The North Star

北极星

Among the multitude of stars in the universe, there are a couple that are of great importance to people on Earth. The sun, of course, is one of them. The other is known as Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is special because it is the only star that always appears to be in the same place in the sky. Therefore, Polaris is a great compass. When people in the northern hemisphere of Earth look toward Polaris, they can be certain that they are facing north. The permanence of Polaris in the north sky has helped countless people find their destinations.

在宇宙众多的恒星中，有几颗对地球来说非常重要。当然，太阳就是其中之一。另一个就是北极星。北极星很特别，因为它是天空中唯一一颗总是出现在同一个地方的星星。因此，它是一个伟大的指南针。当北半球的人们仰望北极星时，他们可以确定自己是面向北方的。北极星在北方天空的永久性帮助无数人找到方向。

Before the invention of modern navigation tools, mariners relied on Polaris. From the top of their hulls, sailors would look for Polaris to figure out their place at sea. They figured out the angle between the star and the horizon to determine their latitude. As long as the equations weren't erroneous, the results were very reliable. Polaris also let sailors determine North, South, East, and West. By knowing directions and their location, mariners could easily navigate their ships.

在现代导航工具发明之前，水手们依靠北极星确定方向。水手们会站在桅杆端部寻找北极星，以确定他们在海上的位置。他们算出北极星与地平线之间的夹角，以确定纬度。只要方程不出错，结果就很可靠。“北极星”还能让水手们分辨东西南北。知道方向和位置，海员们的航行就不是难事了。

To those who sail at night, volatile storms and dark clouds were more than nuisances. They could disrupt entire journeys by blocking the view of Polaris. A captain could err and make an inadvertent wrong turn.The ship could become stranded at sea, and the frantic captain would have no way to improvise to get the ship back on the right course. The mariner's fears wouldn't be soothed until the clouds cleared and Polaris came back into view. Even today, sailors sometimes opt to navigate by using Polaris on clear nights.

对于那些在夜间航行的人来说，剧烈的风暴和乌云带来的不仅仅是麻烦。它们会挡住北极星，从而扰乱整个旅程，会导致船长粗心地转错弯。这艘船可能会在海上搁浅，而狂乱的船长也没有办法让船回到正确的航线上。直到乌云散去，北极星重新出现在视野中，水手的恐惧才会得到缓解。即使在今天，水手们有时也选择在晴朗的夜晚使用北极星导航。

It's not difficult to differentiate Polaris from other stars. The Big Dipper, a constellation that is well known in astrology, appears to revolve around Polaris. The handle of the Big Dipper always points to the North Star. When people get lost, it's comforting to know that their problems can be alleviated by looking at the sky.

要区别北极星与其他恒星并不难。北斗七星是占星术中著名的星座，它围绕着北极星旋转。北斗七星的把手总是指向北极星。人们迷路时只要仰望天空就能解决问题，这还是令人欣慰的。

核心单词表

alleviate v. 减轻

astrology n. 占星

differentiate vi. 区分

disrupt v. 破坏

equation n. 方程式

err v. 犯错

erroneous adj.错误的

frantic adj.狂乱的

hull n. 船体

inadvertent adj.疏忽的

improvise v. 即兴创作

latitude n. 纬度

mariner n. 水手

multitude n. 大量

nuisance n. 讨厌的人

permanence n. 持久

revolve v. 细想

soothe v. 安慰

stranded adj.陷于困境的

volatile adj.不稳定的

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