At the advent of（在……到来之际）/æt ðə ˈædˌvɛnt əv/ polar spring, Nora's expedition（远征、探险队）/.ekspi'diʃәn/ left Atlas（地图集、图表集）/'ætlәs/ Station for a barren（荒地）/'bærәn/ plateau（高原、平顶）/plæ'tәu/ above Cape（岬、海角）/keip/ Lumen（流明、腔）/'lu:min/. Their observatory（天文台、气象台）/әb'zә:vәtәri/ had recorded a feeble（微弱的、衰弱的）/fi:bl/ pressure drop on its barometer（气压计）/bә'rɒmitә/. Through binoculars（双目镜、双筒镜）/bi'nɒkjulәs/, guide Pavel saw debris（碎片、残骸）/'deibri:/ tumbling from a glacier（冰川）/'gleiʃә/ ridge（脊、山脊）/ridʒ/ and an iceberg（冰山、冷冰冰的人）/'aisbә:g/ rotating below. The alluring（魅力、诱惑力）/ә'luә/ light made photographer Zoe hold her camera aloft（在高处、在上）/ә'lɒft/, but the terrain（地带、地区）/'terein/ offered no safe alternate（轮流、(使)交替）/'ɒ:ltәnәt/ route. Nora opened her atlas and described the worst scenario（最坏情形）/ðə wərst sɪˈnɛrioʊ/.

The team studied the ecosystem（生态系统）/'i:kәu.sistәm/: sparse（稀疏的、稀稀落落的）/'spɑ:s/ vegetation（植物）/.vedʒi'teiʃәn/, coral（珊瑚、珊瑚色）/'kɒrәl/ samples from a warmer isle（小岛、群岛）/ail/, sulfur（硫、硫磺）/'sʌlfә/ stains, and a comet-like（语境补充词）/comet-like/ crack across the ice. A weather balloon's foil（箔、烘托）/fɒil/ had expired（期满、呼气）/ik'spaiә/ and torn（tear的过去分词）/tɒ:n/. The data could provide fresh impetus（提供新的推动力）/prəˈvaɪd frɛʃ ˈɪmpətəs/ for climate research across the northern hemisphere（半球、地球的半面）/'hemisfiә/, yet an eccentric（怪人、偏心圆）/ik'sentrik/ wind might unleash（解开...的皮带、发出）/.ʌn'li:ʃ/ a slab（平板、厚片）/slæb/ without warning（毫无预警地）/wɪˈθaʊt ˈwɔrnɪŋ/. “I deplore（悲悼、哀叹）/di'plɒ:/ wasting the journey, but we should retreat before another hour can elapse（在又一小时过去之前）/ˌbiˈfɔr əˈnəðər aʊər kən ɪˈlæps/.” “I have toiled（辛苦、苦工）/tɒil/ for this image; abandoning it now would be idiotic（白痴的、愚蠢的）/.idi'ɒtik/.”

Nora asked both to clench（紧握、牢牢地抓住）/klentʃ/ neither pride nor fear. Safety etiquette（礼仪、礼节）/eti'ket/ required a shrewd assessment（审慎敏锐的评估）/ə ʃrud əˈsɛsmənt/, not contempt. She despised（轻视）/di'spaiz/ the old fascist（法西斯主义者、法西斯党员）/'fæʃist/ trait（特征、特性）/treit/ of commanding silence and invited dissent. The team had trained to respect every lesbian（女同性恋者）/'lezbiәn/ colleague and to report rape（抢夺、掠夺）/reip/ or harassment（困扰、烦扰）/'hærәsmәnt/; the same principle of dignity governed field decisions. “We can esteem（尊敬、尊重）/i'sti:m/ the science and still refuse a reckless climb（拒绝鲁莽攀登）/ˈrɛfˌjuz ə ˈrɛkləs klaɪm/.” “Give me ten minutes at the lower marker, and I will accept the retreat（接受撤退决定）/əkˈsɛpt ðə riˈtrit/.”

Pavel rejected the bargain when the ice began to hurl（用力的投掷）/hә:l/ stones. He used a cape as a signal while a tornado-shaped（语境补充词）/tornado-shaped/ plume（羽毛、羽毛装饰）/plu:m/ rose from the ridge. Nora sent（语境补充词）/sɛnt/ a condolence（哀悼、吊唁）/kәn'dәulәns/ message about a climber killed elsewhere and reminded them that communities mourn（哀悼、忧伤）/mɒ:n/ preventable（可防止的、可阻止的）/pri'ventәb(ә)l/ deaths. Some residents had chosen（choose的过去分词）/'tʃouzn/ to emigrate（(使)移居、(使)移民）/'emigreit/ as the tropic（回归线；热带地区）/ˈtrɑpɪk/ warmed; others hibernate（过冬、冬眠）/'haibәneit/ through storms with ale（麦芽酒）/eil/ stored underground. “The mountain does not negotiate; move now.” “Agreed. We will collect the sensor（检测器）/'sensә/ and return by the marked line（沿标记路线返回）/rɪˈtərn baɪ ðə mɑrkt laɪn/.”

They descended before the crack widened（弄宽、加宽）/'waidn/. Zoe did not mourn the missing photograph for long: her remote camera captured the collapse, and the reading proved more valuable than a heroic（英勇的、英雄式的）/hi'rәuik/ pose. Their uranium（铀）/ju'reiniәm/ detector（发现者、检验器）/di'tektә/ stayed quiet, and they passed an empty plaza（广场、市场）/'plɑ:zә/ at the station. Nora wrote（语境补充词）/roʊt/ that calling a cautious guide an idiot（白痴、极蠢之人）/'idiәt/ was unacceptable（无法接受的、不受欢迎的）/.ʌnәk'septәbl/. Their observatory had recorded a pressure drop overnight. The data could provide fresh impetus for research. We should retreat now before another hour can elapse. We can esteem the science and still refuse danger. Back at the observatory, Nora documented why allure must not foil judgment（破坏判断）/fɔɪl ˈʤəʤmənt/. She expressed outrage（暴行、侮辱）/'autreidʒ/ at sponsors who rewarded danger, then praised Pavel's restraint（抑制、克制）/ri'streint/. The choice preserved both the evidence and the people able to interpret it.