This is a reading comprehension lesson to test
your ability to understand information written in
English. Read the information below
and then answer the 5 test questions.
Hey
if you cannot understand something on this page,
then use the Fun Easy English
dictionary
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Holiday:Spring Equinox
An equinox occurs twice a year (around 20 March and
22 September), when the plane of the Earth's equator passes
the center of the Sun. At this time the tilt of the Earth's
axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun. The
term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning
the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is
derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night),
because around the equinox, night and day are about equal
length.
The equinoxes are the only times when the subsolar point
(the place on the Earth's surface where the center of the
Sun is exactly overhead) is on the Equator. The subsolar
point crosses the Equator moving northward at the March
equinox and moving southward at the September equinox.
On the day of the equinox, the center of the Sun spends a
roughly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at
every location on the Earth, so night and day are about the
same length.
The March equinox (or Northward equinox) is the equinox
on the earth when the Sun appears to cross the celestial
equator, heading northward. The March equinox is the
vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the
autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere.
The equinox can be as early as March 19 or as late as
March 22, the precise time being about 5 hours 49
minutes later in a common year, and about 18 hours 11
minutes earlier in a leap year, than in the previous
year. It is the balance of common years and leap years
that keeps the calendar date of the equinox from
drifting more than a day from March 20 each year.
Spring is very possibly my favorite season of the year.
The temperatures begin warming up, the flowers are
blooming, and there is a fresh scent in the air. A nice
time to go out and enjoy the natural world.
Test:Reading Comprehension
Spring Equinox
Read
the information above. In the test questions
below choose which is the best answer for each
question. There are 5 questions. Good luck.
1. How many times a
year does an equinox occur?
a. once a year
b. twice a year
c. three times a year
d. four times a year
2. The equinoxes are
the only times when the center of the Sun is exactly
overhead in which location?
a. on the Equator
b. at the North Pole
c. at the South Pole
d. at both poles
3. On the day of the
equinox, the center of the Sun spends a roughly equal amount
of time above and below which of the following?
a. the Equator
b. the North Pole
c. the South Pole
d. the horizon
4. The March equinox
(or Northward equinox) is the equinox on the earth when the
Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading in which
direction?
a. towards the Equator
b. towards the horizon
c. southward
d. northward
5. The March equinox
can be which of the following?
a. as early as March 19 or as late as March 22x
b. as early as March 22 or as late as March 19
c. as early as March 20 or as late as March 20
d. as early as March 1 or as late as March 31
