A．Why we measure time the way we do.B．Ways of measuring……
In this section there are six reading passages followed by a
total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your
answers on your coloured answer sheet.
TEXT A
No one knows when the
first calendar was developed. But it seems possible that it was based on lunar
months. When people started fanning, the sages of the tribes became very
important. They studied the sky and gathered enough information to be able
to predict when the seasons would change, and were able to announce when it was
time to plant crops.
The divisions of time we use today were
developed in ancient Babylonia 4,000 years ago. Babylonian astronomers believed
the sun moved around the Earth every 365 days. They divided the trip into 12
equal parts, each with 30 days. Then they divided each day into 24 equal parts
or hours, and divided each hour into 60 minutes, each minute into 60
seconds.
Humans have used many devices to measure time. he
sundial was one of the earliest and simplest. However, the sundial worked well
0nly when the weather was fine, so other ways of measuring the passing of time
were invented. One device was the hourglass. By the eighteenth century, people
had developed mechanical clocks and watches. So we have devices to mark the
passing of time, but what time is it now Clocks in different parts of the world
do not show the same time at the same time, because time on Earth is set by the
sun’s position in the sky above us. As international communications and travel
grew, it became clear that a way to establish a common time for ’all parts of
the world was needed. In 1884, an international conference divided the world
into 24 time zones, each zone represents 0ne hour. The astronomical observatory
in Greenwich, England, was chosen as the starting point for the time zones.
Twelve zones are west of Greenwich. Twelve arc east. The time at Greenwich
measured by the sun is considered by astronomers to be Universal Time, also
known as Greenwich Mean Time.
What does the passage mainly discuss
A．Why we measure time the way we do.
B．Ways of measuring time.
C．The development of universal time.
D．How time is measured.
