Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

　　Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica

　　[A] On a glacier-filled island with fjords (峽灣)and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile, Chinese labourers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China's plan to operate five bases on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people. Not to be outdone, India's futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stilts (樁子) using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too.

　　[B] More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining. But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial opportunities that already exist.

　　[C] The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life. South Korea, which operates state-of-the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill (磷蝦), found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.

　　[D] Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs from Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.

　　[E] Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System (GPS). At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.

　　[F] Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. "You can see that we're here to stay," said Vladimir Cheberdak, 57, chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820.

　　[G] Antarctica's mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted (令人垂誕的)reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite (金伯利巖) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least36billion barrels of oil and natural gas.

　　[H] Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergs that could jeopardise offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctica's remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger than Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus 55 degrees Celsius.

　　[I] But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now. And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire. The research stations on King George Island offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

　　[J] Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet's driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest-growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome 13,422 feet above sea level that is one of the planet's coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research, but they also acknowledge that concerns about "resource security" influence their moves.

　　[K] China's newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George Island makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated. "We do weather monitoring here and other research," Ning Xu, 53，the chief of the Chinese base, said over tea during a fierce blizzard (暴風(fēng)雪)in late November. The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter. Yong Yu, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China's Antarctic operations since the 1980s. "We now feel equipped to grow," he said.

　　[L] As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere's summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.

　　[M] Scholars warn that Antarctica's political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent's treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting (攔截) signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.

　　[N] Some countries have had a hard time here. Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough, a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile's air base here since it crash-landed in 2014.

　　[O] However, Brazil's stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the $100 million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station.

　　[P] Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. With Russia's help, Belarus is preparing to build its first Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.

　　[Q] "The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states are over," said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. "The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested."

　　37.【題干】According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.

　　【答案】J

　　【解析】根據(jù)Chinese officials和scientific research定位至J段倒數(shù)第2句。該句中，中國官員稱，南極洲的拓展作業(yè)的首要目的是科學(xué)研究。題目中的Chinese officials和scientific research均是本段中的原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，lay greater emphasis on"將重心更多放在"則與本段的prioritises"給優(yōu)先權(quán)"表達(dá)的意思相同。

　　38.【題干】Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.

　　【答案】C

　　【解析】根據(jù)the world's largest ocean sanctuaries和Russia's obstruction定位至C段最后一句。該句說，俄羅斯近期力阻在南極洲建立世界上其中一個最大的海洋保護區(qū)。題目中的one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries是文中的原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，而failed"失敗"與原文的frustrated"阻止做成某事，妨礙"表達(dá)的意思相同。

　　39.【題干】With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.

　　【答案】E

　　【解析】根據(jù)monitoring stations、Russia、America's dominance和navigational facilities定位至E段。

　　該段講到俄羅斯正籌備增建監(jiān)測站，且目前它巳有至少三個監(jiān)測站在南極洲運行，而這些監(jiān)測站的作用就是要挑戰(zhàn)美國GPS的主導(dǎo)地位。題目中的monitoring stations是文中原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，counter America's dominance…與原文的challenge the dominance of the American...同義，而navigational facilities則對應(yīng)文中的American GPS。

　　40.【題干】According to geologists' estimates, Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.

　　【解析】根據(jù)geologists' estimates和reserves of oil and natural gas定位至G段最后一句。該句說，地質(zhì)學(xué)家估計，南極洲至少有360億桶的石油和天然氣儲備。題目的geologists' estimates對文中的geologists estimate that作了詞性轉(zhuǎn)換，oil and natural gas則是文中原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，而enormous則表達(dá)了文中說的36 billion barrels之巨量。

　　41.【題干】It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】根據(jù)the richest reserves和fresh water定位至D段第1句。該句說南極洲有著地球上最大的淡 水儲備庫。題目的the richest reserves of fresh water on earth與文中的the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet為同義表達(dá)。

　　42.【題干】The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.

　　【答案】I

　　【解析】根據(jù)demand for energy resources、renegotiation和Antarctica's treaties定位至I段第2句。該 句說到，世界對能源如饑似渴的需求，可能會迫使各國對南極洲協(xié)議重新協(xié)商，從而可能在禁令到期之前便允許更多商業(yè)活動的進(jìn)行。題目中的The demand for energy resources對應(yīng)原文的the demand for resources，而 compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties 與文中的 raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties表達(dá)的意思相同。

　　43.【題干】Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】根據(jù)business and strategic influence定位至B段最后一句。該句說到，南極洲上大批國家蜂擁而至，企圖獲取更大的影響力，著眼現(xiàn)有的戰(zhàn)略機遇及商業(yè)機遇。題目的Many countries是原文an array of countries的同義表達(dá)，business and strategic influence與文中的the strategic and commercial相對應(yīng)。

　　44.【題干】Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.

　　【答案】H

　　【解析】根據(jù)harsh natural conditions、exploitation和resources定位至H段。該段首先講除了人為的開發(fā)協(xié)議外，還有一些很大的障礙阻礙資源開發(fā)(tapping these resources)G文中的動詞tap指"自中獲取某物"，與題目中的exploitation of..."開發(fā)，利用"意思一致。該段提到的諸如飄浮的冰山(drifting icebergs )、地處偏僻(remoteness)及低溫(minus 55 degrees)等，都可以概括為題目中的harsh natural conditions "惡劣的自然環(huán)境"，故確定H段為答案。

　　45.【題干】With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.

　　【答案】Q

　　【解析】根據(jù)the traditional white nations定位至Q段第1句。該句中，克勞斯·道茲說到，過去，南極洲被歐洲、澳洲和北美洲那些國家來的白人操控，但這種情形已一去不返了。題目中的dominated是文中的原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，traditional對應(yīng)原文的The old days of...，而white nations則是對white men from European, Australasian...的概括。

　　46.【題干】American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.

　　【答案】L

　　【解析】根據(jù)American scientists和lack of sufficient money and equipment定位至L段最后一句。該句說，美國研究人員私下抱怨資金受限，破冰船也比俄羅斯少得多，限制了美國在南極洲的探索范圍 (limiting the reach of...，其中的reach指"能到達(dá)的范圍")。題目中的complain是文中的原詞復(fù)現(xiàn)，American scientists對應(yīng)原文的US researchers，而lack of sufficient money與文中的budget restraints表達(dá)意思相近，equipment是對"破冰船少"的概括。

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