Amazing Antarctica

Amazing Antarctica written by Sean P. McCollum. Focus question. How does Antarctica compare to other continents?

《神奇的南极洲》，作者：肖恩·P·麦科勒姆。核心问题：南极洲和 其他大洲相比有什么不同？

the seventh continent. Give a globe a spin. On it, you can easily find six continents, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Now look at the bottom of the globe. There you will find continent number seven, Antarctica.

第七大洲。 转一下地球仪， 你能轻轻松松找到六个大洲， 分别是非洲、亚洲、大洋洲、欧洲、北美洲和南美洲。 现在看看地球仪的最底部， 你会找到第七个大洲——南极洲。

For a long time, no one knew Antarctica was there. It was located far from where anyone lived. People did not discover Antarctica until about 200 years ago. Since then, we have learned a lot about Antarctica.

很长一段时间里，没人知道南极洲的存在。 它的位置离人类居住的地方实在太远了。 人类直到大约200年前才发现了南极洲。 从那以后，我们对南极洲的了解越来越多。

Antarctica is the coldest continent and has the strongest winds. Less rain and snow fall there than in any other continent. Antarctica is also home to some of the most amazing animals in the world.

南极洲是全世界最冷的大洲，还刮着全世界最强的风。 这里的降雪和降雨量比其他任何大洲都要少。 南极洲还住着许多世界上最奇妙的动物哦。

Freezing Antarctica During the winter, Earth's southern half is turned away from the sun. For a couple of weeks in June and July, winter in Antarctica, the sun never rises. For a period in December and January, summer in Antarctica, the sun never sets. Its location makes the weather almost always cold, icy and windy.

冰冷的南极洲 到了冬天，地球的南半球会背向太阳。 每年六七月的好几周里， 正值南极洲的冬季，太阳完全不会升起。 而到了十二月和一月的那段时间， 也就是南极洲的夏季，太阳完全不会落下。 特殊的地理位置让这里几乎总是寒冷、结冰，还刮着大风。

The temperature in summer is usually just above 0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In winter, the temperature often drops below minus 18 degrees Celsius, 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest known temperature on earth was in Antarctica in July 1983. It was about minus 89 degrees Celsius, minus 128 degrees Fahrenheit. This cold explains why thick sheets of ice cover much of Antarctica. In some places, Antarctica's ice is more than 4 kilometers, 2 .5 miles thick.

南极洲的夏季温度通常刚刚超过0摄氏度（也就是32华氏度）。 到了冬天，温度常常会降到零下18摄氏度（也就是0华氏度）以下。 地球上有记录的最低温度出现在1983年7月的南极洲。 该温度大约是零下89摄氏度（也就是零下128华氏度）。 这么冷的天气，难怪厚厚的冰层覆盖了南极洲的大部分区域。 有些地方的冰层厚度超过4千米，也就是2.5英里。