今天是四年一遇的日子
2月29日，四年一遇，你在哪，做什么呢？还有，四年前的你呢？
🤔️小作业：
1. What discrepancy does the leap year compensate for?
A) The difference between the lunar and solar calendars
B) The variation in the Earth's rotational speed
C) The additional quarter of a day it takes for Earth to orbit the sun
D) The misalignment of the Earth's magnetic poles
A) The ancient societies in Egypt and China
B) The Roman Empire
C) Pope Gregory XIII
D) The creators of the Hebrew calendar
无注释原文：
What is a leap day? All about Feb. 29, on the calendar every 4 years.
From: The Wall Street Journal
If you look at your calendar this week, you will see an unusual date: Feb. 29. That's because 2024 is what's known as a leap year — and while those in the Northern Hemisphere might not be thrilled to learn they'll have to face an extra day of winter, there's actually an important scientific reason leap years exist. Here's what to know.
What is a leap year?
A leap year takes place roughly every four years, when an extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar, making the total duration of that year 366, not 365, days. The extra day is added at the end of the month of February. Feb. 29 is known as leap day.
How are leap days celebrated?
It's not an official holiday in the United States. But in parts of the world, leap days are not treated as regular ol' days: In Ireland, for example, women are encouraged to propose to their partners on leap days, flipping traditional gender roles. In parts of China, children give their parents gifts. In some countries, leap days are popular days for weddings.
Fun fact: Some other major events that occur every four years — like the U.S. presidential elections and the Summer Olympics — also typically take place during leap years.
Why do leap years exist?
Leap years happen because of a “mismatch between the calendar year and Earth's orbit,” according to NASA. While we think of one year as lasting 365 days, it actually takes a little longer — approximately 365 days and 6 hours — for the Earth to orbit the sun. That extra quarter of a day has to go somewhere, so around every four years, we add 24 hours — or four times six hours — to the calendar.
As The Washington Post reported, leap days are what keep our seasons and our calendars in sync — which, in turn, makes it possible for farmers to grow crops and for humans to celebrate religious and other holidays around the same time each year. Shauna Edson, an astronomy educator at the National Air and Space Museum, previously told The Post that without them, our calendars would be ahead of the Earth's orbit by a day every four years, amounting to 24 days each century. This means that, slowly but surely, our seasons and solstices would occur at vastly different times than we are used to. “At first, we might not notice,” Edson said. “But there eventually would be a time that we'd be celebrating the Fourth of July and it'd be snowing.”
Who came up with leap day?
According to the National Geographic, the mismatch between human calendars and the orbit of the Earth and the sun caused “chaos” for centuries, leading ancient societies in Egypt and China, and later the Roman Empire, to come up with workarounds. But nothing quite worked — until Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar and its leap-year system.
Not everyone uses the Gregorian calendar, and some cultures have come up with different ways to account for the extra time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun. The Hebrew calendar, for example, has an extra month on certain years within a 19-year period, to ensure that religious holidays align with solar seasons.
What happens if you were born on a leap day?
If you were born on a leap day, fear not — you do not enter a magical time-warp, and you still get to celebrate your birthday each year. “Leaplings,” as babies born on Feb. 29 are sometimes known, can simply choose to celebrate their birthday on March 1 on non-leap years. If that's you, happy (slightly late) birthday!
- ◆ -
注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考
含注释全文：
What is a leap day? All about Feb. 29, on the calendar every 4 years.
From: The Wall Street Journal
If you look at your calendar this week, you will see an unusual date: Feb. 29. That's because 2024 is what's known as a leap year — and while those in the Northern Hemisphere might not be thrilled to learn they'll have to face an extra day of winter, there's actually an important scientific reason leap years exist. Here's what to know.
如果你翻看本周的日历，你会发现一个不同寻常的日子：2月29日。这是因为2024年是所谓的闰年——尽管北半球的人们可能不太高兴，因为他们将不得不面对多一天的冬日，但实际上闰年的存在有其重要的科学依据。以下是关于闰年你需要了解的知识。
leap year
leap year /ˈliːp ˌjɪər/ 表示“闰年”，英文解释为“a year that happens every four years and has an extra day on 29 February”
leap /liːp/ 作名词，表示“跳，跳跃；突然的动作”，英文解释为“a large jump or sudden movement”举个🌰：With one leap he crossed the stream. 他一跃跳过了小溪。
hemisphere
hemisphere /ˈhem.ɪ.sfɪər/ 表示“半球”，英文解释为“A hemisphere is one half of the earth.”如：the northern hemisphere 北半球，the southern hemisphere 南半球，the depletion of the ozone layer in the northern hemisphere 北半球臭氧层的消耗。
📍词根“hemi-”表示“半”，“-sphere”来自希腊语“sphaira”，表示“球体”。想象地球被分为北半球和南半球。近义词：half-sphere（半球），同根词：hemispherical（半球形的），常用短语：across the hemisphere（横跨半球）
thrilled
thrilled /θrɪld/ 表示“狂喜的；非常兴奋；极为激动”，英文解释为“If someone is thrilled, they are extremely happy and excited about something.”举个🌰：He was thrilled at the prospect of seeing her again. 他一想到将要再次见到她便欣喜若狂。
What is a leap year? 什么是闰年？
A leap year takes place roughly every four years, when an extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar, making the total duration of that year 366, not 365, days. The extra day is added at the end of the month of February. Feb. 29 is known as leap day.
闰年大约每四年发生一次，格列高利历（公历）上会多出一天，使该年的总天数从365天变为366天。多出来的一天是在2月底。2月29日被称为闰日。
the Gregorian calendar
the Gregorian calendar /ɡrɪˌɡɔː.ri.ən ˈkæl.ɪn.dər/ 表示“格列高利历，公历，阳历”，英文解释为“the system used in many parts of the world to divide the 365 days of the year into weeks and months, and to number the years”
How are leap days celebrated? 闰日有何庆祝方式？
It's not an official holiday in the United States. But in parts of the world, leap days are not treated as regular ol' days: In Ireland, for example, women are encouraged to propose to their partners on leap days, flipping traditional gender roles. In parts of China, children give their parents gifts. In some countries, leap days are popular days for weddings.
在美国，闰日并非法定节假日。但在世界上的部分地区，人们以特殊的方式庆祝着闰日：例如，在爱尔兰，人们鼓励女性在闰日向伴侣求婚，颠覆了传统的性别角色。在中国的部分地区，孩子们会给父母送礼物。在一些国家，闰日成为举行婚礼的热门日子。
ol'
ol'是old的非正式缩写形式，常用于口语和非正式写作中，给语句增添一种亲切、轻松或怀旧的感觉。
在这个表达regular ol' days中，ol'被用来强调这些日子是平凡的、普通的，没有什么特别之处，可以翻译为“普通的日子”或“平凡的旧日子”，用来形容那些与众不同、特殊的日子相对的普通日子。
📍good ol' days也是一个非常常见的英语表达，用来怀念过去的美好时光，指那些被认为比现在更简单、更快乐或更纯真的旧日子，可以翻译为“美好的旧时光”或“过去的好日子”，表达一种对过去的怀念和赞美。
propose
propose /prəˈpəʊz/ 作动词，除了表示“提议，建议”，此处表示向某人“求婚”，英文解释为“to ask someone to marry you, especially in a formal way”举个🌰：KangKang proposed to Jane three years after they met. 他们相识三年后，康康就向简求婚了。
📍名词形式proposal：an act of formally asking sb to marry you 求婚，也可以说make a proposal
flip
flip /flɪp/ 1）表示“投掷（尤指硬币）”，英文解释为“If you flip something, especially a coin, you use your thumb to make it turn over and over, as it goes through the air.”举个🌰：I pulled a coin from my pocket and flipped it. 我从口袋里掏出一枚硬币，把它投掷出去。
2）表示“翻动，转动”，英文解释为“If something flips over, or if you flip it over or into a different position, it moves or is moved into a different position.”举个🌰：The plane then flipped over and burst into flames. 这时飞机翻了个个儿，接着就燃烧了起来。
Fun fact: Some other major events that occur every four years — like the U.S. presidential elections and the Summer Olympics — also typically take place during leap years.
有趣的是，一些其他每四年举行一次的重大活动——例如美国总统选举和夏季奥运会——也通常在闰年进行。
Why do leap years exist? 为什么会有闰年?
Leap years happen because of a “mismatch between the calendar year and Earth's orbit,” according to NASA. While we think of one year as lasting 365 days, it actually takes a little longer — approximately 365 days and 6 hours — for the Earth to orbit the sun. That extra quarter of a day has to go somewhere, so around every four years, we add 24 hours — or four times six hours — to the calendar.
根据美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的说法，闰年的出现是因为“日历年和地球轨道不匹配”。虽然我们认为一年的时间是365天，但实际上地球绕太阳运行的时间更长一些，大约为365天零6小时。这多出来的四分之一天总得有个去处，所以大约每四年，我们就会在日历上增加24个小时，即4乘以6个小时。
orbit
orbit /ˈɔː.bɪt/ 作名词，1）表示“（天体等运行的）轨道”，英文解释为“a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc.”
2）表示“（人、组织等的）影响范围，势力范围”，英文解释为“an area that a particular person, organization, etc. deals with or is able to influence”如：to come/fall/be within sb's orbit 进入/落入/属于某人的势力范围。
作动词，表示“绕轨道运行，沿轨道围绕（行星或恒星）运行”，英文解释为“to follow a curved path around a planet or star”举个🌰：On this mission the Shuttle will orbit (the Earth) at a height of several hundred miles. 此次任务中，这架航天飞机将在距地面数百英里的高空绕（地球）轨道运行。
📍词根“orb-”来自拉丁语“orbis”，意味着“圆”，表示物体围绕中心点的路径。近义词：path（路径），同根词：orbital（轨道的），常用短语：enter into orbit（进入轨道）
times
times /taɪmz/ 表示“乘，乘以”，英文解释为“multiplied by”举个🌰：Two times two equals four (2 × 2 = 4). 2乘2等于4。
📍multiply作动词，表示“乘”（If you multiply one number by another, you add the first number to itself as many times as is indicated by the second number. For example 2 multiplied by 3 is equal to 6.）举个🌰：What do you get if you multiply four by six? 4乘以6得多少？
As The Washington Post reported, leap days are what keep our seasons and our calendars in sync — which, in turn, makes it possible for farmers to grow crops and for humans to celebrate religious and other holidays around the same time each year. Shauna Edson, an astronomy educator at the National Air and Space Museum, previously told The Post that without them, our calendars would be ahead of the Earth's orbit by a day every four years, amounting to 24 days each century. This means that, slowly but surely, our seasons and solstices would occur at vastly different times than we are used to. “At first, we might not notice,” Edson said. “But there eventually would be a time that we'd be celebrating the Fourth of July and it'd be snowing.”
如《华盛顿邮报》（The Washington Post）所述，闰日使我们的季节与日历保持同步，这反过来又使农民能在每年相同的时间种植作物，人们能在每年相同的时间庆祝宗教节日和其他节日。美国国家航空航天博物馆（National Air and Space Museum）天文教育家肖娜·埃德森（Shauna Edson）曾对《华盛顿邮报》表示，如果没有闰日，我们的日历每四年就会比地球绕太阳的运行时间快1天，每个世纪快24天。这就意味着，我们的季节和至日将，慢慢地且必然，与我们习惯的时间大相径庭。“一开始，我们可能不会注意到，”埃德森说。“但总有一天我们会在庆祝7月4日美国独立日时，天却下起了雪。”
sync
sync /sɪŋk/ 可以作名词，相当于synchronization的非正式说法，也可以作动词，表示“（使）同步；（使）同时发生”，英文解释为“to arrange for two or more things to happen at exactly the same time, or to happen at the same time or in the same way as something else”举个🌰：The hardest part was syncing the music to the video. 最难的部分就是使音乐和图像同步。
类似的：
📍synchronize /ˈsɪŋkrəˌnaɪz/表示“（使）同时发生，（使）同步”，英文解释为“to happen at exactly the same time, or to arrange for two or more actions to happen at exactly the same time”举个🌰：Synchronize the score with the film action. 让配乐和电影动作同步。
📍其中的score，熟词僻义，表示“乐谱”（a written or printed copy of a piece of music, especially for a large group of performers, or the music itself），如：a musical score 乐谱。
astronomy
astronomy /əˈstrɒn.ə.mi/ 表示“天文学”，英文解释为“the scientific study of the universe and of objects that exist naturally in space, such as the moon, the sun, planets, and stars”
📍词根“astr-”来自希腊语“astron”，意味着“星星”，“-nomy”来自“nomos”，意味着“法则”，整体表示“研究星星的法则”。近义词：cosmology（宇宙学），同根词：astronomical（天文的），常用短语：study astronomy（研究天文学）
amount to sth
1）表示“（数量上）达到，总计”，英文解释为“if figures, sums etc amount to a particular total, they equal that total when they are added together”举个🌰：Time lost through illness amounted to 12 working days. 因疾病而损失的时间总计为12个工作日。
2）表示“等于，相当于”，英文解释为“if an attitude, remark, situation etc amounts to something, it has the same effect”举个🌰：The court's decision amounts to a not guilty verdict. 法庭的裁决等于是宣判无罪。
solstice
☀️solstice /ˈsɒlstɪs/ 表示“至（点）；（夏或冬）至”，英文解释为“either of the two times of the year at which the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at midday, marked by the longest and shortest days”
☀️Winter Solstice 冬至，Summer Solstice 夏至，Spring Equinox 春分，Autumn Equinox 秋分
☀️词根“sol-”来自拉丁语“sol”，意味着“太阳”，“-stice”来自“sistere”，意味着“站立，停留”，整体表示太阳在天空中的“静止”状态，引申为夏至或冬至。近义词：equinox（昼夜平分点），同根词：solar（太阳的），常用短语：celebrate the solstice（庆祝至日）
☀️和“至”有关的就是“分”了，equinox /ˈiːkwɪˌnɒks, ˈɛk-/ 表示“昼夜平分日；指春分或秋分”，英文解释为“An equinox is one of the two days in the year when day and night are of equal length.”举个🌰：In the Chinese calendar, the Spring Equinox always occurs in the second month. 在中国历法中，春分总是出现在二月份。
Who came up with leap day? 谁发明了闰日？
According to the National Geographic, the mismatch between human calendars and the orbit of the Earth and the sun caused “chaos” for centuries, leading ancient societies in Egypt and China, and later the Roman Empire, to come up with workarounds. But nothing quite worked — until Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar and its leap-year system.
据《国家地理》（National Geographic）报道，人类历法与地球及太阳公转周期不匹配的问题，几个世纪以来一直引起“混乱”，促使古埃及、中国古代社会，以及后来的罗马帝国试图找到解决方案。但直到教宗格列高利十三世（Pope Gregory XIII）引入了格列高利历及其闰年制度，这一问题才得到了真正的解决。
句子仿写
📍According to the National Geographic, the mismatch between human calendars and the orbit of the Earth and the sun caused “chaos” for centuries, leading ancient societies in Egypt and China, and later the Roman Empire, to come up with workarounds.
📍According to recent studies, the discrepancy between the educational system's expectations and students' actual learning capacities has led to 'stress' for decades, prompting educators in countries like Finland and Japan, and more recently the United States, to seek innovative teaching methods. 根据最近的研究，教育系统的期望与学生实际学习能力之间的差异导致了几十年的“压力”，这促使像芬兰和日本这样的国家的教育者，以及最近的美国，寻求创新的教学方法。
workaround
workaround /ˈwɜː.kə.raʊnd/ 表示“变通办法，替代办法”，英文解释为“a way of dealing with a problem or making something work despite the problem, without completely solving it”举个🌰：The software still has a few glitches but we've come up with a workaround. 这个软件还是有一些小故障，但是我们已经想出了一个变通办法。
📍由“work”（工作）和“around”（绕过）组成，直接表示找到一个方法“绕过”问题进行“工作”。近义词：solution（解决方案），常用短语：develop a workaround（开发一个变通方法）
implement
implement /ˈɪm.plɪ.ment/ 表示“执行；贯彻；实施”英文解释为“to take action or make changes that you have officially decided should happen”举个🌰：A nine year compulsory education is implemented in China. 中国实行九年制义务教育。
📍词根“-plement”来自拉丁语“plere”，意味着“填满”，前缀“im-”表示“向内”，整体表示“填充”或“执行”以完成某事。近义词：execute（执行），同根词：implementation（实施），常用短语：implement a plan（实施一个计划）
Not everyone uses the Gregorian calendar, and some cultures have come up with different ways to account for the extra time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun. The Hebrew calendar, for example, has an extra month on certain years within a 19-year period, to ensure that religious holidays align with solar seasons.
并非所有人都采用格列高利历，有些文化想出了不同的方法来计算地球绕太阳运行所需的额外时间。例如，希伯来历在19年一个周期内的某些年份会增加一个月份，以确保宗教节日与阳历季节保持一致。
align
align /əˈlaɪn/ 1）表示“排整齐；校准；（尤指）使成一条直线”，英文解释为“to arrange sth in the correct position, or to be in the correct position, in relation to sth else, especially in a straight line”举个🌰：Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard. 务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。
2）表示“使一致”，英文解释为“to change sth slightly so that it is in the correct relationship to sth else”举个🌰：Prices have been aligned with those in world markets. 价格已调整到与世界市场一致。
What happens if you were born on a leap day? 如果你出生在闰日会怎么样?
If you were born on a leap day, fear not — you do not enter a magical time-warp, and you still get to celebrate your birthday each year. “Leaplings,” as babies born on Feb. 29 are sometimes known, can simply choose to celebrate their birthday on March 1 on non-leap years. If that's you, happy (slightly late) birthday!
如果你出生在闰日，不用担心——你不会进入任何魔幻的时空隧道，你仍然可以每年庆祝自己的生日。2月29日出生的婴儿有时被称为“闰儿”，他们可以选择在非闰年的3月1日庆祝生日。如果你是这样的人，祝你（稍微迟了一点的）生日快乐！
fear not
Fear not可以单独成句，表示不要害怕，不要担心的意思，用于安慰或鼓励他人；相当于Never fear，别担心！举个🌰：Never fear! I'll take good care of her. 别担心！我会好好照顾她的。
time warp
time warp /ˈtaɪm ˌwɔːp/ 表示“（幻想一个历史阶段的人物和事件存在于另一个历史阶段的）时间异常，时间错位”，英文解释为“the idea of a change in the measurement of time, in which people and events from one part of history are imagined as existing in another part”
📍由“time”（时间）和“warp”（扭曲）组成，表示时间感觉上的“扭曲”或“漩涡”，使人感觉回到过去或未来。近义词：time travel（时间旅行），常用短语：experience a time warp（经历时间扭曲）
📍be/live in a time warp 表示“（行为或意见等）老式的，过时的，守旧的”，英文解释为“to be old-fashioned in your behaviour or opinions”举个🌰：He's living in a time warp - he even wears a suit to work! 他好像还生活在过去——居然穿西装去上班。
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