[研究生入学考试题库]考研英语(一)阅读理解分类模拟题94.docxVIP

[研究生入学考试题库]考研英语(一)阅读理解分类模拟题94 Reading ComprehensionPart AText 1 It is not quite Benidorm yet, but Antarctica has become an increasingly popular destination for the more adventurous tourist. In this years southern-hemisphere summer season, running from November to March, as many as 39,000 visitors are expected to make the trip from Tierra del Fuego, the nearest jumping-off point to the worlds emptiest continent. That amounts to a fourfold increase in a decade. Officials in both Chile and Argentina are getting increasingly worried about the risk of a fatal accident-a new Titanic as one Chilean naval officer puts it.  Nobody has died so far, but there have been some near-collisions. In 2007 more than 150 people were evacuated when their ship, the Explorer, sank after hitting an iceberg near the South Shetland Islands. They were very lucky with the weather, says Chiles deputy minister for the navy, Carolina Echeverria. That was one of only two accidents last season, with a similar number the previous year and one so far this season.  Help is usually not far away. Although cruise ships plan their route so as to keep out of each others sight, there are generally 20 to 30 boats heading to or from the Antarctic Peninsula on any one day. Even so, surviving an accident is something of a lottery. It depends partly on the weather. Not all the ships have the covered lifeboats recommended for polar conditions. Small boats, like the Explorer, have a better chance of being able to transfer their passengers if they get into difficulties. But some cruise ships visiting Antarctica now carry almost 3,000 passengers-more than ten times the limit that offers a reasonable chance of timely rescue. according to Chiles navy.  The navy is annoyed about the cost of patrols, rescue operations and cleaning up fuel spills. It wants legally binding rules, backed by penalties, for Antarctic cruise ships. But that is hard to achieve. Under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty no country