B
In the morning, when we arrived on foot at Dumontd’ Urville, the French scientific base on the Adelie Coast of Est Antarctica, we had to break up a thin layer of ice that had formed over the hole we had drilled the day before. The hole went right through the 10-foot-thick ice-berg. It was just wide enough for a man, and below it lay the sea. We had never tried to dive through such a small opening. I went first. Pushing and pulling with hands, knees, heels and the tips of my swim fins, I moved through the hole.
The bottom surface of the sea ice is a thick mixture of floating ice blocks, and my fall had set them in motion. They were meeting on the hole as if it had been an upside-down drain. By the time I pushed one arm into the icy blocks, it was three feet thick. Grabbing the safety rope, I was scared and pulled myself up inch by inch, but my shoulders got stuck. Suddenly I was astonished by a sharp blow to the head: Cedric Gentil, one of my dive buddies, was trying to dig me out, and his spade(锹)had struck my skull. Finally, a hand grabbed mine and dragged me into the air. Today’s dive was over—but it was only one of 32.
I’ve come here with another photographer, Vincent Munier, at the invitation of filmmaker Luc Jacquet, who’s working on a sequel(续集)to his 2005 accomplishment, March of the Penguins. While Jacquet films emperor penguins and Munier photographs them, my team will document life under the sea ice.
I’ve worked for decades as a deep-diving photographer, at first in the Mediterranean Sea, where I learned to dive 30 years ago. Later, a passion for new mysteries took me elsewhere. I’ve dived to 400 feet off South Africa to photograph rare coelacanths(a large fish), and for 24 straight hours off Fakarava, in French Polynesia , to witness the pairing of 17, 000 groupers, but this exploration to Antarctica is unlike any other. Here we’ll be diving deeper than anyone has dived before under Antarctic ice—and the conditions will be beyond harsh.
【文章大意】这是一篇记叙文。主要记叙了身为摄影师的作者和同事一起去南极拍摄水下世界的经历, 作者去过地中海, 去过南非, 法国波利尼西亚, 但是这些拍摄经历都不如南极这么艰险, 而且潜水的深度也不如南极那么深, 而且条件异常艰苦。
24. Why was the layer of ice the author chose thin?
A. Because it was formed more recently.
B. Because it was near their research base.
C. Because the water there was shallower.
D. Because the temperature there was higher.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第一段中In the morning. . . the day before. 可知, 作者选择薄的冰层, 因为它是最近才形成的。故选A。
25. What frightened the author when he wanted to return to the surface?
A. The safety rope was missing.
B. Floating ice blocks were about to fill the hole.
C. An unknown creature attacked him
D. His workmate hit his head
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段中The bottom surface of the sea ice. . . but my shoulders got stuck. 可知, 作者落入水中使水下的浮冰开始波动而后聚集堵住了洞口, 因此作者很害怕。故选B。
26. Why did the author dive to the Antarctica?
A. To record his travel in the sea
B. To conduct a research under the sea.
C. To photograph the pairing of penguins.
D. To shoot the sea-born life for Jacquet.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第三段中While Jacquet films emperor penguins and Munier photographs them, my team will document life under the sea ice. 可知, 作者潜水到南极洲是为了给Jacquet拍摄海下生物。故选D。
27. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?
A. Introduce his achievements.
B. Show his special interest in diving.
C. Stress that the exploration to Antarctica was unique.
D. Add some scientific background information.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据最后一段I’ve worked for decades . . . the conditions will be beyond harsh. 可知, 最后一段作者用了对比的写法, 比如作者去过地中海, 去过南非, 法国波利尼西亚, 但是这些拍摄经历都不如南极这么艰险, 而且潜水的深度也不如南极那么深, 而且条件异常艰苦, 可知作者在最后一段想要突出南极拍照经历的独特性和艰苦性。故选C。
