New EST practice four M3

Passage 1

Earth orbits the Sun yearly; the Moon orbits Earth every 27 days.
Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted ~5°, eclipses don’t happen every month.
Each year has 2–7 eclipses:

• Solar eclipses are more numerous (up to 5, but usually 2–4).
• Lunar eclipses max at 3—and some years have none.

Lunar eclipses are visible from anywhere on Earth’s night side; solar eclipses are only visible in a narrow path.

Eclipses repeat every 18 years (the Saros cycle)—about 70 per cycle (41 solar, 29 lunar).

Passage 1

Earth orbits the Sun yearly; the Moon orbits Earth every 27 days.
Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted ~5°, eclipses don’t happen every month.
Each year has 2–7 eclipses:

• Solar eclipses are more numerous (up to 5, but usually 2–4).
• Lunar eclipses max at 3—and some years have none.

Lunar eclipses are visible from anywhere on Earth’s night side; solar eclipses are only visible in a narrow path.

Eclipses repeat every 18 years (the Saros cycle)—about 70 per cycle (41 solar, 29 lunar).

passage 2

The Sun moves eastward among the stars along a path called the Zodiac—a great circle tilted across the celestial equator, marked by animal-named constellations. Its north-south shift causes seasons: northern summer when the Sun is farthest north, southern summer when farthest south

.

passage 2

The Sun moves eastward among the stars along a path called the Zodiac—a great circle tilted across the celestial equator, marked by animal-named constellations. Its north-south shift causes seasons: northern summer when the Sun is farthest north, southern summer when farthest south

.

Passage 3

 Two artists argued over a half-finished landscape. Lina, the realist, pointed to the horizon. “The sky is pale today—almost washed out. If you paint it deep blue, you’re lying to the light.” Omar dipped his brush into ultramarine anyway. “I’m not copying weather,” he said. “I’m painting feeling. The town looks tired; the sky should carry weight.” Lina mixed a thin gray and swept it across the canvas. “Subtlety makes the fields breathe.” Omar added violet near the clouds. “Boldness makes them speak.” They stepped back, and the sky seemed to choose between honesty and desire.

Passage 4

(1) Maya wanted to start a small herb garden on her balcony, but she wasn’t sure where to begin.
(2) She first measured the amount of sunlight the space received each day.
(3) For example, basil and rosemary usually need several hours of direct sun to grow well.
(4) After that, she chose plants that matched those conditions and bought pots with drainage holes.
(5) Within a few weeks, the balcony smelled fresh whenever she opened the door.

Passage 5

In his seminal 1978 treatise on geopolitical stratagems, which was controversially lauded by several authoritarian regimes for its unflinching realism, Professor Alistair Vance argues—drawing upon Machiavellian principles, Byzantine historical precedents, and his own contentious fieldwork in conflict zones—that the stability of a state is inversely proportional to the transparency of its diplomatic machinations, a claim that ignited furious debate in academic circles and beyond.

Passage 6

[1] (12)While birds are often associated with simple instinct, a crow’s memory is a sophisticated tool that goes far beyond finding food caches. [2] They have demonstrated an ability to remember specific human faces over a period of years, [13] recalls complex sequences of actions, and even seem to hold grudges. [4] Remarkably, this facial recognition is not just a vague sense of familiarity; research shows crows can communicate details about a “dangerous” person to other crows, a phenomenon akin to a primitive warning system. [5] This social learning and transmission of information through vocalizations suggest that their memory is not purely individualistic but forms the bedrock of a dynamic group culture. [6] A clever corvid was observed carefully placing walnuts on a crosswalk, waiting for cars to crack them open, and then safely retrieving the nutmeat when the light changed.

Passage 7

It should not pass unnoticed in this connection that the common pendulum and the spring-operated balance wheel of a clock are not the only systems governed by the principle of regular, repeating motion. It is true that the latter have long been understood for their utility in timekeeping, their oscillations providing a stable period from which seconds and minutes can be reliably measured. However, this rhythmic exchange of potential and kinetic energy manifests far beyond horology; the same governing mathematics can be found in the vibration of a guitar string producing a musical note, the predictable fluctuation of an electrical current in a radio circuit, and even the circadian rhythms that regulate life itself. To classify oscillation merely as a mechanical convenience is to overlook its fundamental role as a structural pattern of the physical and biological world.

Passage 8

As we survey the landscape of the 20th century, we must observe more closely the features of the automotive revolution. [16] It was not merely a new machine but a new social principle, a force that abruptly bounded the old world of rural isolation and [17] transformed the very geography of daily life. Before its arrival, the automobile was a winding, serpentine luxury, curving its way only through the lives of the wealthy, but the Model T cut a straight and democratic path, inclining more toward the needs of the common farmer and clerk, leaving the greater impact on [18] the fabric of American society.

Passage 8

As we survey the landscape of the 20th century, we must observe more closely the features of the automotive revolution. [16] It was not merely a new machine but a new social principle, a force that abruptly bounded the old world of rural isolation and [17] transformed the very geography of daily life. Before its arrival, the automobile was a winding, serpentine luxury, curving its way only through the lives of the wealthy, but the Model T cut a straight and democratic path, inclining more toward the needs of the common farmer and clerk, leaving the greater impact on [18] the fabric of American society.

Passage 9

A few words are still necessary as to the formation of metallic alloys. The atoms of certain [19] metals, when combined with others, build themselves into new, stronger, and more useful [20] materials, brass, steel, and bronze are all examples of this alloying power. The metal zinc shows it in a particularly versatile manner, and when properly combined with copper, it creates the durable and malleable alloy known as brass. Zinc also serves as a crucial protective coating for iron and steel, a process called galvanization, where it sacrifices itself to corrosion, thereby shielding the underlying metal.

Passage 10

The paleontologist, for that was his profession, led the tour at once to the fossil hall of ancient mammals. As we passed through the exhibits, I could not but notice how strange, though logical, were the skeletal forms of the early cetaceans, [21] so different in structure and habitat from what we see nowadays in the graceful leviathans of our modern oceans. Many as are the transitional fossils I have studied in the line of my research, I [22] had never confronted such a clear and monumental series of evolutionary steps before.

Passage 11

A History of a Remedy

For thousands of years, humanity was to suffer another fever or another ache without its most versatile chemical ally. The predecessors of modern pharmacology left the body to its own painful devices, and it was only by the slow accumulation of herbal wisdom that ancient civilizations learned to know of the willow bark that held the key to their relief. But there grew up a widespread use of this natural remedy across cultures: the substance was brewed into teas to soothe inflammation and pain, and noted physicians like Hippocrates more than once documented its use to ease the suffering of their patients.

Passage 12

The Modern Plume: Its Source, Its Journey, and Its Effects

At some distance from the industrial smokestacks, a large number of chemical compounds from the combustion of coal and fuel are released into the atmosphere and converge within the same weather systems. Prevailing winds and weather patterns at the same time transport this polluted air over hundreds of miles before depositing it in a common form. This acidic precipitation, arriving daily from distant industrial regions, then falls upon forests, lakes, and cities far from its origin.