[originaltext] Antarctica has nine-tenths of all the world’s ice. If all this

Antarctica has nine-tenths of all the world’s ice. If all this ice melted, the level of the world’s oceans would rise 250 feet. Most cities along the coast would be drowned. In New York Harbor, water would almost cover the Statue of Liberty’s head. But the ice in Antarctica does not melt. The temperature stays well below freezing the year round in most places. Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. The temperature there has been known to drop to more than 100 degrees below zero.
  Antarctica does not have much plant life. Only a few simple plants such as mosses can grow there. The climate is so harsh, and food so scare, that people cannot settle in Antarctica. But along the coasts of the continent there are many birds, fish and animals.
  Thousands of whales and millions of seals swim in Antarctica seas. Six kinds of seals are found. The fur seal, the smallest, has long been hunted for its silky fur. The tough-skinned elephant seal is the largest. It can weigh as much as four tons.
  Most of the world’s whaling takes place in Antarctica waters. The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived.
  A number of birds live in Antarctica, and fly over the water and ice. Penguins are the best-known of Antarctic birds. They cannot fly, but they have flipper-wings, which make them strong swimmers.