Distance from the sun

Altitude of the sun

The altitude of the sun (i.e. the angle between its rays and a tangent to the earth's surface at the point of observation) also affects the amount... solar radi­ation received …the surface … the earth. The greater the sun's altitude, the more concentrated is the radiation intensity … unit area … the earth's surface and the longer is the path length …the beam… the atmosphere, which increases the atmos­pheric absorption. There are, in addition, important variations … solar altitude …the proportion… radiation reflected … the surface, particularly … the case… a water surface. The principal factors that determine the sun's altitude are, … course, the latitude … the site, the time … day and the season. … the June solstice, the sun's altitude is a constant 23 ¹/₂ ° … the day … the North Pole and the sun is directly overhead … noon … the Tropic … Cancer (23 1/2 °N).

Упражнение 7.

Прочитайте текст и найдите в нем ответы на следующие вопросы:

1. Что является причиной сезонных изменений в поступлении солнечной энергии?

2. Когда Земля получает больше энергии от Солнца – в январе или в июле?

3. В каком полушарии зима должна быть теплее, а в каком – лето?

4. Почему в реальности наблюдается обратная картина?

5. В каком полушарии теплое полугодие более продолжительное?

(Контрольное время – 7 минут)

The annually changing distance of the earth from the sun produces seasonal variations in our receipt of solar energy. Owing to the eccentricity of the earth's orbit around the sun, the receipt of solar energy on a surface normal to the beam is 7 per cent more on 3 January at the perihelion than on 4 July at the aphelion. In theory (that is, discounting the interposition of the atmosphere and the difference in degree of conductivity between large land and sea masses), this difference should produce an increase in the effective January world surface temperatures of about 4 °C, over those of July. It should also make northern winters warmer than those in the southern hemisphere, and southern summers warmer than those in the northern hemi­sphere. In practice, atmospheric heat circulation and the effects of continentality substantially mask this global tendency, and the actual seasonal contrast between the hemispheres is reversed. Moreover, the northern summer half-year (21 March-22 Septem­ber) is five days longer than the southern hemisphere summer (22 September-21 March). This difference slowly changes; about 10,000 years ago the aphe­lion occurred in the northern hemisphere winter, and northern summers received 3-4 per cent more radiation than today. This same pattern will return about 10,000 years from now.

Упражнение 8.

Выберите из текста Distance from the sun 10–15 основных,
с точки зрения смысловой нагрузки, слов (ключевые слова). Определите, к каким частям речи они относятся.

Упражнение 9.

В каждом предложении текста Distance from the sun найдите подлежащее и сказуемое. Определите время и залог сказуемого.

Упражнение 10.

Переведите текст письменно.

(Контрольное время – 25 минут)

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27