Level 1 · Reading series
Lesson 50 · A Postcard from a Midnight Sun
Audio track 50
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Dear Aki,
I am in northern Finland. It is nearly midnight, but the sky stays bright. The sun is low near the horizon. This is the midnight sun.
In summer, places north of the Arctic Circle can have days when the sun does not set. The long hours of light are amazing, but I use a sleep mask at night. Winter is very different.
Earth’s tilt changes how much sunlight each area receives at each time of year.
See you soon,
Leo
Sentence practice
Play any sentence in Dicvo’s Jenny English voice. Before playing all, choose how many times each sentence plays. A practice pause about as long as the sentence follows each play, including before the next sentence. The complete reading remains above.
Choose a sentence to begin.
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Dear Aki,
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I am in northern Finland.
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It is nearly midnight, but the sky stays bright.
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The sun is low near the horizon.
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This is the midnight sun.
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In summer, places north of the Arctic Circle can have days when the sun does not set.
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The long hours of light are amazing, but I use a sleep mask at night.
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Winter is very different.
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Earth’s tilt changes how much sunlight each area receives at each time of year.
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See you soon, Leo.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
亲爱的 Aki：
我现在在芬兰北部。快到午夜了，天空却仍然明亮。太阳低低地挂在地平线附近。这就是‘午夜太阳’。
夏天，北极圈以北的地方，有些日子太阳不会落下。漫长的白昼令人惊叹，不过我晚上得戴眼罩才能睡着。冬天就很不一样了。
地轴的倾斜，使各地在一年中的不同时期接收到的阳光有所变化。
回头见， Leo
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- northern
- 北方的；北部的。
- stay bright
- 保持明亮。
- horizon
- 地平线；海上也可指水平线。
- midnight sun
- 午夜太阳；极昼期间午夜仍可见的太阳。
- summer
- 夏天。
- Arctic Circle
- 北极圈。
- amazing
- 令人惊叹的。
- sleep mask
- 眼罩；睡眠眼罩。
- winter
- 冬天。
- time of year
- 一年中的某个时段。
Background notes (Chinese)
北极圈以北，夏天会有一段太阳不落山的时期，越往北持续越久。冬天则可能有太阳不升起的日子。这是地轴倾斜带来的季节变化，并非地球与太阳距离的变化造成的。
资料来源：Visit Finland 关于‘午夜太阳’的介绍；NOAA/NASA 季节科普资料。