Antarctica （南极洲） is at the southern end of the Earth． It is the coldest， driest and windiest place on our planet． What would it be like to live and work there？

    On Oct 15， 50 Chinese researchers took a ship named Xuelong 2 from Shenzhen to Antarctica． Xuelong 2 is the first icebreaker （破冰船） made in China． It took two years to build Xuelong 2． It is reported that Xuelong 2 is one of the world's best research icebreakers．

    Chinese researchers have been to Antarctica 35 times． Because of its unusual environment， researchers from around the world have been going there to do study （研究） for many years． Some studies can only be done in Antarctica． For example， there is little air pollution there． This makes it easier for scientists to study the weather， atmosphere （大气） and stars．

    The study of Antarctica's geology （地质） is also important． Rocks in Antarctica can tell us what the weather was like long time ago， and help us understand how the Earth has changed over time． There are also many wild animals， such as penguins （企鹅），seals （海豹） and birds． Scientists can learn how animals live in cold places by studying them．

    Xie Zhouqing is a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China． He was part of China's 15th research trip to Antarctica． He said， "Life in Antarctica is not easy．It is tiring and sometimes dangerous， but it is still quite fun．" He also said，"I studied how penguins walk， what they eat， and why they move from one place to another． I was excited to see the cute animals playing around． I hope my studies can help protect them．"

（1）What can we know from the first three paragraphs？　　

A． Antarctica is at the northern end of the Earth．

B． There is plenty of air pollution in Antarctica．

C． Xuelong 2 is the first icebreaker made in China．

D． Chinese scientists have been to Antarctica 45 times．

（2）What does the underlined word "it" mean in the fifth paragraph？　　

A． Life in Antarctica．

B． Rocks in Antarctica．

C． Fun in Antarctica．

D． Danger in Antarctica．

（3）What can we infer （推断） from the passage？　　

A． The weather in Antarctica hasn't changed over time．

B． Xie Zhouqing mainly studied geology in Antarctica．

C． Chinese researchers have done many studies in Antarctica．

D． The study in Antarctica can't help protect penguins and seals．

（4）Where does the passage probably come from？　　

A． A storybook．

B． A cooking guide．

C． A film review．

D． A science magazine．