The history of time measurement

文章大意

讲座梳理人类测量时间的历史：最早靠观察太阳位置定正午，用最短影子判断时刻；季节风、降雨、河流泛滥、植物开花、动物迁徙繁殖等自然现象划分年份与季节；后来为满足祭司确定宗教仪式时刻和政府划分昼夜管理工作的需要，发明了更精确的测量方法，并逐步使用各种计时装置。

题目与答案

1. Primitive measurements by observing two time keepers:

   · The 31_____

   答案：sun`s position

   原文定位：Prehistoric people first recorded time according to the sun's position

   同义替换：「observing」↔「recorded」

2. · Natural events, such as winds and rains, rivers flooding, plants flowering, and the cycles of breeding or 32_____ behaviour.

   答案：animal

   原文定位：the breeding cycles or migration of animals all led to natural divisions of the year

   同义替换：「behaviour」↔「migration」

3. Precise measurements

   They became important for organising activities for:

   · 33_____

   答案：religion

   原文定位：Precise measurements were invented because the passage of time was extremely important for astronomers and priests;for important religious festivals

   同义替换：「organising activities」↔「determining the exact hour for daily rituals & religious festivals」

4. · 34_____

   答案：government

   原文定位：Apart from the connection with religion, accurate time measurement was also related to the government since they divided the day or the night into different periods in order to regulate work and various events

   同义替换：「organising activities」↔「regulate work and various events」，「important for」↔「related to」

5. The oldest time keepers were discovered in Mesopotamia and 35_____ .

   答案：Egypt

   原文定位：It was found that the earliest ancient timekeepers were mainly invented and used in Mesopotamia, where the water clock was introduced from, as well as in North Africa, especially in the area of ancient Egypt

   同义替换：「oldest」↔「earliest」，「discovered in」↔「invented and used in」

6. | Time Keeper | Disadvantages |

   | --- | --- |

   | The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36_____ |

   | The Clepsydra(Water clock) | The changing pressure and 37..... were what the flow of water still relied on. |

   | The 38..... | The time duration was 39..... |

   | Fire Candle Clock | The burning 40..... or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |

   答案：varied|||temperature|||sandglass|||limited|||burning

   原文定位：However, it was quickly noted that the length of the day varied at different times of the year

7. | Time Keeper | Disadvantages |

   | --- | --- |

   | The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36..... |

   | The Clepsydra(Water clock) | The changing pressure and 37_____ were what the flow of water still relied on. |

   | The 38..... | The time duration was 39..... |

   | Fire Candle Clock | The burning 40..... or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |

   答案：temperature

   原文定位：It was reliable, but the water flow still depended on the variation of pressure and temperature from the top of water in the container

   同义替换：「changing」↔「variation」，「relied on」↔「depended on」

8. | Time Keeper | Disadvantages |

   | --- | --- |

   | The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36..... |

   | The Clepsydra(Water clock) | The changing pressure and 37..... were what the flow of water still relied on. |

   | The 38_____ | The time duration was 39..... |

   | Fire Candle Clock | The burning 40..... or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |

   答案：sandglass

   原文定位：As the technology of glassblowing developed from sometime in the fourteenth century, it became possible to make sandglasses

9. | Time Keeper | Disadvantages |

   | --- | --- |

   | The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36..... |

   | The Clepsydra(Water clock) | The changing pressure and 37..... were what the flow of water still relied on. |

   | The 38..... | The time duration was 39_____ |

   | Fire Candle Clock | The burning 40..... or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |

   答案：limited

   原文定位：The drawback, however, as you can imagine, was the limited length of time they could measure

   同义替换：「duration」↔「length」

10. | Time Keeper | Disadvantages |

    | --- | --- |

    | The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36..... |

    | The Clepsydra(Water clock) | The changing pressure and 37..... were what the flow of water still relied on. |

    | The 38..... | The time duration was 39..... |

    | Fire Candle Clock | The burning 40_____ or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |

    答案：speed

    原文定位：However, the drafts and the variable quality of the wax mainly influenced the time of burning

    同义替换：「was subject to」↔「influenced by」