Section B In this section, there is one passage
followed by a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summary below
by choosing no more than three words from the passage. Remember to write the
answers on the answer sheet.
Just like the Moon in a solar eclipse, the planet Venus will
impose itself for a few brief hours exactly between the Earth and the Sun. But
instead of blocking out the Sun, as the Moon does, Venus will only appear as a
small black dot against the face of the Sun. This is because Venus is so much
further away from us than the Moon. The 2004 transit of Venus
will be visible in its entirety from Europe, Africa and Asia. Australians can
watch the first part of the transit, but it will be after sunset when Venus
completes its journey across the disk of the Sun. New Zealanders will have to
content themselves with webcasts, as the transit for them begins after the Sun
has set. Although less spectacular than a lunar eclipse, the
transit of Venus is far more unusual. It also has particular significance for
Australians because it led to the first British exploration" of the east coast,
by none other than Captain James Cook. The reason why transits
of Venus are so uncommon is that Earth and Venus orbit the Sun in slightly
different planes. This difference, about 3.4 degrees, combined with the fact
that Earth has a slower orbit than Venus, means that the two planets align with
the Sun only twice (eight years apart) every 121.5 or 105.5 years.
When to see the transit
Times for major Australian cities-June 8,2004
Where
First contact with
Sun(Venus touches edge)
Second contact with
Sun(Venus inside disk)
Sunset
Adelaide
Brisbane
Canberra
Darwin
Hobart
Melbourne
Perth
Sydney
2:38 pm
3:07 pm
3:08 pm
2:39 pm
3:08 pm
3:08 pm
1:10 pm
3:07 pm
2:57 pm
3:26 pm
3:26 pm
2:58 pm
3:26 pm
3:26 pm
1:28 pm
3:26 pm
5:11 pm
5:00 pm
4:58 pm
6:28 pm
4:43 Pm
5:07 pm
5:19 pm
4:53 pm
All times in local time. Source: Astronomical Society of
Australia
Safe viewing: The Astronomical Society of Australia suggests a simple method
of viewing, using a small telescope or pair of binoculars. Use
the telescope or binoculars to project the image onto a piece of white paper or
card. With your back to the Sun, aim the telescope towards the paper (use the
shadow of the scope as a guide). The paper should be about 20cm behind the
eyepiece of the telescope. Focus the image onto the card. Venus will appear as a
black spot about 1/33rd the width of the Sun, and should be easily seen.
Warning: Never observe the Sun with the
naked eye or through a telescope, camera or other optical device as this can
cause almost instant blindness. SUMMARY: The transit of the Venus is a rare scene. It happens twice
every 121.5 or 105.5 years, with an interval of (51) years
between the two. There are good reasons for its rareness. First, the Venus
orbits the Sun in a different (52) to the Earth’s. The
difference is (53) degrees. Second, the Earth orbits
(54) than the Venus, which decides that the two planets
align with the Sun twice in a long period. Although the Venus transit is less
spectacular than a lunar eclipse, it is more (55) , and it
has particular significance to Australians, and is very much worth
viewing.