Question

    The total continent of Antarctica, from its mountains to the seas full of blue whales, emperor penguins and leopard seals, is, by means of international agreement, classified as a nature preserve. The Antarctic Treaty took effect in 1998, and doesn’t allow mining and oil drilling for at least fifty years anywhere within the boundaries of Antarctica. The treaty places a strong emphasis on the protection of the natural environment but not development. All wildlife threats including dogs and chemicals used for killing pests are also banned.

    The agreement has been set by some countries to keep Antarctica free of commercialism and industrial development. This agreement was signed in 1991 by the 26 leading nations with scientific interest in the land. Some of the nations in the agreement are the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, and most of the primary European nations.

    The rules made by this treaty ended over 15 years of lobbying（游說）by environmental groups and put a stop to diplomatic(外交的）talks. In addition to preventing all oil drilling and mining, the 35 scientific outposts(前哨站） on Antarctica are required to remove all rubbish and clean up all places where unwanted waste is left. It keeps scientific stations from discharging untreated waste water into the surrounding waters.

     Sled dogs were what explorers like Norway’s Roald Amundsen used to reach the South Pole in 1911. Dogs, however, were banned because they are a recent danger to the penguins and other native birds.

    With laws enforced(實施）in 26 nations, each nation will be responsible for enforcing the rules individually. If the country’s government refuses to become involved when its citizens disobey the rules, the other nations would apply pressure to solve the issue. There are many people who see this treaty as an environmental success story.

55. The Antarctic Treaty was signed to ________.

A. attract more tourists to Antarctica

B. protect the environment of Antarctica

C. forbid diplomatic talks between countries

D. promote scientific research on Antarctica

56. Dogs are forbidden on Antarctica because they________ .

A. may pollute the surrounding environment

B. are a threat to the birds there

C. are of little use there

D. may face a great threat

57. We can infer from the text that________.

A. environmental groups are satisfied with the Antarctic Treaty

B. it is difficult to enforce the treaty

C. there are no natural resources on Antarctica

D. tourism is not allowed on Antarctica

58. Which of the following is TRUE about the Antarctic Treaty?

A. Some countries have broken the rules of it.

B. It was signed in 1998.

C. It’s effective in protecting the environment of Antarctica.

D. It fails to achieve its original purpose.

Answer 1

   本文介紹了《南極洲公約》的簽署情況以及其主要內容。

55. 【解析】選B。細節理解題。從第一段可知，《南極洲公約》旨在保護南極洲的生態環境，而不是促進開發。

56.【解析】選B。推理判斷題。從倒數第二段可知，狗不允許進入南極洲，因為它們會傷害南極洲的企鵝和其他鳥類。

57. 【解析】選A。推理判斷題。從第三段可知，《南極洲公約》的簽訂結束了環保組織15年的呼吁，由此可知，環保組織對《南極洲公約》感到滿意。

58. 【解析】選C。細節理解題。從文章最后一段可知，很多人認為《南極洲公約》在保護環境方面是成功的。