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  3. Only about two percent of Antarctica peeks through the thick sheets of ice that blanket the continent. In the winter, the lowest

Only about two percent of Antarctica peeks through the thick sheets of ice that blanket the continent. In the winter, the lowest

admin2009-04-23  77
问题     Only about two percent of Antarctica peeks through the thick sheets of ice that blanket the continent. In the winter, the lowest recorded temperatures(without wind chill) have reached -89℃(-129℉). The continent averages 2.4 kilometers in height(1.5 miles) above sea level, making it 1.5 kilometers(almost a mile) higher than the global average land height! Each year the South Pole receives less than an inch of water.., in the form of snow, of course! This amount of precipitation is similar to that of another desert, the Sahara Katabatie winds, reaching 300 kilometers per hour(185 miles/ hour), blow out of the continental interior and make the Antarctic coastal regions rather breezy.
    Antarctica is an important part of Earth’s system. By acting as a global heat sink, it helps control our climate and weather. The stability of the Antarctic ice sheets is of concern to those living in low-lying areas; they contain enough water to raise global Sea level almost 70 meters. Antarctica holds 70% of Earth’s freshwater, and 91% of Earth’s ice! Antarctica influences our global ocean. Cold, dense, oxygen-rich waters originates in Antarctica and replenishes the ocean’s supply of bottom water, helping to drive ocean circulation. The sea surrounding Antarctica supports marine life from tiny ice-dwelling algae to the great whales. Through investigations of Antarctica we will develop a better understanding of how this vast, ice-covered continent responds to environmental change. This knowledge will better enable us to predict the response of all of Earth’s systems to future environmental changes.
    Antarctica is located in the Southern Hemisphere(the half of the globe that is south of the equator). The continent overlies the south pole and covers 13,824,000 square kilometers(5,400,000 square miles). It is the fifth largest landmass on the globe.
    Early Greek geographers hypothesized the existence of Antarctica well before anyone actually saw the continent. They believed that a landmass must exist at the bottom of the world to balance the land in the Northern Hemisphere. They called the mythological land "Antarctica," meaning "opposite the Arctic". No one set foot on the continent until John Davis went ashore on the Antarctic Peninsula in 1820.
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答案Being extremely cold，very high，breezy and lack of rain．
解析 从第一段句子…temperatures...-89℃(-129℉)...2.4 kilometers in height(1.5 miles)above sea level,…1.5 kilometers higher than the global average land height!...less than an inch of water…300 kilometers per hour(185 miles/hour)…rather breezy．中可得出答案。
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