英语听力：自然百科 Equinoxes 春秋分
时间：2018-12-03 作者：英语课 分类：自然百科2008年
英语课
Twice a year, day and night, fall into balance, lasting 1 for nearly equal length. Known as equinoxes, Latin for equal night, they occur in March and September and along with solstices mark the changing of seasons as Earth travels around the sun.
Astronomers 2 like to describe the equinox within the conceptual celestial 3 sphere. Here the heavens are projected around the Earth, like an enormous planetarium 4. The model is bisected by the celestial equator, a projection 5 of Earth’s own equator. The equinox occurs at the point at which the sun’s path or ecliptic crosses the celestial equator. In spring it is known as the vernal equinox, and in fall the autumnal equinox.
The other two seasonal 6 points on the sun’s path are the two solstices; in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, while the winter solstice marks the shortest. The seasonal aligning 7 of the sun has been more than just a unique celestial event for humankind throughout history. Ancient sites like Stonehenge in England and Machu Picchu in Peru have well documented solar alignments 8 during the solstices.
Similarly, the equinoxes have been associated with some amazing man-made phenomena 9. In the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, the great pyramid known as El Castillo is oriented along cardinal 10 axis 11. During the equinoxes, shadows cast by the railings create the illusion of a writhing 12 serpent body, descending 13 the northern steps where it joins the carved serpent’s head at the base of the stairway. The cultural significance of the fall equinox and changing of seasons continues today, especially in the northern hemisphere, where the autumnal equinox occurs around harvest season.
In fact, the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is commonly referred to as the harvest moon. In China and other Asian countries, this time is celebrated 14 with the mid-autumnal festival; the origins are linked to the birth of the moon goddess and festival traditions revolve 15 around families with reunions and feasts and special moon cakes. In Jewish culture, thanks for the harvest is given during the week-long feast of the tabernacles or Sukkot. Families eat meals in temporary shelters outside, recalling the Israelites' days in the wilderness 16 after the Exodus 17 from Egypt.
1 lasting
adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持
- The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
- We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
2 astronomers
n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )
- Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 celestial
adj.天体的；天上的
- The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
- Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。
4 planetarium
n.天文馆；天象仪
- The planetarium staff also prepared talks for radio broadcast.天文馆的工作人员还要准备讲稿给电台广播。
- It landed in a shallow basin fifty yards from the planetarium.它降落在离天文馆五十码处的一个浅盆地中。
5 projection
n.发射，计划，突出部分
- Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
- The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。
6 seasonal
adj.季节的，季节性的
- The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
- The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。
7 aligning
排成直线( alignment的名词复数 )； （国家、团体间的）结盟
- Along some active faults we can see clear alignments of microearthquakes. 微震清晰地沿着某些活动断层排列着。
- The technique requires critical and difficult optical alignments. 这种技术要求严格，并且光学调整困难。
8 phenomena
n.现象
- Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
- The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。
9 cardinal
n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的
- This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
- The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。
10 axis
n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线
- The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
- The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。
11 writhing
（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
- She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
- He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。
12 descending
adj.有名的，声誉卓著的
- He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
- The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
13 revolve
vi.(使)旋转；循环出现
- The planets revolve around the sun.行星绕着太阳运转。
- The wheels began to revolve slowly.车轮开始慢慢转动。
14 wilderness
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠
- She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
- Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。