新托福阅读材料：七夕节期间，英仙座流星雨光临地球

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“一起去看流星雨”是很多年轻情侣的浪漫选择，在中国传统情人节“七夕”来临前夕，英仙座流星雨光临地球，希望能度过甜蜜节日的朋友们一定不要错过喔!  
4 K' s8 }! K# U+ N' k, ^7 X　　Sky-watchers could be in for "fantastic views" over the next two days as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
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, e  A% l6 x9 v/ D- g( r' P3 \　　According to Nasa, the shower could produce a display of up to 80 meteors per hour.

& Q( }4 A; j( N' e# @/ d　　"A waxing crescent moon will set before the shower becomes active, setting a perfect stage for meteor watching," said the US space agency on its website.
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　　Experts are urging people to head away from city lights for the best views.

　　John Mason from the British Astronomical Association (BAA) told BBC News: "Weather-permitting, we should be in for a very good show across the UK.
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2 o; |- j# s9 G4 S& X　　"The shower has been ongoing for a week now and we have already seen some very bright meteors whizzing overhead."

4 M% r0 L! C+ q: T. E　　The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

7 N$ h% h: i$ `  n$ d2 Z* L　　Every 133 years, the huge comet swings through the inner part of our Solar System and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel.
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, w2 M1 y! y2 m　　When Earth passes through the debris, specks hit our atmosphere at 140,000mph and disintegrate in flashes of light.
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　　The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) said the relatively warm summer nights would make this meteor shower one of the more comfortable to watch.



2 x! h5 j0 o7 @$ q6 y3 ~/ Z" G$ {$ ^! TThe annual display is caused by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle  
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　　* The meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to fly out of the constellation Perseus

　　* The yellow dot marks the Perseid radiant. The meteors can appear in any part of the sky, but all of their tails will point back to there

) Y) s8 ~! u5 x7 ]( L2 z$ Y　　* The best views of the meteor shower are likely to be in the Northern Hemisphere