Visiting the Arctic
ZHOU Mingfeng, 17, has only stepped out of his birthplace, Qingdao, once to visit the top of the world, the Arctic!
The Senior 2 student from the High School Attached to Ocean University of China joined a two-week journey to the Arctic at the beginning of this month, after he was recommended for the trip. Including his teacher, Wu Jianying, the adventure group consisted of 12 students and teachers from China, Spain, Canada, Britain and the US.
“The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” Zhou said.
Before they landed by air on Canada’s research icebreaker (破冰船) in the Arctic, Amundsen, the group visited an Inuit (英纽特人的) community. Zhou also got the chance to experience dog-sledding for the first time!
He was surprised to find that Inuit people don’t live in snow igloos (圆顶建筑) any longer. “They live in modern, warm wooden houses and travel mostly by snowmobile,” he said.
During the time on board Amundsen, every day was science orientated (以……为主). Zhou and other teenagers were guided by scientists, who work there, to take part in laboratory and field work. Sometimes they went outside to collect ice and snow samples for experiments despite the windy, freezing climate.
As the only Chinese student, Zhou didn’t feel very confident due to his English inefficiency.
“Those students soon got close to the onboard scientists and became involved (参与) in their research,” he recalled in admiration.
However, it didn’t prevent Zhou from enjoying the unique and remote life there.
When the wind died and the sun shone on the frozen desert, Zhou and his new friends recorded their days with photo shoots out on the ice beside the Amundsen!
“The views were breathtaking! Everything around us seemed lifeless, which is shocking,” he said.
But there proved to be something alive, under the ice caps. A seal popped out of the water below the ship and greeted them on the last day of their stay.
“It was the only animal I saw in the Arctic!” he said. “But it’s a pity that I didn’t see a single polar bear in the ‘capital’ of the creature.
59. According to the passage, the students and teachers visiting Artic are most likely to _______.
A. go sightseeing          B. take part in some science research
C. learn English           D. learn about Inuit community
60. In the passage, Amundsen is _________.
A. an icebreaker   B. an Inuit igloo   C. a place in Artic    D. a dog-drawn sled
61. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Zhou was surprised to find the Inuit lived in modern, warm wooden houses.
B. Zhou visited an Inuit community first.
C. Zhou’s inefficient English made him unable to enjoy the life in Artic.
D. Zhou took many photos with his new friends.
62. The underlined sentence “The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
A. The trip made what had been learned in geography lessons more vivid or interesting.
B. The trip suddenly started working.
C. The trip completely changed his life.   
D. The trip made animals in Artic live.