今天為什麼變短了？跟著科學新聞一起學英文！

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 Warm-up Questions 
 

1. How long do you think a day usually lasts on Earth?
    
2. Can the Earth’s rotation speed change? Why or why not?
    
3. What effects could a faster spinning Earth have on our daily life?

​Vocabulary
 

1. Rotate (v.) 旋轉 [ˈroʊ.teɪt]
   To turn around an axis or center.
   Example: The Earth rotates once every 24 hours.
   地球每24小時自轉一圈。
   
    
2. Millisecond (n.) 毫秒 [ˈmɪl.iˌsek.ənd]
   One thousandth of a second (0.001 second).
   Example: Today’s day is shorter by about 1.5 milliseconds.
   今天的一天比平常少了約1.5毫秒。
   
    
3. Phenomenon (n.) 現象 [fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən]
   An unusual or interesting event or fact.
   Example: Scientists study the phenomenon of Earth’s changing speed.
   科學家研究地球轉速變化的現象。
   
    
4. Accurate (adj.) 精確的 [ˈæk.jə.rət]
   Correct and exact.
   Example: Atomic clocks are very accurate.
   原子鐘非常精確。
   
    
5. Record (n.) 紀錄 [ˈrek.ərd]
   The best or most extreme example of something.
   Example: Last year set a record for the shortest day.
   去年創下了最短一天的紀錄。
   
    
6. Impact (n.) 影響；衝擊 [ˈɪm.pækt]
   The effect or influence of one thing on another.
   Example: A faster rotation can impact technology like GPS.
   更快的自轉會影響像GPS這樣的科技。

Conversation 

A: Did you hear that Earth might rotate faster today?

B: Really? How much faster?

A: Scientists say it could be shorter by about 1.5 milliseconds.

B: What exactly is a millisecond?

A: It’s one thousandth of a second, very small but important for precise measurements.

B: Why does this happen?

A: It’s a natural phenomenon, but scientists aren’t sure why it’s happening now.

B: Does it cause any problems?

A: It can impact technology like clocks and GPS, so it’s closely monitored.

Short Article 

Scientists have noticed a strange phenomenon recently. The Earth seems to rotate faster than usual. Normally, one day lasts 24 hours, but now some days are shorter by a few milliseconds. A millisecond is a very small unit of time—just one thousandth of a second!

This change is important because it can impact our technology. Devices like GPS and accurate clocks depend on precise time measurements. If the Earth spins faster, it may break the record for the shortest day ever. Scientists are watching carefully to learn more about this amazing event.
 

科學家最近注意到一個奇特的現象。地球似乎比平常旋轉得更快。正常情況下一天有24小時，但現在有些日子比平常短了幾個毫秒。一個毫秒是非常小的時間單位——僅僅是一秒的千分之一！

這個變化很重要，因為它會影響我們的科技。像GPS和精確的時鐘等設備，都依賴精準的時間測量。如果地球自轉更快，可能會打破有史以來最短一天的紀錄。科學家正密切觀察，想了解更多關於這個令人驚奇的事件。

Discussion
 

1. What causes the Earth to rotate faster or slower?
    
2. Why do scientists need accurate tools like atomic clocks to measure time?
    
3. How might a change in the Earth’s rotation impact our daily life and technology?
   
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