Unit 5 Warming Up & Reading阅读理解APowered by courage and determination, Felicity Aston, 33, became the first person to ski alone across Antarctica on 15 Jan. , 2012. Aston finished the 59-day trip almost exactly a century after Roald Amundsen first reached the South Pole in 1911. Aston crossed 1, 084 miles from the Ross Ice Shelf to Hercules Inlet. Aston, a freelance travel writer and explorer, faced temperatures that averaged25 degrees as she pulled two sleds across the ice and thick snow on her nearly two-month trip. The scariest moment came when her two lighters failed to work while she was in the Transantarctic Mountains. The lighters started working again at lower altitudes. While early Antarctic explorers were cut off from the outside world, Astons access to a satellite phone meant that friends and family could follow her online as she regularly tweeted(在Twitter上发微博)and made almost daily podcasts(播客)about her journey. An interactive map showed Astons progress in real time. And while she skied, Aston listened to bands. On New Years Eve she noted that there would be no champagne. No wine with her to toast the new year but treating herself to spoonfuls of the peanut butter, Aston tweeted as the new year approached. In Astons last podcast, the emotional traveler recorded after she reached Hercules Inlet, “I seem to have got here in a rush or something and I dont really feel prepared for it, ”said Aston. “It feels amazing to be finished and greatly sad that its over at the same time. ”Weather permitting, Aston will return home today where she says she is looking forward to some “red wine and a hot shower”. 1. What is Astons most possible purpose to ski alone across Antarctica? A. To memorize humans arrival at the South Pole. B. To become the first woman to cross the South Pole. C. To make an exploration by herself and write about it. D. To explore Antarctica and do science researches. 2. What is the difference between Astons trip and the early explorers? A. She brought an electronic map with her. B. She was monitored by a special satellite. C. She suffered much lower temperatures. D. She was followed online all through the trip. 3. It was the most difficult for Aston when. A. the temperatures fell below5 degreesB. her two lighters failed to work in mountainsC. there was no champagne on New Years EveD. her trip across Antarctica was coming to an end4. Aston feelsabout the ending of her trip. A. depressed and sorryB. amazed but sadC. excited and proudD. tired but cheerfulBDeath Valley, one of Americas great national parks, is a place of strange and silent beauty. As beautiful as this place is, its name provides evidence of very real danger. Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than 3, 000 meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be 86 meters below the level of the ocean. Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley. The air temperature during the summer has been as high as 57. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as 74. The extreme heat of Death Valley has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful. Death Valley is a good example of the violence of nature. It contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide. In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black. Other areas of rock look as if some huge creature violently broke and twisted the Earth to create unusual, sometimes frightening shapes. In other parts of Death Valley there are lines in the rock that show clearly that this area was deep under an ocean for many thousands of years. Much of the Valley is flat and extremely dry. In fact, scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States. Death Valley, part of the Great Mojave Desert, is a huge place. It extends more than 225 kilometers across the southern part of California, and across the border with Nevada. 5. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. The water in Badwater is 86 meters below the level of the ocean. B. The highest air temperature of Death Valley in summer can reach as high as 74. C. The ground has been pushed up violently by explosions of volcanoes. D. Th