READING 18 : "Endurance: Shackleton's lost ship is found in Antarctic"

Endurance: Shackleton's lost ship is found in Antarctic

 

 

Scientists have found and filmed one of the greatest ever undiscovered shipwrecks 107 years after it sank.

 

The Endurance, the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was found at the weekend at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. The ship was crushed by sea-ice and sank in 1915, forcing Shackleton and his men to make an astonishing escape on foot and in small boats. Video of the remains show Endurance to be in remarkable condition.

Even though it has been sitting in 3km (10,000ft) of water for over a century, it looks just like it did on the November day it went down. Its timbers, although disrupted, are still very much together, and the name - Endurance - is clearly visible on the stern. "Without any exaggeration this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far," said marine archaeologist Mensun Bound, who is on the discovery expedition and has now fulfilled a dream ambition in his near 50-year career. "It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation," he told BBC News. The project to find the lost ship was mounted by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT), using a South African icebreaker, Agulhas II, and equipped with remotely operated submersibles. The mission's leader, the veteran polar geographer Dr John Shears, described the moment cameras landed on the ship's name as "jaw-dropping". "The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement," he added. "We have successfully completed the world's most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C. We have achieved what many people said was impossible."

Where was the ship found?

Endurance was spotted in the Weddell Sea at a depth of 3,008m. For over two weeks, the subs had combed a predefined search area, investigating various interesting targets, before finally uncovering the wreck site on Saturday - the 100th anniversary of Shackleton's funeral. The days since the discovery have been spent making a detailed photographic record of the timbers and surrounding debris field.

The wreck itself is a designated monument under the international Antarctic Treaty and must not be disturbed in any way. No physical artefacts have therefore been brought to the surface.

What could the subs see?

The ship looks much the same as when photographed for the last time by Shackleton's filmmaker, Frank Hurley, in 1915. The masts are down, the rigging is in a tangle, but the hull is broadly coherent. Some damage is evident at the bow, presumably where the descending ship hit the seabed. The anchors are present. The subs even spied some boots and crockery. "You can even see the ship's name - E N D U R A N C E - arced across its stern directly below the taffrail (a hand rail near the stern). And beneath, as bold as brass, is Polaris, the five-pointed star, after which the ship was originally named," said Mensun Bound. "I tell you, you would have to be made of stone not to feel a bit squishy at the sight of that star and the name above," he added. "You can see a porthole that is Shackleton's cabin. At that moment, you really do feel the breath of the great man upon the back of your neck."

 

LIST OF VOCABULARY

NO	ENGLISH	INDONESIA
1.	Astonishing	Mengherankan
2.	Disrupted	Terganggu
3.	Exaggeration	berlebihan
4.	Shipwreck	Kecelakaan kapal
5.	Fulfilled	Terpenuhi
6.	Seabed	Dasar laut
7.	Submersibles	kapal selam
8.	Predefined	ditentukan sebelumnya
9.	Funeral	Pemakaman
10.	Debris	Puing
11.	Artefacts	Artefak
12.	Masts	tiang
13.	Porthole	Jendela kapal
14.	rigging	laberang
15.	Tangle	Menjerat
16.	Crockery	Balapecah
17.	Beneath	Di bawah
18.	Squishy	licin

 

 

 

 

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READING 17 : "Australia to declare east coast floods national emergency"

Australia to declare east coast floods national emergency

Australia will declare devastating floods along its east coast a national emergency on Wednesday, local media reported, after weeks of rains left authorities struggling to rush food and essential supplies to the worst-hit areas. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on a visit to the devastated town of Lismore in northern New South Wales state, will also pledge more financial support for people and businesses, reports said. Morrison's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

   The emergency declaration, which was set up after Australia's destructive 2019 bushfires, will give the federal government powers to cut red tape and deploy resources immediately, including more defence personnel. It comes as Morrison, trailing in polls ahead of a federal election before May, has faced criticism over the government's relief efforts in response to the floods, which have claimed 20 lives. Under Australia's federal system, individual states usually handle emergency responses to natural disasters.

   A second intense low-pressure system in as many weeks submerged large parts of Australia's east coast with southeast Queensland and New South Wales the worst hit. Most of the deaths have been in flooded homes or in cars attempting to cross flooded roads. Fast-rising floodwaters cut off entire communities and many people trapped in their homes were saved by local residents. Frustrated residents, with no access to food, power and internet for several days, have blamed authorities for the slow speed and scale of relief efforts. Meanwhile, thousands of residents in Sydney's northeast returned to their homes on Wednesday after rains eased, but major flooding continues in the city's western suburbs. "Thankfully, the rain has eased, and we'll see water levels continue to slowly recede in the coming days," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore told reporters. Australia's east coast summer has been dominated by the La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with greater rainfall, with most rivers at near capacity even before the latest drenching.

   Sydney has received nearly 900 mm (35 inches) of rain so far in 2022, or about 80% of its annual rainfall, official data showed, the wettest start to a year since records began.
Source : The Jakarta Post (Wednesday, March 9, 2022)

NO	ENGLISH	INDONESIA
1.	Declare	Deklarasi
2.	Struggling	Berjuang
3.	Devastated	Dihancurkan
4.	Depleting	Menghabiskan
5.	Pledge	Sumpah
6.	Trailing in polls	Tertinggal dalam pemilihan
7.	Frustrated	Frustasi
8.	Suburbs	Pinggiran kota
9.	Drenching	Basah kuyup
10.	Annual	Tahunan

 

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READING 16: "Plastic pollution: Green light for 'historic' treaty"

The world is set to get a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

Nearly 200 countries have agreed to start negotiations on an international agreement to take action on the "plastic crisis".

UN members are tasked with developing an over-arching framework for reducing plastic waste across the world.

There is growing concern that discarded plastic is destroying habitats, harming wildlife and contaminating the food chain.

Supporters describe the move as one of the world's most ambitious environmental actions since the 1989 Montreal Protocol, which phased out ozone-depleting substances.

They say just as climate change has the Paris Agreement, plastic should have its own binding treaty, which sets the world on course for reducing plastic waste.

Prof Steve Fletcher of the University of Portsmouth advises the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on plastics issues.

He said the plastics problem spans international borders and boundaries.

"One country can't deal with plastic pollution alone, no matter how good its policies are," he said.

"We need a global agreement to enable us to deal with the widespread challenges that plastic gives us as a society."

What does this mean?

UN member states have agreed to start international negotiations on drawing up a global plastics treaty that could set rules for production, use and disposal of plastics. The decision was made at a meeting of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi.

Dr Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, environment minister for Rwanda, which has been at the forefront of the proposals, said they were optimistic the negotiations would put in place a framework "to end plastic pollution".

Conservation charity WWF described the decision as one of the world's most ambitious environmental actions since the 1989 Montreal Protocol, which phased out ozone-depleting substances.

Addressing the full lifecycle of plastic products - production and use, as well as disposal - is key to turning off "the plastic tap", said senior policy advisor, Paula Chin.

"The next step is to make sure all signatories are ready to deliver on the promise of this ground-breaking agreement," she added.

What happens next?

World leaders have until 2024 to agree the plastic pollution treaty, including which elements will be legally binding and how the deal will be financed.

Environmental groups are calling for clear and strong global standards that incentivise nations to stick to common rules and regulations over plastics, while penalising harmful products and practices.

There will be pressure to help countries in the global south dealing with plastic problems created in the global north.

"There is debate about who pays and how do we make sure that countries in the global south have got the resources to deal with the plastic pollution crisis that they face," said Prof Fletcher.

The UK government, which supported the resolution, described the agreement as "truly historic".

"In the space of just one human lifetime, we have caused unimaginable damage to the global environment, choking every single part of the global ocean with plastic pollution," said Lord Zac Goldsmith, government minister for international environment.

"And although there is much to be done now to turn it into an ambitious and far-reaching treaty, we can now begin to close this ugly chapter”.

 

Source: bbc.com (Wednesday, 2022 March 3)

NO	ENGLISH	INDONESIA
1.	Harming	Merugikan
2.	Binding	Mengikat
3.	Forefront	Garis Terdepan
4.	Depleting	Menghabiskan
5.	Treaty	Perjanjian
6.	Penalising	Menghukum
7.	Agreement	Persetujuan
8.	Choking	Tersedak
9.	Ambitious	Ambisius
10.	Ugly	Buruk rupa

 

 

 

 

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Reading 15: "Russia-Ukraine negotiations are over, says source"

 

GOMEL REGION /Belarus/, February 28. /TASS/. The Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are over and the meeting lasted five hours, a source taking part in the talks told TASS on Monday.

"They have been concluded," the source said.

The participants in the meeting are expected to give comments for the media on the results of the negotiations.

Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading the Russian delegation. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov is leading the Ukrainian delegation along with Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Mikhail Podolyak, Head of the faction "Servant of the People" David Arakhamiya, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation in the Contact Group on settling the situation in Donbass Andrey Kostin, Ukrainian legislator Rustem Umerov and Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Tochitsky.

Medinsky said earlier that the Russian delegation was willing to negotiate with the Ukrainian side for as long as it takes to clinch agreements. He also said that the meeting was postponed several times last night, its venue was re-arranged, and as a result, the original option was selected - the Gomel Region near the Ukrainian border.

Source: TASS  (Tuesday, 1 March 2022)

LIST OF VOCABULARY

NO	ENGLISH	INDONESIA
1.	Negotiations	Negoisasi
2.	Expected	Diharapkan
3.	Postponed	Penundaan
4.	Border	Perbatasan
5.	Settling	Penyelesaian

 

 

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