Many people take for granted the fact the January 1,2000 marks the beginning of a new century for all mankind.However,this day doesn’t have the same meaning leading religious man suggested that all Christians should start counting the date from the birth of Christ.After careful calculations,the year 1 A.D.(Christ’s birth) was said to be the 28th year after Augustus became the emperor of Rome.Today,this calculation seems to be incorrect.Historians believe that Christ was actually born four years before this date,but changing the calendar now would only cause confusion around the world because most people are used to the current calendar.
There are several other major calendars used for calculating the date.The Jewish calendar calculates the date from the day the earth was created.In 1000 B.C.,Jewish scholars set the ate the earth began,and according to this calendar,the year 2000 A.D.would actually be 5760.The Buddhist calendar begins from the death of Buddha,so the year 2000 A.D.for Christians will be 2544 for Buddhists.Muslims start their calendar fro the time when the Prophet Muhammad escaped from Mecca and went to Medina.The Muslim calendar also follows the moon instead of the sun,so the Muslim year is 10 or 11 days short than the Christian year.The year 2000 A.D.is really 1420 for Muslims.The official Hindu calendar,which was put into use in the 1950’s,begins from the first year that King Kaniska took power in India.When Christians celebrate the year 2000A.D it will be only be the year 1922 for Hindus.
Not all calendars set the date by historical or religious events.One other system used for calculating the date was created by the astronomer Joseph Scaliger in the 1500s.For astronomers,one year is a very short time when looking at the movement of planets and stars.Therefore,Mr.Scaliger suggested using a time period for his calendar that would equal 7,980 years.The dates of the calendar are calculated into small periods.These periods are more convenient for following the movements of the sun and the moon.Mr Scaliger picked out the starting point of one of these cycles as January 14,713 B.C.In 2000 A.D.this calendar will set the date as 2,451,545.
1.Historians now believe that Christ was born____.
A.before Augustus became emperor B.24 years after Augustus became emperor
C.in 1 A.D,D.in the year 2000 A.D.
2.What marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar?
A.the birth of Muhammad B.the death f Buddha
C.the beginning of the earth D.the lunar cycle
3.Why did Mr Scaliger need to create a new calendar for keeping track of the movement of planets?
A.History is very short B.Planets are too big
C.Light travels too fast D.Years are too short
4.The second paragraph is mainly about____.
A.how to measure time B.many different calendars
C.major religions of the world D.King Kaniska