书名：The Coldest Place On Earth《世界上最冷的地方 》
作者：Tim Vicary 蒂姆·维卡里
简介：
当今，南极有一座房子，叫阿蒙森—斯科特南极站。室内暖融融的，无论夏冬，人们都可以在那儿生活、工作。飞机毫不费力地便能飞抵或是飞离南极站。从这儿到世界其它地方，要不了多少小时。但是从南极站出来走上500米，那儿的南极洲便再次成为地球上最寒冷、最空旷的地区。
在1911年，当时的南极既没见过飞机也没建有住房。除了茫茫大雪、冰封天地与凛凛寒风外，一无所有。没有英国国旗，没有挪威国旗。但是，有几个人缓慢地向南走着，横穿冰封大地。斯科特率领的人配备了小马，而阿蒙森率领的人配备了狗与滑雪板。当时的温度为－30℃或者更糟。这些人忍受着疲倦、饥饿和寒冷……他们中谁将是到达南极的第一人呢？
目前，在阿蒙森—斯科特南极站内，墙上写着一些字，是斯科特队长于1912年写在日记里的一句话：
“天啊，这地方太可怕了！”
本文的作者蒂姆·维卡里是经验丰富的教师和作家。他现今在英国北部的约克生活工作。
Chapter 1 Two Ships
比赛开始于1910年夏天。
On June lst, in London, a black ship, the Terra Nova, went down the river Thames to the sea. Thousands of people stood by the river to watch it. They were all excited and happy.
6月1日，伦敦。特若•诺瓦号这艘黑船顺泰晤士河而下，向大海驶去。成千上万的人伫立岸边观望，所有的人脸上都露出兴奋与幸福。
On the Terra Nova, Captain Robert Falcon Scott smiled quietly. It was a very important day for him. He was a strong man, not very tall, in the blue clothes of a captain. He was forty-one years old, but he had a young face, like a boy. His eyes were dark and quiet.
特若•诺瓦号上，队长罗伯特•福尔康•斯科特无声地笑了。这一天对他来说太重要了。他个头不高，但长得壮实，穿着蓝色的队长制服。他虽说已经41岁，但是由于长着一张娃娃脸，所以看上去仍像个小孩。他双眼乌黑而又沉静。
One man on the ship, Titus Oates, smiled at Scott.
泰特斯•奥茨，船上的一位水手，冲着队长笑了。
'What an exciting day, Captain!' he said. 'Look at those people! I feel like an important man!'
“多么令人兴奋的日子啊，队长！”他说，“看看这些人！我觉得自己好似成为重要人物了！”
Scott laughed. 'You are important, Titus, 'he said. 'And you're going to be famous, too. We all are. Do you see this flag？'He looked at the big British flag at the back of the ship, and smiled at Oates. 'That flag is coming with us, 'he said.
队长朗声笑了。“泰特斯，你的确是重要人物，”他说，“而且你很快就要名扬天下，就同我们大家一样。你看到这国旗了吗？”他注视着船尾那面巨幅的英国国旗，微笑着对奥茨说：“那面国旗将会随我们一道去。
'In the Antarctic, I'm going to carry it under my clothes. We're going to be the first men at the South Pole, and that flag is going to be first, too!'
在南极洲，我将把它夹在衣服里面带着。我们将成为首批到达南极的人，那面国旗也将是第一面到达南极的旗帜。”
* * * * * * * * * *
Five days later, on June 6th, a man opened the door of his wooden house in Norway. He was a tall man, with a long face. He waited outside the house for a minute. Everything was very quiet. He could see no houses, only mountains, trees, and water. It was nearly dark. The sky was black over the mountains.
5天以后，6月6日。在挪威，一个人拉开了自己的木房子的门。这人高个、长脸。他在室外稍候片刻，四周万籁俱寂。他目光所及之处，没有住房，只有群山、树林和大海。天近傍晚，群山上面是黑沉沉的一片天空。
The man smiled, and walked quickly away from the house, down to the sea. In the water, a big wooden ship waited for him. The man got onto the ship, and talked and laughed quietly with his friends.
这人脸上露出微笑，快步离开木屋，朝海边走去。大海中，一艘大型木船正等着他。他来到船上，与朋友们聊着，悄悄地笑着。
The ship's name was Fram, and the man was Roald Amundsen. The Fram was the most beautiful ship on earth, Amundsen thought. His friends were the best skiers on earth, too. One of them, Olav Bjaaland, smiled at him.
这船叫弗雷门号，这人便是罗阿尔•阿蒙森。阿蒙森认为，弗雷门号是地球上最美丽的一艘船。他的朋友是地球上最优秀的滑雪者。其中有位朋友叫奥拉夫•比阿兰德，正冲着他微笑。
'North Pole, here we come, Captain, 'he said.
“北极，我们去那儿，队长。”他说。
'Yes.' Amundsen said. His friends could not see his face in the dark. 'Fram is going to the Arctic.'
“是的，”阿蒙森说。由于天色已黑，这位朋友看不见他的面部表情。“弗雷门号正驶向北极。”
Everyone on the Fram was ready to go to the North Pole, to the Arctic. Amundsen wanted to go there, too. But first he wanted to go south. His friends didn't know that.
弗雷门号上的每个人全都准备就绪：到北极圈，上北极。阿蒙森也想去那儿。然而他第一想做的事，便是向南航行。他的朋友却毫不知情。
At midnight on June 6th, the Fram moved quietly away from Amundsen's house, out to sea.
6月6日午夜，弗雷门号无声地驶离阿蒙森的家园，驶向大海。
【词组学习】
1.for a minute
一会儿
例：Could I borrow your pen for a minute?
我可以借用你的笔一会儿吗？
