It is already home to whales, seals and polar bears, but soon the Arctic (北极) must find __1__ for some Chinese visitors.
A team of nine scientists will __2__ to the Arctic this month to mark the opening of China's __3__ Arctic scientific research station, SOA (the State Oceanic Administration (国家海洋局) has __4__.
Construction of the station finished a while __5__, but operations were held __6__ during the polar night, __7__ normally runs from late October to the end of February. __8__this period, the sun never __9__ over the Arctic. And from mid-July to the end of August, the sun never sets, a time__10__ as polar day (极昼).
With territories (版图) __11__ far up into the northern half of the globe, China __12__Arctic studies to learn __13__ about its climatic and environmental changes. Many of these, __14__ sand storms and heavy droughts, are believed to have __15__ to do with the Arctic.
Research teams __16__ the area in 1999 and 2003, but the new station will allow scientists to study the Arctic in __17__ depth.
The station is a two-storey building and __18__ a laboratory, office, reading room, bedroom and storeroom. It can hold 20 to 25 researchers.
"It will be __19__ great support to the scientists' research there," said Xia Limin, an officer in SOA.
This year the SOA also plans to upgrade (提升) two existing scientific bases in the Antarctic (南极洲). They are "Great Wall", which was set up in 1985, and "Zhongshan", __20__ five years later.
1. A. house                  B. hotel                       C. palace                     D. room
2. A. journey                B. travel                             C. trip                         D. tour
3. A. first                     B. second                     C. third                       D. fourth
4. A. told                     B. spoke                         C. announced                      D. published
5. A. before                 B. later                        C. after                        D. ago
6. A. forward                      B. toward                    C. back                        D. ahead
7. A. which                  B. through which          C. that                         D. where
8. A. During                B. While                      C. When                         D. As
9. A. raises                   B. rises                        C. lifts                         D. carries
10. A. knows                B. to know                   C. known                     D. knowing
11. A. spreading           B. spreads                    C. to spread                 D. spread
12. A. works out           B. picks out                 C. keeps out                 D. carries out
13. A. less                    B. more                       C. few                         D. much
14. A. for example      B. such as                    C. for instance              D. such that
15. A. something          B. anything                  C. everything                      D. nothing
16. A. showed              B. went                       C. visited                     D. got
17. A. great                  B. greeting                   C. greater                    D. greatest
18. A. includes             B. contains                   C. including                 D. containing
19. A. to                         B. for                          C. at                            D. of
20. A. establishing               B. to establish              C. established               D. establish