This summer we witnessed interview teams at the North Pole wearing short sleeve shirts due to the warm weather. A study published on Aug 29 revealed more concerning issues in the supposedly coldest area of the world. Zombie ice from a massive Greenland ice sheet was confirmed to be melting, which would eventually raise global sea levels by at least 10 inches (27 centimeters) on its own, reported Associated Press (AP).

Zombie ice is the kind of ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice, but is no longer getting fed by larger glaciers. Since glaciers are getting less snow to make up for the amount of ice melted, once the zombie ice is melted, it cannot be re-formed.

Scientists decided to look at the balance of the ice. In perfect equilibrium (平衡),snow in the mountains of Greenland flows down and thickens the sides of glaciers, balancing out what’s melting on the edges, according to AP. But in the last few decades, there is less refill and more melting, creating an imbalance.

Study co-author William Colgan at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland told AP that 3. 3 percent of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt eventually. “Starving would be a good phrase” for what’s happening to the ice, Colgan added.

With a great number of natural resources buried under the earth, areas of melted ice revealed treasures that attracted the world’s richest men. According to CNN, in early August, there was a “treasure hunt” in Greenland. Billionaires, including Bill Gates and others, financially backed KoBold Metals, a US-based mineral exploration company, to explore the rare metals under the glaciers in Greenland. The company told CNN that since there were enough minerals to power hundreds of millions of electric vehicles, the critical resource is capable of powering the green energy transition (过渡).

While investors are taking advantage of global warming, experts express their concerns that the mineral exploration is likely to worsen the local environment, running out of the world’s resources at a faster rate.

【小题1】What do we know about zombie ice?

A．It’s made up by nearby glaciers.	B．It will melt away from the ice cap.
C．It’s independent from large glaciers.	D．It has increased sea levels by 10 inches.

【小题2】What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．How zombie ice was formed in the past.	B．Why more zombie ice can’t be created.
C．What the melting of zombie ice can lead to.	D．How zombie ice functions in the ecosystem.

【小题3】What’s the experts’ attitude toward the “treasure hunt” in Greenland?

A．Supportive.

B．Tolerant

C．Indifferent.

D．Worried.

【小题4】What’s the main purpose of the article?

A．To report on the melting zombie ice.	B．To explain a natural phenomenon.
C．To call for environmental protection.	D．To comment on the “treasure hunt”.