Question

Usually, the Full Moon shines brightly all night long, lighting homes, trees, cities, and fields. Sometimes, though, a strange event happens. The Full Moon turns dark in a lunar eclipse. Lunar means ¡°about the Moon¡±, and an eclipse is a blocking(ÕÚ±Î) of light.

A lunar eclipse often impresses people so much because the Moon is bright and nearby. It is the closest heavenly body(ÌìÌå) to Earth. When the Moon turns dark, we notice! It¡¯s closer to us than Mars or any other planet, and closer than the Sun or any other star. On average, the Moon is 239,000 miles away from Earth¡¯s center. The Sun is almost 400 times farther.

What causes a lunar eclipse? The first key is that the Sun makes light, but the Moon doesn¡¯t. When you see the Moon shining at night, you¡¯re seeing sunlight bouncing off(·´Éä) the Moon.

The second key is that the Moon, which is smaller than Earth, goes around us about once a month. Once a month, the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. Then the Sun fully lights the side of the Moon that we see. We call this event a Full Moon. That¡¯s when the Moon shines brightest.

The third key is that, during a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the way. When you go outside on a sunny day, your body blocks some of the sunlight and casts a shadow(ͶÉäÓ°×Ó) over things that lie on the opposite side of you from the Sun. Earth also casts a shadow, and sometimes it falls on the Moon. Then we have a lunar eclipse.

A lunar eclipse happens only during a Full Moon, since that¡¯s the only time when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Usually, though, there¡¯s no eclipse because the Full Moon passes above or below Earth¡¯s shadow.

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The article introduces ¡°lunar eclipse¡± to us. First it tells us the 1. of ¡°lunar eclipse¡±. Then it explains why people love watching a moon eclipse. On one hand, the changing of its 2. catches people¡¯s attention. On the other hand, it¡¯s easier for people to enjoy a moon eclipse because among the 3., the moon is the closest to the earth.

At last, the article shows three keys cause a lunar eclipse. The first key is that the sunlight is seen bouncing off the Moon at night. The second key is that there should be a full Moon. The third key is that the 4. casts a shadow over the moon. In a word, a lunar eclipse happens only during a Full Moon, since that¡¯s the only time when the Sun, the earth and the Moon are in a 5..

Answer 1