Unit 8 Antarctica

1. Unit 8 Antarctica • Pre-reading activities • Background knowledge • Antarctica: the world’s fifth largest continent. It’s surrounded by an often stormy ice-dotted sea known as the Antarctic Ocean—which is, in fact, merely a continuation of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Mean temperatures are generally about -88 ℃ colder than those in an equivalent latitude of the Arctic, thus making the Antarctic the coldest region in the world.

2. Antarctica differs fundamentally from the Arctic regions. The Arctic is an ocean covered with drifting packed ice and hemmed in by the land masses of Europe, Asia, and North America. The Antarctic is a continent almost as large as Europe and Australia combined.

3. Argentina set up the first weather station on Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands in 1904. In natural resources, Antarctica is considered by scientists to be the most worthless of all the continents. Traces of minerals, such as nickel, copper, iron coal, gold and silver have been found. • The earliest explorations of the south polar seas were made in 1772--1775 by a British expedition commanded by Captain James Cook. Exploration of the Antarctic intensified in the 1820s and 1830s.

4. 南極洲雷達圖

5. The Author------Donald Gordon Payne (born January 3, 1924 in London) is an English author. Using James Vance Marshall as a pseudonym, His most famous book is probablyWalkabout (1964), first published as The Children and later made into a movie starring Jenny Agutter. Payne has also used Ian Cameron and Donald Gordon as pseudonyms. His publications include TheMidnight Sea(1958), The Wind at Morning (1973) and Antarctica: The Last Continent(1974). He lives in Surrey, England, and has four sons and one daughter.

6. The most famous book by Ian Cameron

7. When you see the title of the text, what do you anticipate?

8. The main idea ---why the Antarctic has not been conquered by man so far and how our right of holding of it is questionable even today.

9. While –reading activities Why human beings have not conquered the Antarctic even today? The reasons : 1)great isolation from other land 2)hardly any plant or animal life 3)very little rain 4)intense cold 5) howling wind 6) the most tempestuous seas around it

10. How many parts is the text roughly divided?

11. This text is a well written expository piece of writing about Antarctic. Please work in pairs and discuss the following two questions:1. By reading the first and second paragraphs, what information can we obtain? 2. What’s the function of the second paragraph? • 1. The first paragraph presents a general picture of Antarctic with a great deal of concrete data, statistics and facts to make the writing more convincing.

12. 2. The function of the second paragraph lies in telling the readers that why Antarctic has not been conquered by man so far, and why man’s knowledge to Antarctic is comparatively small, so as to arouse readers’ interest to read the article followed. • A question is posed for the understanding of the third paragraph: • What writing technique is employed to show man’s knowledge to Antarctic is slight?

13. In order to convince the readers that the differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic in fact outweigh their similarities, the writer uses comparison and contrast.Please work in pairs to discuss differences between Arctic and Antarctic:

14. Differences between Arctic and Antarctic: • 1. Location • Arctic: closed surrounded by landmasses; • Antarctic: in splendid isolation • 2. Climate • Arctic: with human beings living there, plants and animals survive • Antarctic: no habitation, only mosses and lichens

15. The author further develops his article by using quotations of those who have been to the Antarctic to give more authority to his explanation of the reasons why the differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic outweigh their similarities. • Rainfall: less than 5 centimetres a year • Warmth: the coldest place on earth, -88 ℃ • Degree of stillness: steel bar likely to shatter like glass, mercury freezes into a solid metal, fish is frozen so solid that it has to be cut with a saw • Wind: main and most cruel characteristic is wind

16. Please work in group of three or four to write down in phrases as many reasons as you can find from the text why Antarctic is uninhabited and why our knowledge about Antarctic is so slight.

17. Language points • Seen from space…: When our planet is • seen from space… • -ed participle can be used as an adverbial to • denote time, cause, condition or attending • circumstances. • e.g. Placed in a freezer, water quickly becomes • ice. • Confined to bed, Peter was not allowed to go • downstairs. • Given better attention and care, these small • animals would not have fallen prey to the • carnivores.

18. . let alone: certainly not, not to mention (This is a conjunction used after a negative clause) e.g. My brother can’t do fractions, let alone work out this complicated geometry problem. Englishmen themselves, let alone foreigners, are often uncertain about what is slang and what isn’t.

19. As regards------concerning or connected with sb./sth. e.g. I have little information as regards his past. As regards the second point in your letter…. injurious to sb./sth.------harmful or likely to cause injury e.g. Smoking is injurious to the health.

20. set foot on / in: go, visit e.g. The invention of spacecraft has made it possible for the man to set foot on the moon. slight: small; not serious or important e.g. a slight error a slight headache She takes offence at the slightest thing.

21. outweigh: be greater in importance than e.g. The advantages of the new scheme outweigh the disadvantages. More words that are combined in this way. outnumber, outdo, outperform be inclined to: be likely to, tend to e.g. With a poor constitution, he is inclined to get tired easily. Some people are inclined to jump to hasty conclusions. We are inclined to think that he is opposed to the plan

22. by far: by a large amount or degree …得多，最… （与比较级或最高级连用） e.g. It will be by far the most urgent issue of the age. The new seaport will by far be the most advanced coal wharf in this area.

23. small wonder = no / little wonder, • it is small wonder: • it is not / hardly surprising不足为奇 • e.g. • Most young people like to follow the • fashion. Small wonder that her 16-year-old daughter is so fashion-conscious. • Small wonder he has taken ill. He had been overworking for years.

24. Development and organization This text is a well-written expository piece of writing about 24 Antarctica—why it has not been conquered by man so far and how our “tenure “ of it is questionable even today. The writer’s purpose is to inform and explain for a general audience, so the vocabulary is not very specialized.

25. There are some striking features which are worthy • of notice and imitation. • The writer uses the technique of stating the central theme at the beginning of the text to arouse the reader’s • interest and presents a striking description of • Antarctica—the subject under discussion. This • introduction serves the purpose of setting limits • and suggesting what will be said about the • subject. The writer does not, however, use only • exposition. By turning to description and narration • for aid, he enfolds before our mind’s eye the • “most spectacular natural phenomenon” on earth— • the ice sheet of Antarctica which “radiates light like a • great lantern across the bottom of the world.”

26. 2.He supports his view with a great deal of concrete data, statistics and facts to make his writing more convincing. 3.He throws new light upon two things by showing how hey are alike and yet very different. In order to convince the reader that the differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic in fact outweigh their similarities, the writer uses comparison and contrast—with facts which at the same time support his claim that our knowledge about Antarctica is still comparatively slight. Facts are presented clearly and in a way which makes them easily understandable.

27. 4. The writer directly quotes those who have been to the Antarctic to given more authority to his explanation of the reasons why the differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic outweight their similarities. 5. The writer provides us with a striking conclusion . After he has listed all the reasons to support and evidence for his point, another reason for not being able to conquer the Antarctic suddenly appears, which is likely to leave a deep Impression on the reader. In this way the writer successfully ties the text together neatly , giving a final sense of unity. 6. He also uses parallel structures as an effective way of describing what life in the Antarctic is like. This gives a subtle poetic quality and rhythm to this part of his essay.

28. Post-reading activities Answer the following questions. 1.According to the writer, will the ice sheet of Antarctica one day melt? 2.Why does the writer say that Antarctica is in fact our planet’s largest and most spectacular natural Phenomenon? 3.What does the write mean by “a degree of stillness”? 4.What are the similarities and differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic? 5.Why does the writer say that “even today man’s tenure of it is unsure”? 6.What does the writer mean by “North of the Arctic Circle, tens of thousands of families live in comfort all the year round;…”?

29. Latin origin(singular) bacterium curriculum medium Greek origin (singular) Analysis basis crisis thesis Latin origin (plural) bacteria curricula media Greek origin (plural) analyses bases crises theses Words should remember.