新西兰英语 550 Antarctic exhibition in London

 　　First listen to the previous item: Journey to the South Pole.

　　Tomorrow an exhibition called Scott’s Last Expedition opens in London, in the Museum of Natural History. Captain Scott and the four men who went to the South Pole with him, died on their return to the camp. However, there were 65 men in his team on the Terra Nova. They were scientists and a photographer, Herbert Ponting. Scott’s team arrived in Antarctica in January 1911 and spent two years there. Some of that time was preparing for Scott’s journey to the South Pole and waiting for Scott to return but they also did a lot of scientific work.

　　When the survivors² returned on the Terra Nova to England in 1913, they carried 40,000 specimens⁴, for example rocks and skeletons⁵ of fish, birds and seals. Some of the rocks contained fossils⁶.

　　The exhibition shows some of these specimens. It also displays some of the scientific instruments they used 100 years ago, some diaries and Pontings’ photographs. There is a model of the hut where the 65 men slept. The exhibition shows their daily life – what they ate, what they wore, how they slept and the work they did.

　　Some of the displays come from the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch which has two rooms showing Antarctic¹ explorers. Scott’s Last Expedition started in Sydney last June, then moved to London and finally will come to Christchurch in November.

　　Listen to August 20th 2010 to hear about Ponting’s photographs.

　　Vocabulary

　　exhibition – a public display in a museum or art gallery

　　expedition – an organized journey to explore

　　survivors – people who did not die

　　specimen³ – single plant or animal which is an example of the whole plant or animal

　　instruments – equipment, tools used in science

　　explorers – people who travel to a new place to discover something about that place

　　Pronunciation

　　Note ‘photographer’ – stress is on the second syllable⁷ (also ‘photography’) whereas⁸ ‘photograph’ the stress is on the first syllable.

　　There are four words beginning in ‘ex’ which are quite difficult to say. Practise your pronunciation of these words: exhibition, expedition, example, explorer

1 Antarctic   

adj.南极(区)的；n.(the A-)南极洲，南极圈

参考例句：

• The Antarctic is a mountainous area.南极洲是一个多山的地区。
• It is well known that penguins live in the Antarctic.企鹅生活在南极洲是众所周知的。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

4 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 skeletons   

n.（建筑物等的）骨架( skeleton的名词复数 )；骨骼；梗概；骨瘦如柴的人（或动物）

参考例句：

• Only skeletons of buildings remained. 只剩下了建筑物的框架。 来自辞典例句
• It looks like six skeletons in front of that stone door! 在这石头门前看上去就象有六副骨骼！ 来自辞典例句

6 fossils   

n.化石( fossil的名词复数 )；老顽固；食古不化的人；老古董（老人）

参考例句：

• fossils over two million years old 两百多万年的化石
• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley. 在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

8 whereas   

conj.而，却，反之

参考例句：

• They want a house,whereas we would rather live in a flat.他们想要一座房子，而我们宁愿住在一套房间里。
• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。