Name: ______________________________ Period: ______ Date: ______
Article of the Week
Directions: Read the following article carefully and annotate. You need to include at least 1 annotation
per paragraph. Be sure to include all of the following in your total annotations.
Annotation = Marking the Text + A Note of Explanation
1. Great Idea or Point – Write why you think it is a good idea or point – !
2. Confusing Point or Idea – Write a question to ask that might help you understand – ?
3. Unknown Word or Phrase – Circle the unknown word or phrase, then write what you think it might mean
based on context clues or your word knowledge –
4. A Question You Have – Write a question you have about something in the text – ??
5. Summary – In a few sentences, write a summary of the paragraph, section, or passage – #
The North faces a Titanic challenge as melting ice lures
more luxury liners By Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff 04.11.16
Picture and Caption
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Paragraph #1
One of the liners from Crystal cruises travels through the Arctic. Photo: PR
Para #1 On April 13, Coast Guard officials from the United
States and Canada will train for a mass rescue from a luxury
liner on its first voyage. The ship will pass through the remote
and deathly cold waters between the Northwest Passage and
the Bering Strait. The Bering Strait flows between Alaska and
Russia. The risk of such a disaster happening is becoming
all too real.
Melting Ice, Mounting Risks
Para #2 Shipping traffic through the Arctic is on the rise due to
climate change and the loss of sea ice. The risk of oil spills and
pollution has also increased. The native communities who make
their living on the ice are afraid of the high volume of ships.
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Paragraph #2
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Para #3 It is into these dangerous waters that the large luxury
cruise ship Crystal Serenity will set sail next August. The cruise
ship will depart from Seward, Alaska. It will sail through the
Bering Strait and Northwest Passage, before it docks in
New York City 32 days later.
Paragraph #3
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Para #4 The higher-volume traffic in the Arctic has attracted the
attention of the Coast Guard, government officials and local
communities. They are all trying keep up with and navigate an
Arctic without year-round ice.
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An Accident "Would Be Very, Very Bad"
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Para #5 “If something were to go wrong it would be very,
very bad,” said Richard Beneville, the mayor of the coastal town
of Nome, which the Crystal is due to visit. He points out that the
ship holds many more people than normal.
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Para #6 Scientists expect the Arctic will be almost entirely ice
free in the summer within 25 years. This makes profitable new
year-round shipping routes.
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Para #7 “The United States should be getting prepared by
building infrastructure in the north,” said Robert Papp, a former
Coast Guard admiral and the State Department’s expert on the
Arctic. He went on to say that he has been concerned for years
because of the oil companies and individual adventurers sailing
in the Arctic.
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Practicing A Difficult Rescue
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Para #8 The April 13 informal planning exercise will walk Crystal
operators and rescue officials through rescuing hundreds of
passengers. They may be up to 1,000 miles from the nearest
Coast Guard base.
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Para #9 Communications in the Arctic are difficult. Cellphone
reception is patchy, and there are no roads. Most of the towns
along the Crystal’s route are tiny. The hospitals do not have
space.
Paragraph #9
Para #10 According to Paul Garcia, a company spokesman, the
Crystal will sail with an icebreaking escort vessel carrying two
helicopters. Many experts will be aboard to ensure passengers’
safety and to protect the environment.
Paragraph #10
"Tourism Is Good"
Paragraph #11
Para #11 The cruise represents the economic opportunities of
an ice-free Arctic summer to many coastal towns. Nome, which
saw just 35 dockings in the 1990s, had more than 730 last year.
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Para #12 “I think tourism is good for Nome,” Beneville, the
town’s mayor, said. “In tourism there is a saying: ‘if people can
get there, they will go’, and that is becoming possible.” He
went on: “There is a lot at stake here. We want Nome to be a
strategic point in the north.”
Para #13 The Coast Guard and local communities are
concerned that the Arctic is not ready for the rise in Bering
Strait traffic. Last year, the Coast Guard recorded more than
double the number of crossings from 2008. The vessels
include industry ships and independent tourists.
Oil Spills, Pollution, Waste
Para #14 Commander Mark Wilcox, the Arctic planner for the
U.S. Coast Guard, points out that the distance makes it difficult
to ensure safe passage through the Arctic. He describes the
increased interest of adventure tourists. The more human
activity, the higher risk of accidents.
Para #15 In addition to emergencies, local people said they
were afraid of oil spills, pollution and waste. Seals and
seabirds have been found covered in oil. Government wildlife
biologists began recording illnesses killing off seals and birds.
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Para #16 The loss of ice is also changing the lives of Native
Alaskan communities, who use the ice for fishing, hunting, and
transportation. The winter ice could no longer be trusted,
according to local people.
Will Change Be For The Best?
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Paragraph #16
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Para #17 Anahma Shannon works with Kawerak, a service
organization for Native Alaskans in the Bering coastal region.
He mentioned many people who have fallen through thin ice
in the past five years.
Para #18 Usually in winter walrus hunters can use the ice to
approach their prey on land. Hunting from small boats is much
riskier. But this year the ice was thin and drifting away from
shore. “This year may be the first year in recent history that
we haven’t had the outside ice,” Shannon said.
Para #19 The season’s thin ice was also hurting fisheries,
squeezing fishermen into smaller areas and shallower waters,
said Adem Boeckmann, a commercial fisherman. “We are not
making money we are just making ends meet.”
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Paragraph #19
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Can Native Culture Survive?
Para #20 While the loss of ice could bring big tourist money to
places like Nome, the retreating ice is also taking away the
Native Alaskan income and way of life.
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Paragraph #21
Para #21 A flood of visitors only adds to the fear of losing their
livelihoods and their culture, said Austin Ahmasuk, who runs
Kawerak’s marine program.
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Para #22 “We can draw these very clear parallels from the past
for the possibility of the destruction of our culture,” he said.
“Let’s just say we suspect that maybe not the most holistic way
of approaching development will occur.”
Paragraph #22
TURN TO BACK PAGE FOR QUESTIONS
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Quiz
Standard 3: People, Events, & Ideas
1. According to the article, why is the number of ships crossing the Arctic likely to keep growing?
1. The warming climate is expected to continue to melt sea ice there.
2. Wildlife biologists want to study the impact of a warming climate on Arctic animals.
3. Improved rescue operations will make the area risk-free for tourists.
4. Shipping becomes more profitable as the shipping lanes clear of ice.
A)
B)
C)
D)
Both 1 and 2
Both 2 and 3
Both 3 and 4
Both 1 and 4
Standard 3: People, Events, & Ideas
2. What is a problem that Native Alaskans believe could result from cruise ship tourism?
A) Melting ice will prevent them from leaving their communities.
B) They will have more difficulty traveling because of other ships.
C) Oil spills will hurt the animals they hunt for food
D) Their way of life and culture will change with too many visitors.
Standard 4: Word Meaning & Choice
3. Read this sentence from the section "Melting Ice, Mounting Risks."
Shipping traffic through the Arctic is on the rise due to climate change and the loss of sea ice. The risk of
oil spills and pollution has also increased. The native communities who make their living on the ice are
afraid of the high volume of ships.
What does "high volume of ships" mean in the last sentence above?
A) There are many ships in the water
B) The ships make a lot of noise
C) There are many people on the ships
D) The ships are creating major risks
Standard 4: Word Meaning & Choice
4. Read the first paragraph from the section "Can Native Culture Survive?"
While the loss of ice could bring big tourist money to places like Nome, the retreating ice is also taking
away the Native Alaskan income and way of life.
Which word could replace "retreating" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?
A) sliding
B) freezing
C) thickening
D) shrinking