北极光的知识

1、Section A Finland Northern LightsThe Northern Lights, also known as “Aurora Borealis（：W 极光）” or the “Dawn of the North”, never fail to take your breath away. The aurora borealis is one of the most sublime（超 群的）and magnificent natural phenomena on Earth. Before scientists cracked（侦破）the mystery of th

2、e auroras, men were drawn（吸 引）and fascinated（强烈 地吸引住）by these dancing and magical lights that were often found in mythology （神话）and legends. In Roman Mythology, it is said that the Aurora is the deity。申）of the dawn. In North America, the Inuits （爱斯基摩人）have many legends that explain them as spirits o

3、f the dead. They believed that the lights are the essences（精 华）of deer, salmon（鲑鱼）,seals and other animals that they hunted. Aristotle （亚 里斯多德）thought it was glowing air gushing （喷出）from cracks in the sky. The appearance of the red aurora in medieval（中 世纪的） times was feared as a bad omen （前兆）or a si

4、gn of Gods anger. They believed the manifestation （显现）of the aurora indicated famine or war. Charles Hall （查尔斯霍尔）,a 19th-century polar explorer, exclaimed: Who but God can conceive（想 出）such infinite （无穷的） scenes of glory? Oddly enough, the Maori （毛利人）thought that the displays were just reflections o

5、f a campfire（营火）or torches.Regardless whether you believe the scientific facts or the legendsbehind its existence, youll still be 吸住）ibyi these supernatural display of lights, and there are countless destinations where you can see the majestic phenomenon. Finland （芬兰）,for example, should be a repres

6、entative. Many visitors to Finland come with hopes of seeing the Finland Northern Lights. The best place to see theNorthern Lights in Finland is in the northern Lapland region（拉普兰地 区）,which is almost entirely located within the realm（|S域）of the ArcticCircle （北极）.During the dark winter months here, w

7、hen the sun rarely peaks（使 达到最高峰）its head over the horizon, you can expect to see the Finland Northern Lights with regularity, and other peak（峰值） seasons include February through March and September through October. The time between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. is the most intense period of the day. The highes

8、t probability within this timespan 时间间隔）to see the Finland Northern Lights is between 9 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., though they are certainly not restricted to this time frame. If you have never seen the Northern Lights wherever they commonly occur in the world, then you will be amazed the first time when

9、you lay eyes on them.The Northern Lights are similar to a sunset in the sky at night, but appear occasionally in arc（弧光）or spiralsC 螺旋形物）usually following the earths magnetic （磁性的）field. They are most often light green in color but often have a hint of pink. Swirling（涡旋形的）shades of blue,green, and p

10、ink are most common when it comes to the FinlandNorthern Lights. Strong eruptions also have violet（紫 罗兰色的）andwhite colours. Red northern lights are rare, but can sometimes be observed on lower latitudes（纬度）.The Finland Aurora Borealis, while best seen in Lapland, can also be witnessed as far south a

11、s the capital city of Helsinki（赫尔辛基）from time to time, though on average, there are only some twenty days out of the year when viewing them is possible in most southern parts of the country. Part of the reason why it can be difficult to see the Northern Lights of Finland in Helsinki is because of th

12、e fact that it is hard to escape to dimly lit areas. The relative lack of city lights is just one of the reasons why the Lapland region sees some 200 nightly occurrences every year, and one must also consider the regions northern location. The lower reaches（区域）of the Arctic Circle are ideal for view

13、ing the Northern Lights across the planet, which is why Canada and Alaska are good destinations in the Western Hemisphere（半 球）.For those who are wondering what causes the Northern Lights in Finland, solar flares（耀斑）are largely responsible. These flares effectively cause solar winds and solar storms,

14、 which create lingering（游 移的）atmospheric particles or matter. The Aurora Borealis is just caused by these charged（带电的）particles （粒子）ejected （喷出）from thesun. When these particles reach the earth, they collide（碰撞）with gas atoms in the earths atmosphere causing them to energise（释放出能量） which results in

15、a spectacular multi-coloured light show. As such因此）, scientists can often accurately predict when the best times are for viewing the Northern Lights in Finland by keeping an eye out （留心） solar flares. （ 757 words）New Wordsaurora D:K:r。 n.曙光C;极光C;【罗神】（大写）奥罗拉（即曙光女神）sublime sablazm a.雄伟的；卓越的；壮丽的；超群的cra

16、ck kr踱k v.敲破；破（案）；破解draw v.吸引（注意等）fascinate v.强烈地吸引住mythology miODladsi n.神话deity di:iti n.神essence esnsn.精精华salmon s显mon n.鲑，大麻哈鱼gush gAf v.涌出，喷出medieval medii:vol a.中世纪的，中古（时代）的源始的omen oumon n.前兆，预兆，兆头manifestation ,mnifesteifon n. 显现conceive konsi:v v.想像；想出infinite infinit a.无穷的，广大无边的 campfire km

17、p,faid n.营火，篝火 captivate kptiveit v.吸住；迷惑住realm relm n.区域，围peak vt.使达到最高峰n.最大量；巅值，峰值timespan n.时间间隔arc a：k n.弧；弧光spiral spairal n.螺旋形物magnetic m用gnetik a.磁（性）的swirling swa:l v.（使）打旋；盘绕 violet vaialit a.紫罗兰色的 latitude ltitju:d n.纬度 reach n.区域，领域，围hemisphere hemisfia n.半球flare flEan.（太阳的）耀斑，色球爆发linger

18、ing liggarig a.逗留不去的；游移的charge v.充（电）particle pa：tikl n.颗粒，微粒；粒子eject idekt v.喷出collide kalaidv.(车等)碰撞(with)；(意志等)冲突，抵触(with)energisen daiz =energize （美）vt.供给.能量，使精力充沛vi.释放出能量Useful Expressionstake ones breath away 屏息凝神with regularity 经常地be restricted to 局限于lay eyes on 看到，看见a hint of 一丁点儿collide wit

19、h （车等）碰撞；（意志等）冲突，抵触as such这样；因此keep an eye out for 留心Proper NamesAurora Borealis 北极光the Inuit因纽特人；爱斯基摩人Aristotle亚里斯多德Charles Hall查尔斯 霍尔Maori 毛利人；毛利语Finland 芬兰Lapland region拉普兰地区Arctic Circle 北极圈（北纬66度33分以北区域）Helsinki赫尔辛基（芬兰首都）Notes1.Aurora Borealis:北极光-北端的光由太阳风和地球磁场及上层大气交互作用产生。与南极光（aurora australis）

20、一起,统称为极光。aurora borealis这个词是由一个法国的 科学家Pierre Gassendi命名的。2. Aurora:古希腊曙光女神古希腊女神奥罗拉（也叫厄俄斯）是曙光女神，她在将光明带 往人间的时候，爱上了忧郁的特洛伊王子梯托诺斯，并将王子之 回了奥林匹斯山。月亮女神阿尔忒弥斯帮助她将王子藏了起来， 并告诉他去宙斯的神殿祈求王子得到长寿。奥罗拉向宙斯祈求了 王子的长寿，却忘记了祈求他的永葆青春。于是王子迅速地老去，并被奥罗拉嫌弃，扔回了人间。但是奥罗拉为他生下了孩子，想把孩子留在奥林匹斯，可是宙斯不同意。趁奥罗拉不在，宙斯把孩子带回了人间，奥罗拉悲痛欲绝，却毫无办法。因为女神

21、的悲 伤，世界失去了光明。最后奥罗拉被宙斯劝说，继续为人间带来 光明。Borealis:是指北部地区Borealis 与 Australis 相对,Australis 是指南部地区。起源:这个词是由希腊语Boreas而来,就是北风的意思。在希腊语 中，各个方向的的风都有属于自己的名字：Notus南风；Zephyrus西 风；Euro东风。Finland :芬兰芬兰位于欧洲北部，与瑞典、挪威、俄罗斯接壤，有千湖之国” 之称。芬兰最早的居民为拉普人，故芬兰又称拉普兰。Lapland region： 拉普兰拉普兰是芬兰最大、同时也是最北端的省份。拉普兰的旅游景点非常 有特色，且野生动物资源丰富，因此

22、吸引了全球各地的人们前来观光。 拉普兰有着芬兰最富有盛名的国家公园，如圣诞村。此外，它还是观 测北极光的最佳地点之一。到此一游堪称是旅游的最高境界，终极追 求。Helsinki:（芬兰首都）赫尔辛基赫尔辛基不仅是芬兰首都， 同时也是这个国家的最大城市。Section B Aurora BorealisThe aurora is a widespread curtain-like coloured glow in the upper atmosphere. In the Arctic circle, the aurora appears as a ring-shapedglow, like a

23、halo （晕）,over the northern point of Scandinavia, theSiberian coast, Alaska, northern Canada, and the southern tip of Greenland.This glow is caused by high-energy electrons colliding with oxygen atoms and nitrogen （氮）molecules. The basic process is the same as that of a neon sign （广告霓虹灯）,which involv

24、es a vacuum （真空）and a high voltage （电压）electrical discharge （放 电）.The electric power is generated by a combination of the solar wind, a hot ionized（电离）gas blowing out from the sun, and the Earthsmagnetic field. Scientifically, the Aurora occurs when the Earths magnetic field collides with the solar

25、wind coming from the Sun, causing a transfer of energy that creates the northern hemisphere to glow, specifically around the Poles. This produces more than 1,000 times the electrical power of the worlds largest power plant.The eruptions are loosely tied to the solar activity cycle, which lasts about

26、 11 years. The largest 饨理相小狐地球上的）effects tend to happen when activity is at its maximum and in the years following maximums. However, large disturbances can happen at any part of the cycle.In addition, the occurrence of auroras still depends on the latitude of the observer. The Aurora Lights form an

27、 oval band around the magnetic poles of the earth. At a distance about 2500 km from these poles, the probability for seeing auroras is almost 100 %.The Northern Lights have several colourful variations （变差）.The combination of yellows, pinks and greens are created by oxygen molecules that are found 6

28、0 miles above the earths atmosphere, whilst the blue and the combination of blue and purple is produced by nitrogen, and the rarest of all auroras, the red, is a product of high-altitude oxygen found 200 miles above Earths atmosphere.One of the most wondrous （奇妙的）features of the aurora is its specta

29、cular movement, as it swirls （弯曲盘旋）rapidly over the whole sky. This phenomenon is called the auroral substorm （磁层亚暴）.The movement is caused by changes in both the electric and magnetic fields in the space around the earth. Changes in the fields are caused by solar eruptions called solar flares. We a

30、re still far from understanding the chain of processes that lead to the auroral substorm.The prediction of the occurrence of auroras is difficult but we do have some success. There are two kinds of Northern Lights prediction: statistical and real-time ones. The former is based on a large amount of o

31、bservations of Northern Lights at different latitudes during several years. From these statistics we can say what is the probability of the occurrence of Northern Lights during the course of year.According to the statistics compiled（搜 集）by the Finnish Meteorological （气象的）Institute, four nights out o

32、f five are illuminated （照亮）by Northern Lights in Northern Lapland, providing that the sky is free enough from clouds. On the coast of the Arctic Ocean in North Norway one can see Northern Lights almost every night. Even in South Finland, say Helsinki, one can see them but much more seldom; in Helsin

33、ki only one night out of 20.The latter prediction is based on a space-weather monitoring system either by ground-based devices or satellites watching the space-weather conditions around the earth. When the monitoring devices, such as magnetometers （地磁仪）or particle detectors （检波器） in a satellite, show certain deviations （偏差）from the norm