Ship tourism to Antarctica is on the rise: More than 35,000 tourists are expected to visit Antarctic this summer. In 1992-1993, 6,750 visited Antarctica, according to the Antarctica Treaty. All of this tourism, however, is putting both tourists and the environment in great danger.
Among the tourist ships that visit the continent, the Explorer, a Canadian ship, was one of the first. Put to use in 1969, it was built to carry tourists to Antarctica. Last week, however, it became the first commercial passenger ship to sink beneath the waters. Fortunately, all of the passengers and crew members were rescued from the ship. However, the sunken ship endangered the Antarctic’s fragile(脆弱的) environment. The ship was estimated to be holding 48,000 gallons of fuel.
The accident was not unexpected. Both the US and UK had warned a conference of the Antarctic Treaty member countries in May that the tourism situation in this area was a potential disaster. The US said in a paper, people “should take a hard look at tourism issues now, especially those related to ship safety.” Although the Antarctic seas are relatively(相对地) calm, floating ice causes a potential threat to ships. The owner of the Explorer blamed the sinking on a fist-like hole in the ship created by ice.
Many of the other large ships now visiting Antarctica are not designed especially against thick ice. Such ships generally can only come to the continent in summer. But the tourist rush is pushing ships into dangerous situations. “The increasing number of ships operating in Antarctic means that the ship are under great pressure to get there in time for the key visiting sites,” the British government wrote in a paper at the meeting of member countries.
As a natural frontier, Antarctica is in a messy legal situation. There are no obvious answers as to who is responsible for dealing with the threat that tourist may cause to human life and the environment.
There is no coast guard for Antarctica. Do we want it to become Disneyland, or do we need some controls?
76. Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A. Antarctica tourism has a history of about 17 years
B. The number of tourists to the Antarctic is over 5 times as large as that of 17 years ago.
C. The tourism boom has caused holes in the floating ice in the Antarctic.
D. The Antarctica Treaty is responsible for the problem.
77. The sinking of the Explorer____________.
A. led to a conference about the tourism situation in the Antarctic.
B. was caused by the rough seas
C. had been predicted
D. did harm to the Antarctic.
78. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.
A. a Disneyland will be built in the Antarctic
B. fewer people are visiting the Antarctic because of the warnings given
C. not all the ships are suitable to go to the Antarctic
D. some ships take risks visiting the Antarctic in other seasons rather than in summer
79. In this passage, the writer suggests that___________.
A. people had better not make a tour of the Antarctic
B. ships to the Antarctic should be built strong enough
C. there should be legal controls over tourism in the Antarctic
D. the Antarctic’s environment is fragile
80. What attitude does the writer hold towards Antarctic tourism?
A. Supportive. B. Positive. C. Indifferent. D. Anxious.
