(20 14? Xinhuanet Kiruna, Sweden, May 15: The eighth ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council was held in Kiruna, Sweden on May 15.

(1) The scientific research ship set sail from Qingdao, crossed the Bering Strait between Asia and North America and entered the Arctic Ocean, realizing China's maiden voyage in the northeast channel of the Arctic. The Bering Strait connects the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

(2) In the past, China's scientific research ship sailed on the traditional waterway shown in the figure, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar between Africa and Europe, entered the Atlantic Ocean, and then sailed north to reach the Arctic region.

(3) Compared with the traditional waterway, the voyage of the Northeast Arctic waterway is shorter. From the natural conditions, the main difficulties faced by China scientific research team in choosing the Northeast Arctic waterway to investigate the Arctic region are ice floes, iceberg threats, severe cold and so on.

(4) China expedition chose to explore the Arctic at this time, mainly because the climate here is warm and the sunlight is extreme, which is convenient for investigation.

So the answer is:

(1) Bering; North ice;

(2) Gibraltar; Daxi;

(3) short; Ice floes, iceberg threats, severe cold, etc.

(4) The climate is warm and the sunshine is sufficient, which is convenient for inspection.