Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. drill (v.) –
to use a machine or tool to make a hole
Example: The workers drill for
oil using heavy machines.
2. buried (adj.)
– hidden or covered
Example: His bed was buried under piles of clothes.
3. analogous (adj.)
– similar in some aspects
Example: Some cellphone keypads
are analogous to keyboards.
4. contamination (n.)
– act of polluting with unwanted substances
Example: Food contamination can be avoided by sealing
food in tight containers.
5. alter (v.)
– to change
Example: The operator altered the machine’s speed to increase
production.
Article
Read the text below.
After years of drilling through Antarctica’s deep
glaciers, a team from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI)
has successfully reached the surface of Lake Vostok. The body of water has
been buried underneath 13,000 feet
of ice for 20 million years.
According to John
Priscu, a microbiologist from Montana State University, the study of the lake
gives scientists a chance to discover new life forms. Scientists also predict
that the conditions in the lake are analogous
to those in the icy waters of Mars or Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Any sign of life
found in Lake Vostok could then suggest the possibility of life outside Earth.
The Lake Vostok
project started with scientists initially drilling through 6,060 square miles
of ice in 1998. However, after reaching 11,800 feet, they were forced to stop
until they could find a way to prevent water contamination. Scientists from the international community were
worried that anti-freeze chemicals used in drilling, such as kerosene, would
mix with the water. Russian scientists eventually came up with a plan to avoid
the problem.
The Russian team decided
to use a sensor that detects the presence of free water. When the sensor
alerted scientists that water was close, the drill was removed completely.
The altered pressure then caused the lake
water to rise through the hole and to quickly freeze, blocking chemicals from
flowing down into the lake.
The researchers had
been working at the Vostok station despite the start of the Antarctic winter,
wherein temperatures reach up to -80F. They will be returning to study the
frozen water samples in December 2012, when the weather is warmer and working
conditions are less dangerous.
Aside from AARI, other
teams of scientists are competing to be the first to reach the hidden glacial lakes
in Antarctica. The British Antarctic Survey is trying to uncover Lake
Ellsworth, while US scientists are involved in the Whillans Ice Stream expedition.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Why do you think scientists are eager to find
proof of life on other planets?
·
Do you believe that we can live on other
planets someday? Why or why not?
Discussion B
·
What could be the effects if scientists
continue to study unexplored places on earth?
·
Do you think these places are better left alone
to protect them from contamination? Please explain further.