有关于北极概况的英文介绍

Climate change has led to a rapid melting of permanent ice in the Arctic. According to the latest research， in September 2011， the total area covered by ice in the Arctic Ocean had decreased by 40 percent compared to 1979. Based on calculations by scientists， the ice in the Arctic Ocean is estimated to disappear completely by the middle of this century. This means the once ice-covered area will change into a sea where ships can come and go freely without icebreakers.This revelation tells the economic value of the North Pole. New navigation routes linking East Asia， Europe and North America will be opened， allowing for quick routes for maritime transport linking the three regions.According to the exploration and evaluation conducted during the United States Geological Survey in 2008， the North Pole has 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered natural gas and 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil. All these resources are concentrated in the offshore continental shelf region and suitable for exploration.Scientists are worried that a melting North Pole will bring a series of disastrous effects to the Earth. In the global climate system， the North Pole and the South Pole are the two switches that control the ocean currents and the atmosphere. Once destroyed， disasters beyond imagination will occur. Therefore， how to explore the North Pole？ How to protect it？ How to distribute the resources？ All these questions make the North Pole a question beyond a regional affair and a matter of international concern.Salary Increase For Public Servants Beijing Youth Daily January 21In the latest session of Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress， some deputies from Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， called for a salary raise for public servants. They claimed public servants are paid less than enterprise employees.The comparison is too simple to be credible. In the business sector， employees’ salaries are decided by the market. If the market goes into recession， the pay of enterprise employees will fall. But salaries for public servants are paid by governments， which are steadier than industries.People think public servants are well paid and have opportunities to receive “grey income.” In fact， this is a misunderstanding. The salaries of most public servants are meager. Despite low pay， public servants have better welfare， such as insurance and pensions. Public servants don’t need to pay endowment insurance. Moreover， after retirement their pension payments are higher than other people， and governments manage to offer officials houses. With the skyrocketing housing prices in China， this is a major form of welfare. That is why so many young graduates rush to become public servants every year.来源：Beijing Review