The Arctic Ice is Thawing
Father Christmas may have to move his“workshop”from the North Pole because global warming is thawing the ice beneath his feet and his reindeers,feet as well.His“workshop”is in dire straits.The“platform”for the“workshop”is meltin9,said Stefan Norris of the World Wildlife Fund environmental group’s Arctic Program.
An eight-nation report by 250 scientists published recently predicted the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in sum-mer by 2100 because of a build-up of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere,mainly from burning fossil fuels in cas or factories.The North Pole is getting more and more inhabitable to Father Christmas,_____(1).Young people learn thai,Father Christmas’“workshop”produces millions of gifts delivered by him on a flyin9,reindeer-drawn sleigh.Hollywood movies like“The Polar Express”tried to make viewers believe that Father Christmas lives at the North Pole._____(2).
The“Fortress of Solitude”is near the North Pole that could be under threat in a warmer world.Alan Boldt,spokesman of the Danish Ministry of Science,suggested ways to rescue Father Christmas._____(3).Another alter- native,he argued,would be building some electrical facilities to ensure the ice stays on the North Pole for him.“This should be a subject for the United Nations.”he said.“Danmark could build windmills to provide Father Christmas with power.”Denmark says Father Christmas's real home is Greenland,which will help,Denmark thinks,to strengthen its position in claiming the sovereignty over the Pole._____(4).
“Doesn'1,he aireadv speak Danish?”Boldt said frostily when asked if Father Christmas would be forced to learn Danish if Denmark won international recognition of its claim to the Pole.Last month’s Arctic report said the region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe,partly because dark ground or water,once uncovered,soaks up more heat than ice or snow.Finland has been most favored by Father Christmas and it has about 500,000 tourists a year to visit its Christmas center in Rovaniemi in Lapland6._____(5).
词汇:
thaw v.融化,解冻Nordic adj.北欧的
reindeer n.驯鹿rink n.(溜冰)场
dire adj.可怕的Danish adj.丹麦的
build-up n.增强,聚集Danmark n.丹麦
sleigh n.雪橇sovereignty n.主权
Hollywood n.好莱坞frostily adv.冷漠地
Greenland n.格陵兰
注释:
1.workshop:工场.圣诞故事说,圣诞老人每年圣诞节向全世界儿童赠送礼物.礼物数量何止千千万万.于是,人们想象,圣诞老人住在北极,在冰块上一定拥有一个制造礼物的工场.
2.heat-trapping gases:捕捉热量的气体.heat-trapping gases=greenhouse gases
3.The Polar Express:极地快车(好莱坞电影名)
4.Nordic countries:北欧国家.北欧国家包括芬兰、瑞典、挪威、丹麦、冰岛等五国.
5.The“Fortress of solitude”near the North Pole that could be under threat in a warmer world:“孤独要塞”靠近北极,在变暖的世界中可能处于危险之中.that引导的定语从句修饰Fortress of Solitude.