國中英語基測出現過 thick 的考題。

Kivalina, an island village in Alaska, USA, is known by only a few people. It cannot be found on most maps of Alaska because it is only 10 km2 . This small Arctic village is home to 400 Inuit people*. However, their home will become uninhabitable because the island could be covered by the Chukchi Sea by 2025. These Inuit people will have to leave their home.

But life now is already difficult. Over the past twenty years, winters have become warmer, the Arctic ice has kept melting, and the sea has been rising. These changes have made it harder to live by hunting and fishing than before. What’s worse, there is no Arctic ice thick enough to keep them safe from terrible wind and rain.

These Inuit people think it is the oil and power companies in Alaska that have brought all these troubles, but they are the ones who are paying the price. It would cost hundreds of millions to move their village, and they have no idea where to get the money. Groups like ReLocate are working together with the Inuit people to save Kivalina, but nobody is sure if their hard work will come to anything. All the Inuit people can do now is to pray the rising sea will not cover their home too soon.

* The Inuit people are a group of people who live in the Arctic.

melt 融化
hunt 打獵
company 公司
1.
What can we learn about Kivalina?
It has given up its chance to rise.
It is waiting to shine.
It is fighting for one last hope.
It has become history.
2.
What does it mean when we say a place is uninhabitable?
It cannot be bought.
It cannot be lived in.
It is not big.
It is not popular.
3.
What does the writer think about the Inuit people in Kivalina?
There are better ways than to move their village to somewhere else.
They should make the oil and power companies fix their problems.
Their way of living has been hurting the earth.
They might not be able to get enough money to move their village.
4.
What does the reading say about the Arctic ice?
The melting Arctic ice kills about 400 Inuit people each year.
The Arctic ice helped the Inuit people in Kivalina during bad weather.
The Arctic ice covered 10 km2 of Kivalina.
The melting Arctic ice has given the Inuit people enough water to use.