Once in a blue moon,(极为罕见) there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial(天空的) neighbor. A full moon occurred on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't e again until 2028.
“Blue moons have no astronomical significance,” said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California. “`Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a `hunter's moon'(a full moon in octorber) or a `harvest moon,'” Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac(年历) defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons.
【小题1】What’s the color of blue moon?A．blueB．goldenC．greenD．red【小题2】If you are in China, in which month can you see the blue moon?A．December, 2009B．November, 2009C．January, 2010D．February, 2010【小题3】Compared with the hunters moon, the blue moon .A．is more beautifulB．is rarerC．is largerD．is brighter【小题4】Which full moon should be called blue moon according to the original definition?A．The second full moon in a month with two full moons.B．The third full moon in a month with three full moons.C．The second full moon in a season with four full moons.D．The third full moon in a season with four full moons.【小题5】What would be the best title for the passage ?A．Rare New Year’s Eve Blue Moon to Ring in 2010B．Blue Moon to Take Us Good FortuneC．The Best Time to Observe Blue MoonD．The Reason for Blue Moon’s AppearingB
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(答案→)B
解析：本文主要讲述的是在2010年新年可能会出现的a blue moon的现象，并介绍了这种现象的具体成因和细节描述。
【小题1】B 推理题。根据第一段According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial(天空的) neighbor.说明blue moon的颜色和蓝色是没有关系的，还是原来的月亮的颜色，金黄色。故B正确。
【小题2】C 细节题。根据第一段第二句Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon.说明在2010年的新年也就是1月份可以看见blue moon。故C正确。
【小题3】B 细节题。根据文章第三段第二行New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, 说明主语的blue moon是很罕见的，故B正确。
【小题4】D 细节题。根据文章最后2行In fact, the almanac(年历) defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons.说明D项正确。
【小题5】A 主旨大意题。根据文章主题段第一段内容可知，本文主要讲述的是在2010年新年可能会出现的a blue moon的现象，并介绍了这种现象的具体成因和细节描述。故A正确。