raise cows in Antarctica

B. people like taking the ships in Antarctica

C. it is not easy to live in Antarctica

D. water in Antarctica is useless at all

2.How do people in Antarctica deal with the solid garbage?

A. They have it taken away later. B. They wrap it in the paper towels.

C. They ignore it completely. D. They keep it in the dustbins.

3.It can be inferred from Ron Blevins’ words that .

A. the US base gets its most energy from wind

B. the US base doesn't need too much energy

C. Scott Base tries to remove its footprint

D. New Zealand's technology is advanced

4.Which of the following is harmful to the environment of Antarctica?

A. The large wind turbine. B. An oil-fired generator.

C. A wastewater treatment plant. D. Scott Base's power plant.

Answer 1