First listen and then answer the question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
How was the plane able to clear the mountains?
英式发音：
美式发音：
In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E. Byrd, successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, they soon 5 ran into serious trouble. At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet. Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. The plane was then able to rise and it cleared themountains by 400 feet. Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles 10 away, for there were no more mountains in sight. The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
pole(title)/pəul/n. (地球的)极
seem (1.5)/si:m/v.似乎，好像
flight(1.1)/'flait/n.飞行
crash(1.6)/krɔʃ/v. 坠毁
explore (1.2)/ik'splɔ::rə/n. 探险家
sack(1.8)/sæk/n. 袋子
lie(1.4)/lai/(lay/lei/,lain/lein/) v. 处于
clear (1.8)/kliə/v.越过
aircraft (1.10)/'eəkra:ft/n.飞机
serious(1.5)/'siəriəs/adj.严重的
endless(1.10)/'endləs/adj.无尽的
point(1.5)/pɔint/n.地点
plain (1.10)/plein/n.平原
Notes on the text 课文注释
1 the North Pole，北极；the South Pole，南极。
2 a great many photographs，大量照片。
3 they soon ran into serious trouble，他们很快陷入了困境。 run into trouble 是“遇到麻烦”的意思。
4 at one point，在某一地方。
5 it seemed certain，看起来肯定。
6 get over the mountains，越过山头。
7 it cleared the mountains by 400 feet，飞机在离山头400英尺的高度飞越了过去。 by表示“相差”的意思。
参考译文
美国探险家R·E·伯德在飞越北极3年之后，于1929年第一次飞越了南极。虽然开始时伯德和他的助手们拍下了飞机下面连绵群山的大量照片，但他们很快就陷入了困境。在有个地方，飞机似乎肯定要坠毁了。只有在飞至10，000英尺的高度时，它才能飞过这些山头。伯德马上命令他的助手们把两个沉重的食物袋扔掉，于是飞机可以上升了，它在离山头400英尺的高度飞越了过去。伯德这时知道他能够顺利飞抵300英里以外的南极了，因为前面再没有山了。飞机可以毫无困难地飞过这片茫茫无际的白色原野！
