英语专业八级考前拉力赛（6）
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TEXT D The Rise and Rise of the Sundial As we hurtle towards the new millennium，what better symbol of the relentless passage of time than the ancient sundial？Sundials come in many forms，but horizontal ones are by far the most common.Usually set on a pedestal，they consist of a flat dial face and a gnomon—the slanting piece of metal that casts the shadow.Believe it or not，interest in sundials is increasing in the west.A quick glance at the Internet reveals burgeoning sundial societies all over the world for the scientifically inclined，and even detailed sundial trials for those who want to check out the dials in gardens in the United States，France or Britain.This is time travel with a difference. Quotes or mottoes have traditionally been inscribed on sundials to promote reflection and thought，and these sayings are repeated on the modern versions of the old timepiece.The philosophical sayings add to the image of the timelessness of sundials，but are also reminders in the great poetic traditions of the trarsient nature of human life. “Time began in a garden”is a quotation referring to the Christian Bible legend of the Garden of Eden where，Christian belief says，human life began at the dawn of Creation，and from having been eternal，humans became subject to the decay of time. “I am a shadow.So are you”reminds the observer that a passing life can be as swift and transitory as the shadow that drifts over the face of a sundial，while the enigmatic“I make time—Dost thou？”plays on the double meaning of the English words for marking or keeping time，like a clock，and marking time by failing to make progress. Sundials have long been beautifully crafted but now some innovative Western Sculptors are creating dramatic new varitions on the theme，such as a vertical or wall dial from a modern courtyard setting.Bold colorful sun designs or simple minimalist wall plaques are available，and there is even a water fountain dial where the water jet replaces the gnomon （finger） as marker of time.Clever designs playing with the sun and resulting shadow forms also use stark hunks of rough-hewn stone，taking us back to those pointers of old，or employ reflective materials like glass. The earliest sundials are recorded in use around 300BC.They come from the stage in ancient times when men and women began to use simple sticks and markers to show the time of day as the shadows progressed.Such devices grew steadily more complex until by Roman times no fewer than 12 types of sundial were recorded，including a sophisticated portable version.More than mere markers of time，such dials served for centuries to indicate mankind’s understanding of the complexities of the heavens. Somewhere along the line，someone realised that a slanting object would cast a more accurate shadow that a vertical one for the purposes of keeping time.The problem of seasonal changes was removed by placing the slanting object parallel to the Earth’s axis.Even after clocks and watches were invented，their reliability was questionable and sundials still had to be used to check their accuracy. But eventually，as the 18th and 19th centuries progressed，and coinciding with the era of“pitcuresque”or idealised landscape gardening in Britain and Europe，sundials became garden ornaments first and timekeepers second.Their value in this area has never been questioned，as successful gardens often rely on such focal points for impact. With their inherent dignity and image of scientific order triumphing over chaos，sundials provide the perfect centerpiece for herb gardens historic gardens hospitals schools，wriversities churches （set in thyme of couse），knot gardens，memorial gardens，cemeteries and civic gardens. Armillary sundials are especially aesthetically pleasing，with their circular or spherical shape and make superb garden ornaments.Consisting of several rings，they revolved from the celestial globes used by ancient astronomers to plot the position of the stars. The word armillary comes from the Latin armilla—a bracelet or ring.One ring representing the equator has the hours walked on it，a second stands for the meridian，and a third the horizon. The rod through the centre representing the earth’s axis shows the time by casting its shadow on to the hour times marked on the equatorial ring. Sun time is not the same as watch time because it measures time as it is，not as we would like it to be，with noon today exactly 24 hours away from noon tomorrow.Before the world became a small place and people didn’t move around very much，local time was a perfectly satisfatory measurement.But as modern communication and means of travel grew more sophisticated standard time zones were adopted.As a result，your sundial will agree with your watch only on four days of the year，not because it is inaccurate but because it is measuring a different kind of time.Adjustments for“daylight saving”time throw yet another spoke in the wheel.There’s a new kind of tour for you —time travel.It couldn’t catch on. 22?The sundial is now finding favour once again in the West because____. A.Nations in the West begin to rely on it for making the time. B.many quotes or mottoes promoto people’s reflection and thought of the use of sundials. C.sundials can be used to check the accuracy of clocks and watches. D.sundials can provide the perfect ornament with their inherent dignity and image of scientific order. 23?Which of the following statements about sundials is true？ A.Sundials used to be uncrafted but now western sculptors are designing dramatic new sundials. B.The quotes or mottoes now are inscribed on sundials to promote thought. C.All sundials are set on a pedestal，consisting of a flat dial face and a slanting piece of metal that casts the shadow D.The earliest sundials are recorded in use around 300BC when men and women used simple trees and markers to show the time of day as the shadows moved. 24?Watch time is different from sun time in that. A.sun time measures time as people would like to be B.watch time measures time as it is C.sun time measures time as it is，wish noon today exactly 24 hours away from noon tomorrow D.watch time measures time as people wish to be，with noon today exactly 24 hours away from noon tomorrow 相关资料 |
