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1、IELTS剑8阅读TEST1READINGPASSAGE1Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1–13,whicharebasedonReadingPassage1below.AChronicleofTimekeepingOurconceptionoftimedependsonthewaywemeasureitAAccordingtoarchaeologicalevidence,atleast5,000yearsago,andlongbeforetheadventoftheRomanEmpire,theBabyloniansbeganto
2、measuretime,introducingcalendarstoco-ordinatecommunalactivities,toplantheshipmentofgoodsand,inparticular,toregulateplantingandharvesting.Theybasedtheircalendarsonthreenaturalcycles:thesolarday,markedbythesuccessiveperiodsoflightanddarknessastheearthrotatesonitsaxis;thelunarmonth,followingthep
3、hasesofthemoon（月相）asitorbitstheearth;andthesolaryear,definedbythechangingseasonsthataccompanyourplanet’srevolutionaroundthesun.BBeforetheinventionofartificiallight,themoonhadgreatersocialimpact.And,forthoselivingneartheequatorinparticular,itswaxingandwaning（月圆月缺）wasmoreconspicuousthanthepassi
4、ngoftheseasons.Hence,thecalendarsthatweredevelopedatthelowerlatitudeswereinfluencedmorebythelunarcyclethanbythesolaryear.Inmorenorthernclimes,however,whereseasonalagriculturewaspractised,thesolaryearbecamemorecrucial.AstheRomanEmpireexpandednorthward,itorganiseditsactivitychartforthemostparta
5、roundthesolaryear.CCenturiesbeforetheRomanEmpire,theEgyptianshadformulatedamunicipalcalendarhaving12monthsof30days,withfivedaysaddedtoapproximatethesolaryear.Eachperiodoftendayswasmarkedbytheappearanceofspecialgroupsofstarscalleddecans（黄道十度分度）.AttheriseofthestarSirius（天狼星）justbeforesunrise,wh
6、ichoccurredaroundtheall-importantannualfloodingoftheNile,12decanscouldbeseenspanningtheheavens.ThecosmicsignificancetheEgyptiansplacedinthe12decansledthemtodevelopasysteminwhicheachintervalofdarkness(andlater,eachintervalofdaylight)wasdividedintoadozenequalparts.Theseperiodsbecameknownastempo
7、ralhours（日光时—古罗马和奥斯曼帝国将白昼等分成小时而成的一种时间单位）becausetheirdurationvariedaccordingtothechanginglengthofdaysandnightswiththepassingoftheseasons.Summerhourswerelong,winteronesshort;onlyatthespringandautumnequinoxes（秋分）werethehoursofdaylightanddarkness
