Today, over six billion people live on the planet. This means that there are very few places on Earth with no people. One place that has very few people is at the bottom of the Earth. In Antarctica, the icy continent surrounding the South Pole, you will not find anyone who lives there all the time.

First, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. For example, it can be –l30℃ in the winter. Humans cannot live in this kind of environment. Because it is so cold, very few plants or animals live there. This means there are no farms and no places to find wild plants or animals to eat.

Second, Antarctica can be dangerous. Many people think that it is safe to travel to Antarctica in the summer months when it is warmer. However, Antarctica is mostly ice, so when it’s summer, the ice melts. When the ice melts, the ice can break. So, people cannot travel around Antarctica during the summer. If the ice breaks, they could fall into the water and die.

Another serious problem in Antarctica is the sun. Because Antarctica is mostly ice, there are no trees so there is no shade. Also, the ground is mostly white ice so the sun bounces off (反射) it. The light from the sky and the light from the ground can burn people’s skin and hurt their eyes. People must be very careful in this situation. For example, they must wear sunglasses to protect their eyes. They must also cover their hands and faces all the time.

Although Antarctica is a tough place to live, explorers have discovered coal in Antarctica. This leads them to believe that Antarctica at one time was a land of swam (沼泽) and forests.

小题1:This text is mainly about _____.

A．the discovery of Antarctica

B．how people travel around Antarctica

C．different animals found in Antarctica

D．why it is difficult to live in Antarctica小题2:We can learn from the text that _____.

A．Antarctica is a place with no animals

B．no people can survive in Antarctica

C．Antarctica is colder than any other continent on Earth

D．the temperature in Antarctica is below zero all the time小题3:When is the most dangerous time to travel around Antarctica?

A．In spring.

B．In summer.

C．In autumn.

D．In winter.

Robert Altman’s films were different from the usual methods of Hollywood movie storytelling. In the 1940s, he started his film career directing industrial movies in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Later, he moved to Hollywood, California, to make television shows.

His first major film, MASH, was released in 1970. It tells about a group of American medical workers in an army hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. The movie was a great success. It questioned the rules of the military in a way that was sharply funny and clever.

Robert Altman continued to make movies with strong political and social points. His next major movie, Nashville, came out in 1975. This movie provides a complex (not simple) look at changes in the country music industry.

Robert Altman’s movies have a very special style. Often, his actors speak so naturally that it is hard to believe they are performing. Altman liked his actors to be free to make up their own lines. Altman wanted to copy the way people talked and acted in real life. And he was willing to fight with movie studio businessmen to make sure that he had total creative (有创造力的) control over his work.

Even as an old man, Robert Altman continued to make movies. Many of his 33 films were nominated (提名) for Academy Awards, including The Player and Gosford Park. Robert Altman died in November in Los Angeles, California. He was 81 years old.

小题1:According to the passage, Altman was ______.

A．a writer

B．an actor

C．a director

D．a soldier小题2:Robert Altman began to make films ______.

A．in the 1940s

B．in the 1950s

C．in 1970

D．in 1975小题3:What is special about Altman’s films is that ______.

A. they were all industrial films

B. they were true to life

C. they were films with strong political points

D. many of them were nominated for Academy Awards

小题4:The passage mainly tells us that ______.

A．the Korean War took place in the 1950s

B．Robert Altman made his first major film in 1970

C．Robert Altman’s films have a different style

D．Robert Altman received many Academy Awards小题5:The best title for this passage should be ______.

A．Robert Altman - Director of Special Style Movie

B．Some Famous Films from Hollywood

C．How Robert Altman Directed His Films

D．Actors in the Films of Robert Altman