【Economist】The solar eclipse in China

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China's eclipse
The solar eclipse in Chinahttp://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14098735

Jul 23rd 2009
From The Economist print edition


                                                 Reuters



On July 22nd the moon’s shadow fell across China’s industrial heartland in the longest total solar eclipse the 21st century will witness. Never before have so many people lived under an eclipse’s path. Like other ancient civilisations, China has traditionally seen eclipses as ominous. A government directive ordered officials to combat “superstition and terror”, watch out for traffic accidents caused by distracted motorists and prevent stampedes. On state-run television, an “anti-cult” expert warned viewers against being taken in by “people with ulterior motives”. Local governments, however, vied to cash in on the tourism opportunities afforded by foreign eclipse-watchers flocking to China. It was cloudy or rainy. Had the weather been better, citizens of Shanghai would have seen the moon-covered sun rising over the financial district for nearly six minutes. Official newspapers were probably glad not to have to second-guess censors’ concerns about that kind of imagery. Shanghai’s stockmarket was unfazed. Share prices saw their biggest gains in seven weeks. In the international year of astronomy, markets, at least, seem less superstitious than they were (see article).

flower101828

先回去把英语学会再来看，谢谢！