南极旅行记

李全忠

南极，被人们称为“第七大陆”，是地球上最后一个被发现且唯一没有人类定居的大陆。许多旅行家都把它列为目的地。它有着怎样的吸引力呢？

难词探意

1. cruise /kru?z/ n. 航行;乘船游览

2. plumage /?plu?m?d?/ n. （鸟的）羽毛

3. spout /spa?t/ n. 水柱;（容器的）嘴

4. solitude /?s?l?tju?d/ n. 独处;独居

5. meditative /?med?t?t?v/ adj. 沉思的

6. soothing /?su???/ adj. 抚慰的;使人宽心的

7. fabulous /?f?bj?l?s/ adj. 极好的;巨大的

Antarctica is a bucket?list destination for many travelers. For me， it was a personal quest. As a travel writer， Ive visited more than 100 countries， and before this trip， Id hit six of the seven continents. I had also wanted to go to Antarctica since I was a kid. But honestly， I didnt know what to expect from my cruise into one of the worlds true final frontiers.

For most people， penguins are a big reason. You can see a variety of penguins when cruising on the white continent. Emperor penguins are the largest—they can be around four feet tall and weigh 100 pounds—and have yellow and orange plumage on their necks and chests. The king penguins are my favorite， which are smaller than the Emperor but still have the pretty plumage.

People always ask me if I saw a lot of polar bears on my trip—the answer is no， because polar bears are in the Arctic （the north） and penguins are in the Antarctic （the south）. However， if youre into penguins， seals， whales， and other wildlife， you wont be disappointed. There are seals galore， including leopard， crabeater， Weddell， and southern elephant varieties. I saw plenty of leopard and elephant seals during my visit. Plus， theres a chance to see many different types of whales， including humpback， blue， fin， and killer whales. I even got to see a large pod of humpbacks blowing water through their spouts， which was a truly amazing sight.

Antarctica is the fifth?largest continent， and its almost completely covered in ice. There are no hotels， no roads， and no people. Well， there are scientists， but they arent in the tourist spots. The cruise?ship captains from the various ships talk to one another and try to coordinate so not everyone is going to the same spot at the same time. The result is that cruise passengers， especially on a small ship， feel the solitude of the destination.

As a solo traveler， it felt almost spiritual to be in the worlds coldest， iciest， windiest， driest， and highest place on Earth. I made sure to separate myself from other cruise passengers when I was on land in order to take the time to really appreciate and enjoy the quiet， the whiteness and the vastness. To be in a place where animals are the main attraction and Im the minority is such a mindful and meditative experience. Even on the zodiac rides， everyone was quiet， and the only sounds were the ice crackling， the penguins talking， or the seals barking. It was incredibly soothing and peaceful.

Apart from the amazing penguins， the sunsets in Antarctica are also fabulous. Technically， the sun doesnt set for several months during the tourist season. Instead， it goes lower on the horizon in the late evening and produces the most beautiful purples and pinks that can be enjoyed for hours. There was enough light to see， even at midnight， but the time between 9 pm and midnight felt truly magical. It wasnt really a sunset， but it felt like one to me. I always thought African sunsets were the best， but Antarctica sunsets are right up there because they last so long.

[Reading][Check]

1. Whats the author？

A. A sailor. B. A travel writer. C. A painter. D. A wild photographer.

2. According to the text， most people go to Antarctica for .

A. meditation B. writing C. penguins D. sunsets

3. Why did the author separate herself from other passengers？

A. To follow the king penguins.

B. To take some fabulous pictures.

C. To find hotels and restaurants.

D. To enjoy the quiet， the whiteness and the vastness.

4. What makes the sunsets in the Antarctic attractive according to the author？

A. The light they produce. B. The time they last.

C. The position they stay. D. The magic power they possess.

[Language][Study]

Sentence for writing

Plus， theres a chance to see many different types of whales， including humpback， blue， fin， and killer whales. 此外，還有机会看到许多不同种类的鲸鱼，包括座头鲸、蓝鲸、长须鲸和虎鲸。

【信息提取】Theres a chance to do... 意为“有机会做……”。

【句式仿写】如果你有兴趣，现在就有一个做慈善工作的好机会。