英语听力：自然百科 百年难遇的日食奇观

 The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century put most of Asia, from India to China, into darkness on Wednesday, as millions gathered to watch this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

 

The eclipse began at about midnight Greenwich Mean Time and was first seen in eastern India. Big clouds over India obscured the sun when the eclipse began at dawn, but the clouds parted in several cities just minutes before the total eclipse took place at close to 1 a.m. GMT.

 

Large crowds gathered on the banks of the Ganges River（恒河） in India to offer prayers during the eclipse.

 

"It’s very powerful to have a night in the middle of the day. One thing interesting was when you looked up there was a star, a bright star in the sky. So it was as dark as night, you can see the stars in the sky.”

 

India abounds(充满) in superstitions¹ and fables² based on Hindu mythology³, one of which says the eclipse is caused when a dragon demon⁴ swallows the sun. However, thousands of Hindus also took a dip in keeping the ancient belief that bathing in the river at the Indian city of Varanasi（瓦拉纳西）, especially on special occasions, cleanses⁵ one’s sins. Eclipse watchers in Delhi were offered a unique opportunity to view the total solar eclipse from an Eclipse Flight.

 

"We saw the sun from above. We were looking down at the sun. As the moon moved to cover the sun, its shadow was casting darkness on the earth. When it completely covered the sun, there was total darkness. The atmosphere changed, it was like an impending（即将来临的） storm. The clouds also turned black, so for a few minutes, the spectacle was incredible.”

 

The flight offered the most unobstructed view of the various stages of the total solar eclipse.

 

“It’s really nice, I saw the whole thing, I saw bit by bit it was like someone biting an apple... a small orange."

 

In China, observers watched the skies darkened overhead for five and a half minutes. Heavy clouds in the area blocked the full eclipse from view, but watchers were able to see some of the solar phenomenon.”

 

“Such heavy fog and thick clouds, too. I told myself, oh no, we can’t see the eclipse today, I didn’t expect the sun to peep out(露出来) like that, smiling at me. However, it came out only after the peak of the eclipse had passed. Still, we were fortunate to have witnessed at least a part of it.”

 

Wednesday’s eclipse is the longest such eclipse since July 11th, 1991, when a total solar eclipse lasting⁶ nearly seven minutes, was visible from Hawaii to South America.

 

Astronomers⁷ are hoping Wednesday’s unique event will help unlock clues about the sun.

 

The solar event was an opportunity for a prolonged view of the sun’s corona（日冕）, a white ring that extends more than one million km from its surface.

 

Scientists predict that there will not be a longer total solar eclipse than Wednesday’s total solar eclipse until the year 2132.

1 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。

2 fables   

n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说

参考例句：

• Some of Aesop's Fables are satires. 《伊索寓言》中有一些是讽刺作品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Little Mexican boys also breathe the American fables. 墨西哥族的小孩子对美国神话也都耳濡目染。 来自辞典例句

3 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

4 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

5 cleanses   

弄干净，清洗( cleanse的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Prayer cleanses the soul, but pain cleanses the body. 祈祷净化灵魂，而痛苦则净化身体。
• With water and iodine from the closet, he cleanses my lip. 用温水和碘从壁橱里，他洗净我的嘴唇。

6 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。

7 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》