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:Winter Solstice
The winter solstice occurs in
winter. It is the time at which the sun appears at noon at
its lowest altitude above the horizon.
In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Southern solstice,
the time at which the Sun is at its southernmost point in
the sky, which usually occurs on December 21 to 22 each
year. In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern
solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its northernmost
point in the sky, which usually occurs on June 20 to 21 each
year.
The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the
planet's daily rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at
the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit
around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the
Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards
the Sun and experience summer. Since the two hemispheres
face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one
polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences
summer.
More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter
solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the
year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is
the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in
time, other terms are often used for the day on which it
occurs, such as "midwinter", "the longest night" or "the
shortest day". But it should not be confused with "the first
day of winter" or "the start of winter" (Lidong in the East
Asian calendars). The seasonal significance of the winter
solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of
nights and shortening of days. The earliest sunset and
latest sunrise dates differ from winter solstice, however,
and these depend on latitude, due to the variation in the
solar day throughout the year caused by the Earth's
elliptical orbit (see earliest and latest sunrise and
sunset).
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from
culture to culture, but many cultures have held a
recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals,
gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.
The information above states that the winter solstice
should not be confused with "the first day of winter"
although, at least in the United States of America these
two dates are considered to be the same.
Test:Reading Comprehension
Winter Solstice
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. The winter solstice
is the time at which the sun appears at noon at which of the
following?
a. highest altitude above the horizon
b. lowest altitude above the local mountains
c. lowest altitude above the horizon
d. highest altitude above the local mountains
2. When is the winter
solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
a. June 20 to 21
b. New Years Day
c. December 21 to 22
d. Leap Year
3. When is the winter
solstice in the Southern Hemisphere?
a. December 21 to 22
b. June 20 to 21
c. New Years Day
d. Leap Year
4. A hemisphere's
winter solstice occurs on which of the following?
a. the longest day and shortest night of the year
b. the shortest month of the year
c. the shortest day and longest night of the year
d. the longest month of the year
5. During the winter
solstice many cultures hold all EXCEPT which of the
following?
a. festivals
b. celebrations
c. protests
d. holidays
