A rather surprising geographical feature of Antarctica is that a huge freshwater, one of the
world’s largest and deepest, lies hidden there under four kilometers of ice. Now known as Lake Vostok, this
huge body of water is located under the ice block that comprises Antarctica. The lake is able to exist in its
unfrozen state beneath this block of ice because its waters are warned by geothermal heat from the earth’s
core. This thick glacier above Lake Vostok actually insulates it from frigid temperatures (the lowest ever
recorded on Earth) on the surface.
The lake was first discovered in the 1970s while a research team was conducting an aerial
survey of the area. Radio waves from the survey equipment penetrated the ice and revealed a body of water of
indeterminate size. It was not until much more recently that data collected by satellite made scientists aware
of the tremendous size of the lake; satellite-borne radar detected an extremely flat region where the ice
remains level because it is floating on the water of the lake.
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The discovery of such a huge fresh water lake trapped under Antarctica is of interest to the
scientific community because of the potential that the lake contains ancient microbes that have survived for
thousands upon thousands of years, unaffected by factors such as nuclear fallout and elevated ultraviolet light
that have affected organism in more exposed areas. The downside of the discovery, however, lies in the
difficulty of conducting research on the lake in such a harsh climate and in the problems associated with
obtaining uncontaminated samples from the lake without actually exposing the lake to contamination.
Scientists are looking for possible way to accomplish this.
Question 43: The purpose of the passage is to __________.
A .explain how Lake Vostok was discovered
B. provide satellite data concerning Antarctica
C. discuss future plans for Lake Vostok
D. present an unexpected aspect of Antarctica’s geography
Question 44: The word “lies” in the first paragraph could be best be replaced by ______.
A. sleeps B. sits C. tells falsehoods D. inclines
Question 45: What is true of Lake Vostok?
A. It is completely frozen.
B. It is not a saltwater lake.
C. It is beneath a thick slab of ice
D. It is heated by the sun.
Question 46: Which of the following is closest in meaning to “Frigid” in the first paragraph?
A. extremely cold B. never changing C. quite harsh D. rarely recorded
Question 47: All of the following are true about the 1970 survey of Antarctica EXCEPT that it________.
A. was conducted by air
B. made use of radio waves
C. did not measure the exact size of the lake
D. was controlled by a satellite
Question 48: It can be interfered from the passage that ice would not be flat if _______.
A. there were no lake B. the lake were not so big
C. Antarctica were not so cold D. radio waves were not used
Question 49: The word “microbes” in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by which of the following?
A. pieces of dust B. trapped bubbles C. tiny organism D. rays of light
Question 50: The passage mentions which of the following as a reason for the importance of Lake Vostok to
scientists?
A. It can be studied using radio waves.
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B. It may contain uncontaminated microbes.
C. It may have elevated levels of ultraviolet light.
D. It has already been contaminated.
Question 51: The word “downside” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to_________.
A. bottom level B. negative aspect C. underside D. buried section
Question 52: The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses________.
A. further discoveries on the surface of Antarctica
B. problems with satellite-borne radar equipment
C. ways to study Lake Vostok without contaminating it
D. the harsh climate of Antarctica