People often think of the North Pole (北极) and the South Pole as similar frozen (冰冻的) wastelands. They are both places with very low temperatures and few people live there. However, the North and South Poles are not much alike as people may imagine.
The North Pole has no land, only thick ice. Temperatures seldom go above 32F, at which water turns into ice. Most of the time, it stays below zero. In winter temperatures are usually as low as -30F.
Although conditions were very poor, people tried for many centuries to reach the North Pole. Two men, Robert Peary and Matthew Henson, were able to get to this environment full of troubles and difficulties. They reached the North Pole on April6, 1909. It was really a hard trip for them.
There are few things more dangerous than crossing the Arctic (北极圈) on foot. People who stayed there may face many problems: very low temperatures, sudden storms, and even hunger. Most of the area is uninhabited. Few people can live in such a difficult place
People might think that with such low temperatures for most of the year, the ice would be thick and hard. However, this is not true in the Arctic. The movement of the ocean water under the ice may often cause many different changes on the surface. Sometimes the ice breaks into two opening lanes of water (水道) called "leads". Anyone who falls into a lead can be frozen to death in a few minutes.
