Vocab:
le jour où : the day when(the moment where)
a pris naissance: is born, is given birth, has risen, has come into being
comme méritant
Une fois
en avant
terrestre
du premier coup
D'ailleurs
prend... comme
tel que
de façon que
du point de
par les méthodes
en terrain
à tort
du nord au sud
en somme
carré
tomber ver
pesanteur
tenter de
ainsi
The article(or the chapter) made me think about a few things I never really considered: how did the ancient scientists calculate the sphericity, the tilting angle of the rotation axe and exactly the radius of the earth? My questions weren't really answered through my reading the passage, since the subject knowledge was something I failed to understand in high school and hence have no established understanding to tap, and I suck at French. The book is in French, by the way.
I am still glad I read it in French though, since my purpose has been achieved: which is to gain more understanding in this astronomical field. How to Read A book mentioned a principle: if you read to gain understanding, information will also come your way. That is true. I would add that if you read to understand, information and language skill both will come your way.
Why did I put myself through this, just to make a point? Yes, the point is if with my French level, I could gain something ( a lot, actually) from reading a very difficult(no kidding) chapter on astronomy written in French, you as a student of English with over 5 years' study under your belt, could certainly knock yourself out reading an English article somewhat out of your league.
Reading is the best way to learn a language.
By the way, how do I know if two places are on the same meridian without modern techniques' help?
