People often think of the North Pole(北极) and the South Pole as similar frozen(冻硬的) wastelands. They are both places with very cold 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 32℉, at which water turns into ice. Most of the time, it stays below zero. In winter temperatures are usually as low as -30℉.

Although conditions were very poor, people tried for many centuries to reach the North Pole. About 100 years ago, two men, Robert Peary and Mathew Henson, were able to get to this environment full of troubles and difficulties. They reached the North Pole on April 6th, 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 cold 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 in 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.

There are different types of maps. Let’s have a look at their uses, and you will get more knowledge.

Tourist maps, for example, have signs to show places of interest in an area. When tourists read these maps, it is easy for them to find where to go and what to see in a place, and it is easy for them to find their ways to these places.

Road maps show large areas so that people can plan long routes. Different roads have different numbers. For example, if you want to go to Wood Green, you just follow the No. 621 Road and keep looking at the road signs.

Distribution maps use different colors or signs to show facts about an area. For example, in this map, you can see where the four kinds of agricultural products (农产品) are grown in Lake-side and how big each area is.

Some maps like railway maps use straight lines to show everything. This is easy for people to read. Trains are fast. People just need to know main places they go past.

As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is the way the charity organization Heifer International（母牛慈善组织）wants to end world hunger.

It began in the 1930s when an American farmer, Dan West, went to Spain to help people in need. He tried to feed the people with milk. But it seemed that there would never be enough milk. It made him think that what they needed was “not a cup, but a cow”.

Dan West returned to America. He worked together with some friends to find ways to end hunger. He believed giving animals and providing training would stop world hunger. With his help, Heifer International was set up.

On Heifer International’s website, you will see a list of animals like cows, chickens, pigs and even fish and bees. You can offer help by buying some animals for one certain family. Those animals will have babies. With more and more animals, these families will be able to support themselves. Once these families get better lives, they will pass on the act of kindness to others.

The programs also help small-sized farms. As a rule, each farmer must give his animal’s first female（雌性）baby to another in need. Heifer International also provides training on animals’ health and feeding. And all these farmers agree to teach others what they have learned as another rule.

However, there is still a long way to go. The organization wants the farmers to go on working together, helping each other and learning from each other. Maybe hunger can really be stopped.