Autumn Equinox (秋分) is in the middle of autumn. It divides the autumn into two equal parts. After this day, the sun moves to the south. The days becomes shorter and nights becomes longer in the northern hemisphere (半球). The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Autumn Equinox is the 16th solar term of the year. Here are some things to know about it.

On Autumn Equinox, day and night are equal. By this time, most of China feels autumn’s cool air. When cold air from the north meets warm, wet air from the south, we get rain. The temperature also drops a lot.

Crab tastes delicious this season. It’s good for your bones and helps cool you down inside. It is also a season for eating various plants, such as pears, beans, and other plants. In southern China, people eat Qiucai on the Autumn Equinox day. It is a wild vegetable and villagers pick it from the fields. Qiucai is green, thin and about 20 cm long. People cook it with fish to make soup, called autumn soup.

On Autumn Equinox day, many people try to stand eggs on end. This Chinese tradition is now a fun game worldwide. Experts say it’s easier to do on both Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox. But some think it has nothing to do with the time. It’s all about shifting the egg’s weight to its bottom. For best results, use a 4-5 day old egg where the yolk (蛋黄) goes down easily.

1.1.After Autumn Equinox, __________.

A Canada becomes cooler

B Russia becomes warmer

C Australia becomes cooler

D Italy becomes warmer

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据第一段中的“After this day, the sun moves to the south. The days becomes shorter and nights becomes longer in the northern hemisphere (半球).”可知，秋分之后，太阳南移，北半球昼渐短夜渐长，温度渐凉，南半球昼渐长夜渐短，温度渐暖。结合选项可知，加拿大在北半球，渐凉。故选A。

2.2.Which question can be answered in Paragraph Two?

A Why does the cold air come to the south?

B What’s the temperature during nights?

C How’s the weather like in India?

D How does the rain form?

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“When cold air from the north meets warm, wet air from the south, we get rain.”当来自北方的冷空气遇到来自南方的暖湿空气时，就下雨了。由此我们可以知道雨是如何形成的。故选D。

3.3.What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A Customs of Autumn Equinox.

B Foods on Autumn Equinox.

C Origin of Autumn Equinox.

D Influence of Autumn Equinox.

解析：选B。B 段落大意题。根据第三段中的“Crab”“eating various plants”“eat Qiucai”等可知，该段主要讲的是秋分吃什么。故选B。

4.4.What does the underlined word “shifting” probably mean?

A Moving.

B Following.

C Requiring.

D Spreading.

解析：选A。A 词义猜测题。根据划线单词后文的“the yolk (蛋黄) goes down easily”可知，这里指的是通过让蛋黄下沉，把鸡蛋的重量往下移动。故选A。

5.5.The text is most probably from _______.

A a festival magazine

B a culture website

C a travel newspaper

D a language book

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据全文内容可知，文章主要介绍了24节气的秋分，属于中国传统文化。故选B。