Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica
[A] On a glacier-filled island with fjords (峡湾) 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 (桩子) 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 (磷虾),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 yon 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-team prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted ( 令人垂涎的 ) reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite (金伯利岩 ) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion 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 dome13,422 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 (暴风雪. 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 (拦截) 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."
36. according to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.
37. Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.
38. With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.
39. According to geologists' estimates, Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.
40. It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.
41. The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.
42. Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.
43. Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.
44. With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.
45. American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.
答案解析：
36. 由题干中的关键词“Chinese officials”和“scientific research”定位到[J]段“Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research...”，可知中国官员称在南极的扩张优先考虑科学研究，所以选[J]。
37. 由题干中的关键词“create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed”和“Russia's obstruction”定位到[C]段“while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.”，可知俄罗斯最近挫败了在这里创建世界上最大的海洋保护区之一的努力，所以选[C]。
38. 由题干中的关键词“monitoring stations”“Russia”“counter America's dominance”和“worldwide navigational facilities”定位到[E]段“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...”，可知俄罗斯正在扩大其全球定位系统(GPS)版本的格洛纳斯监测站，至少有三个俄罗斯监测站已经在南极洲运行，这是其挑战美国全球定位系统主导地位的努力的一部分，所以选[E]。
39. 由题干中的关键词“geologists' estimates”“Antarctica”“oil and natural gas”定位到[G]段“geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.”，可知地质学家估计南极洲至少拥有360亿桶石油和天然气，所以选[G]。
40. 由题干中的关键词“the richest reserves of fresh water”定位到[D]段“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.”，可知一些科学家正在研究从南极洲开采冰山的潜力，据估计，南极洲拥有地球上最大的淡水储备，所以选[D]。
41. 由题干中的关键词“demand for energy resources”“renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties”和“before their expiration”定位到[I]段“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.”，可知在一个渴望能源的世界里，对资源的需求可能会加大重新谈判南极条约的压力，可能会在禁止商业活动的期限到期之前就允许更多的商业活动在这里进行，所以选[I]。
42. 由题干中的关键词“racing against each other”“increase their business and strategic influence”定位到[B]段“But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here...”，可知许多国家都在争相在这里发挥更大的影响力，所以选[B]。
43. 由题干中的关键词“harsh natural conditions”“huge obstacles”和“exploitation of its resources”定位到[H]段“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...”，可知除了南极条约外，开发这些资源仍然存在巨大障碍，比如可能会危及海上平台的漂移冰山，还有南极洲的偏远，所以选[H]。
44. 由题干中的关键词“competition from many countries”“no longer dominated by the traditional white nations”定位到[Q]段“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... The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested.”，可知南极洲被欧洲、澳大拉西亚和北美的白人利益和愿望所主导的时代已经过去了，现实是南极洲在地缘政治上存在争议，所以选[Q]。
45. 由题干中的关键词“American scientists”“lack of sufficient money and equipment”定位到[L]段“But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.”，可知但美国研究人员私下抱怨预算限制，并且破冰船比俄罗斯少得多，这限制了美国在南极洲的活动范围，所以选[L]。
