• You are going to read an article about Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer.
Some words are missing from the text.
• Your task is to write the missing words on the dotted lines (11-18) after the text.
• Use only one word in each gap.


1.ship
2.wrote
3.still
4.largest / biggest
5.to
6.allowing
7.has
8.on
9.would
10.too / very

A century ago, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen set sail for the Far North. He let his 1……………… drift slowly across the icy Arctic Ocean. In his diary, Nansen 2……………… he doubted anything could survive at this end of the Earth. So imagine his shock when he came face to face with a walrus!

People are 3…………….. amazed that animals can live in such harsh environments. But some animals are perfectly suited for a cold climate. That’s why the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—20 million acres in size—is set aside for them. Located in the northeast corner of Alaska, it’s our country’s 4………………. natural area reserved for wildlife.

The refuge’s mountains and forests are home 5……………….. minks, wildcats, and wolverines. Its plains are where caribou raise their calves. Even its seas are vital to wildlife. They provide summer passage for migrating whales. Come winter, they freeze solid, 6……………….. polar bears to roam in search of food. And seals use sea ice as a place to rest and nurse their pups.

In this frozen wilderness, little 7………….. changed since Nansen’s day. Unless you fly a plane, there are only two ways in: by boat or 8………….. foot. There are no roads, and the only trails are those left by animals. But all of that could change. Some people want to use the area to drill for oil.

Petroleum oil supplies fuel, heat, and energy for homes and businesses. Oil companies say drilling in the refuge 9…………… give people jobs. And it would allow the U.S. to depend a little less on foreign countries for oil.

But drilling would bring unwanted changes too. Homes would have to be built for workers. Soon, airports and garbage dumps would appear. So would trucks, bulldozers, and cargo planes. Before long, the Arctic would be 10…………… noisy, crowded, and polluted to be a refuge for wildlife.

Some experts claim there isn’t enough oil in Alaska to last a year. Rather than drill for oil, they suggest we use less energy. People could work at finding ways of reducing energy waste. And the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could continue its job: giving animals a home.