国家地理-2008-03-31 Equinoxes 春秋分

Twice a year, day and night, fall into balance, lasting¹ 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. 
 
Astronomers² like to describe the equinox within the conceptual celestial³ sphere. Here the heavens are projected around the Earth, like an enormous planetarium⁴. The model is bisected by the celestial equator, a projection⁵ 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 seasonal⁶ 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 aligning⁷ 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 alignments⁸ during the solstices.
 
Similarly, the equinoxes have been associated with some amazing man-made phenomena⁹. In the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, the great pyramid known as El Castillo is oriented along cardinal¹⁰ axis¹¹. During the equinoxes, shadows cast by the railings create the illusion of a writhing¹² serpent body, descending¹³ 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 celebrated¹⁴ with the mid-autumnal festival; the origins are linked to the birth of the moon goddess and festival traditions revolve¹⁵ 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 wilderness¹⁶ after the Exodus¹⁷ from Egypt.

1 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• 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 )

参考例句：

• 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

参考例句：

• 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

参考例句：

• 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

参考例句：

• 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

参考例句：

• 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   

n. (直线)对准 动词align的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals. 有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。
• ToolTips provide textual hints that assist in drawing lines and aligning objects. 工具提示提供了协助画线和对象对齐的文本提示。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 alignments   

排成直线( alignment的名词复数 )； （国家、团体间的）结盟

参考例句：

• 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。

9 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• 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。

10 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• 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。

11 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• 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。

12 writhing   

（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• 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。

13 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

14 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• 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。

15 revolve   

vi.(使)旋转；循环出现

参考例句：

• 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。

16 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• 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。

17 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。