An exhibition of vivid photographs and a restored documentary give fresh insight into the Antarctic explorer, who died a century ago.

One hundred years ago, the leader of the last great expedition of the heroic age of polar exploration died from a heart attack as his ship, Quest, headed for Antarctica. The announcement of the death of Ernest Shackleton on 30 January 1922 was greeted with an outpouring of national grief.

This was the man, after all, who had saved the entire crew of his ship Endurance — which had been crushed and sunk by ice in 1915 — by making a daring trip in a tiny open boat over 750 miles of polar sea to raise the alarm at a whaling station in South Georgia.

It remains one of the greatest rescue stories of modern history and led to the idolising of Shackleton in the United Kingdom, a reputation that survived undamaged for the rest of the century. As his contemporary Raymond Priestley, the geologist and Antarctic explorer, later put it: “When disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

And here and now in 2022, his death is being marked with an elaborately illustrated exhibition — Shackleton’s legacy and the power of early Antarctic photography — which opens at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), and which includes a range of images and artefacts from his expeditions. Additionally, a digitally remade version of South, a documentary film of Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition, is being screened at the British Film Institute.

The film and most of the exhibition’s finest images are the handiwork of Frank Hurley, who sailed with Shackleton and who was one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers and film-makers. Both film and exhibition feature striking camera work and provide vivid accounts of the hardships that Shackleton and his men endured as they headed off to explore Antarctica.

Even after he survived the great expedition, he still longed for another trip to Antarctica, and after long negotiations set sail in Quest, from England, with the aim of circumnavigating (环航) Antarctica, Shackleton was by now very ill and had suffered at least one heart attack. On 2 January 1922, he wrote in his diary: “I grow old and tired but must always lead on.” Three days later he had a major heart attack and died a few hours later. He is buried on South Georgia, scene of his greatest triumph.

“Shackleton was an inspirational leader. He had an innate sense of what was possible and achievable. He also had a huge personality but led by example. At the same time, he was sensitive to the needs of the individuals he was leading. For example, after Endurance broke up, his men had lost their protection and shelter. Their social fabric had been destroyed. There would have been disagreement. Yet Shackleton succeeded in keeping them together and made sure they survived.”

【小题1】People were overcome with grief when Ernest Shackleton died because          .

A．it was a huge pity that such a brave explorer should have died from a heart attack

B．he was the man that wrote about one of the greatest rescue stories of modern history

C．he came to his entire crew’s rescue and symbolised hope in extreme circumstances

D．there was no one to pray to anymore when disaster came and there was no hope

【小题2】What can we learn about the exhibition?

A．It presents Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition with powerful Antarctic photos.

B．It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton’s birth.

C．It consists of vivid photographs, artefacts, and documentaries of Ernest Shackleton.

D．It is created by Frank Hurley, who witnessed Shackleton’s heroic acts with his own eyes.

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT true about Ernest Shackleton according to the passage?

A．He was the leader of a heroic exploration to the South pole, who died from a heart attack off shore.

B．He saved the crew members of the sunken Endurance by travelling to raise the alarm in a tiny boat.

C．He is universally recognised as the greatest Antarctic explorer who has enjoyed enduring fame.

D．He was inspirational, practical, responsible, sensitive towards his men, but had a strong character.

【小题4】What does “Their social fabric had been destroyed. ” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A．What they wore would not be accepted by others upon returning.

B．They could no longer socialise with others even if they went back.

C．The ship could not keep them together even if they survived.

D．They could not function socially as they had when there was shelter.