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　　In December 1914, the ship Endurance sailed away from South Georgia Island, the final outpost of civilization before the vast emptiness of Antarctica. Through the strong winds and freezing rain, Captain Ernest Shackleton shouted orders to his crew. During those times, in an early version of the space race, countries were competing to penetrate the last unexplored places on earth. Shackleton hoped to win glory for himself and England by leading the first expedition to cross Antarctica by land.

　　The true story of how Shackleton and his crew of 27 men survived nearly two years stranded in Antarctica is described in Alfred Lansing’s 1959 book, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. Weeks after departing South Georgia Island, Endurance became trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. The crew worked like dogs to cut passages through the ice so the ship could reach open water, but they could not break free. Shackleton calmly informed his men that they would spend the winter locked in the ice.

　　Vocabulary

　　1.civilization n. mankind and its creations文明；文明世界

　　Mesopotamia was the world’s first civilization.

　　美索不达米亚是世界上最古老的文明。

　　2.crew n. the group of people who sail a boat, fly a plane, etc.全体船员；一队(组)工作人员

　　As we were getting off the airplane, each member of the crew thanked us for flying with them.

　　当步下飞机时，机组人员感谢我们的搭乘。

　　3.penetrate v. to enter; to pass through进入；穿过

　　They walked for weeks but never penetrated the heart of the jungle.

　　他们步行了数周，却无从深入丛林的中心。

　　4.depart v. to leave离开；离去

　　Your flight will depart Chiang Kai-shek International Airport at eleven o’clock.

　　你的班机将在十一点钟从中正国际机场起飞。

　　5.trap v. to seize and confine困住……；使……陷入困境

　　Trapped inside of a barn which was surrounded by police, the bank robber decided to give up.

　　银行抢匪受困在谷仓内，四周又被警方包围，于是决定投降。

　　6.inform v. to tell告知；通知

　　Our landlord is angry because we didn’t inform him that we have a dog.

　　我们的房东很生气，因为我们没有告知他我们还养了只狗。

　　More Information

　　1.outpost n.指尚有人烟的偏远地区

　　2.Antarctica n.南极洲

　　3.expedition n.远征队；探险队

　　4.strand v. (船、鲸、鱼等)搁浅

　　5.pack ice n.大片浮冰；浮冰群