First listen to the previous item: Journey to the South Pole.
Tomorrow an exhibition called Scott’s Last Expedition opens in London, in the Museum of Natural History. Captain Scott and the four men who went to the South Pole with him, died on their return to the camp. However, there were 65 men in his team on the Terra Nova. They were scientists and a photographer, Herbert Ponting. Scott’s team arrived in Antarctica in January 1911 and spent two years there. Some of that time was preparing for Scott’s journey to the South Pole and waiting for Scott to return but they also did a lot of scientific work.
When the survivors returned on the Terra Nova to England in 1913, they carried 40,000 specimens, for example rocks and skeletons of fish, birds and seals. Some of the rocks contained fossils.
The exhibition shows some of these specimens. It also displays some of the scientific instruments they used 100 years ago, some diaries and Pontings’ photographs. There is a model of the hut where the 65 men slept. The exhibition shows their daily life – what they ate, what they wore, how they slept and the work they did.
Some of the displays come from the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch which has two rooms showing Antarctic explorers. Scott’s Last Expedition started in Sydney last June, then moved to London and finally will come to Christchurch in November.
Listen to August 20th 2010 to hear about Ponting’s photographs.
Vocabulary
exhibition – a public display in a museum or art gallery
expedition – an organized journey to explore
survivors – people who did not die
specimen – single plant or animal which is an example of the whole plant or animal
instruments – equipment, tools used in science
explorers – people who travel to a new place to discover something about that place
Pronunciation
Note ‘photographer’ – stress is on the second syllable (also ‘photography’) whereas ‘photograph’ the stress is on the first syllable.
There are four words beginning in ‘ex’ which are quite difficult to say. Practise your pronunciation of these words: exhibition, expedition, example, explorer