夏至是24节气之一，每年6月20日、21日或22日。
夏至这天，太阳运行至黄经90度（夏至点，目前处在双子座），太阳直射地面的位置到达一年的最北端，几乎直射北回归线，此时，北半球各地的白昼时间达到全年最长。对于北回归线及其以北的地区来说，夏至日也是一年中正午太阳高度最高的一天。在北京地区，夏至日白昼可长达15小时，正午太阳高度高达73°32′。这一天北半球得到的太阳辐射最多，比南半球多了将近一倍。Summer Solstice
夏至
"Summer Solstice": comes on June 21 to June 22 each year when the sun altitude arrive the highest in north. This is the 10th solar term, and falls on June 21 in the Gregorian calendar（公历年） this year.
夏至是第十个节气。在每年6月21日-6月22日到来，这时候太阳直射点位于北半球最高点。
This day has the longest day time（白昼） of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the sunshine in many cities in south China may last fourteen hours per day.After this day, the spot of the direct sunlight gradually moves southward."
这天北半球白昼时间达到一年最长，在中国南部地区的日照时长能达到14小时。夏至以后，太阳直射点逐渐向南移动。
Hemisphere
A hemisphere is one half of the earth；A hemisphere is one half of the brain.
n.半球； 地球的半球； [解]大脑半球；
左脑（Left Hemisphere） 和右脑（Right Hemisphere）
Although, this day has the longest daylight, it not the hottest. As traditional Chinese books described, there are three periods of the hot season. It starts around "Summer Solstice" and ends around "Autumn Begins".The temperature rises day by day and the hottest days come around mid-July to mid-August, where temperatures of some cities in China reach 40 degree Celsius.
尽管夏至这天白昼时间最长，但并不是最热的一天。根据中国古书记载，炎热的季节分为三阶段。大约从夏至开始，在立秋结束。气温一天天上升，并在七月中旬至八月中旬达到最高温，中国一些城市甚至能达到40摄氏度。
Around the summer solstice, in most parts of China temperatures are pretty high and there is abundant sunshine. Crops grow fast and they are in urgent need of water. At this time, rainfall（降雨） plays an important role in agricultural yields. People normally say rain at this time is “as valuable as gold.”
这期间我国大部分地区气温较高，日照充足，农作物生长很快，需水较多。此时的降水对农业产量影响很大，有“夏至雨点值千金”之说。
After the summer solstice, China enters a period of hot summer days (“dog days”) that lasts for over a month. In the north, the temperatures are high, there is plenty of sunshine, and rainfall keeps increasing. As crops grow vigorously, weeds and pests multiply, giving farmers the urgent task of *eradicating weeds and using moderate *pesticides to deal with pests.
夏至后进入伏天，伏天持续一个多月。北方气温高，光照足，雨水增多，农作物生长旺盛，杂草、害虫迅速滋长漫延，需抓紧时间，除草除虫。
eradicating
To eradicate something means to get rid of it completely.
v.摧毁，完全根除
They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus...
他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。
pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals which farmers put on their crops to kill harmful insects.
n.杀虫剂
Many pesticides are irritants.
很多杀虫剂都具有刺激性。
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is the time when the yang energy in the human body reaches its utmost, therefore, people need to protect this energy and prevent their bodies from getting sunstroke.
中医认为，夏至是人体内阳气最旺的时节，养生要注意保护阳气，预防“中暑”“上火”等。
The hot summer weather might make people a bit *distracted during the day. Well, our ancestors have given us some good advice: “As long as you maintain inner peace, you won’t feel the heat too much.”
夏日炎炎，易让人心烦意乱。对此，我们老祖宗也给我们支了妙招：“心静自然凉”。
distracted
adj.思想不集中的； 心烦意乱的；
If you are distracted, you are not concentrating on something because you are worried or are thinking about something else.
She had seemed curiously distracted...
她看上去好像心烦意乱,真奇怪。
The following are 6 things you might not know about Summer Solstice.
以下就是关于夏至你可能不知道的6件事：
The longest day of the year
1、白昼最长时。
On the Summer Solstice itself, daylight lasts the longest for the whole year in the northern hemisphere. After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter and temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere.
夏至当天，北半球地区白昼时间达到一年中最长。夏至日过后，北半球白昼开始逐渐变短，气温逐渐升高。
How long is the longest day in China? According to the expert Yan Jiarong, the entire day in Mohe in Helongjiang province, located in the northernmost tip of China, lasts nearly 17 hours when you include dawn（黎明）, twilight（黄昏） and its afterglow（晚霞）. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora（极光） in Mohe, "the sleepless town of China".
在中国最长的白天有多长?据专家晏家荣(音)表示，如果将黎明和黄昏都算在白昼时间内的话，中国最北端黑龙江漠河的白昼之间最长达到了约17个小时。夏至也是到“中国不眠城”漠河观赏极光的最好时节。
A public holiday in ancient times
2、古人夏至节。
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival were not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated.
在古代，夏至是中国一个很重要的节日。早在汉代(前260-220年)中秋节和重阳节还没有现代这般受重视时，夏至就已经被当成一个节日来庆祝了。
Before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people even had a one-day holiday on Summer Solstice. According to Song Dynasty (960-1279) records, officials would have three days off during the Summer Solstice.
清代(1644年-1911年)时，人们甚至会在夏至日放一天假。据宋代(960年-1279年)的记录显示，官员可以在夏至时放三天假。
To celebrate Summer Solstice, women gave colored fans and sachets to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.
为庆祝夏至，妇女们会互赠彩色扇子和香包。扇子可以清凉解暑，而香包则可以驱蚊增香。
sachet
A sachet is a small closed plastic or paper bag, containing a small quantity of something.
香囊
Tea of different brands are packaged in well - designed sachets.
不同牌子的茶被包装成精心设计的小包.
Seeing the sun turn around
3、看着太阳转。
Hani autonomous county of Mojiang, southwest China’s Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic. Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing phenomenon known as "upright pole with no shadows" occurs.
云南省的墨江哈尼族自治州位于北回归线上。每年夏至时，太阳直射北回归线，之后逐渐从北向南移动。然后神奇的“立竿无影”的现象就出现了。
The Hani people *revere the sun and have always had a close bond with it. They welcome the turn-around of the sun and offer sacrifices to it.
哈尼族人敬畏太阳，一直都与太阳有着密切的联系。他们会为“太阳转”这种现象举行欢迎仪式，并提供祭祀。
revere
If you revere someone or something, you respect and admire them greatly.
vt.崇敬； 尊崇； 敬畏；
Students revere the old professors.
学生们十分尊敬那些老教授.
Eating noodles
4、夏至要吃面。
There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, "eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice." In some provinces, there is the tradition of eating cold noodles on this day. According to old customs in Beijing, when it comes to "Summer Solstice", people can eat cold noodles to stimulate the appetite and at the same time dont need to worry about having diarrhea.
山东有这样一句俗语“冬至饺子夏至面”。在一些省份，夏至有吃凉面的习俗。根据北京地区的旧俗，每到夏至时，人们就会吃凉面刺激食欲，同时也不必担心会腹泻。
diarrhea
n.腹泻
frequent and watery bowel movements; can be a symptom of infection or food poisoning or colitis or a gastrointestinal tumor
hey may complain of diarrhea or bellyache.
他们可能会主诉腹泻或腹痛。
Dragon boat racing in Zhejiang
5、浙江赛龙舟。
Due to the local climate, Dragon boat races have been held on the Summer Solstice day in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province rather than on Dragon Boat Festival since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This tradition is still in practice today, with all the attendant excitement.
由于当地气候原因，自从明清以来，浙江绍兴都是在夏至才赛龙舟，而不是端午。这一传统一直被保留到了今天，所有参加的人都非常兴奋。
Summer Solstice idiom
6、夏至的成语。
In Chinese, an idiom "杯弓蛇影" is related to Summer Solstice.
在中国成语中，“杯弓蛇影”就和夏至有关。
According to the records of Fengsutong (a book about Chinese customs), written by Ying Shao from the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), a man named Du Xuan attended a banquet on Summer Solstice, where he mistook the shadow of a bow in his cup for a snake and he had to drink it out of fear.
据东汉(25年-220年)应劭所著《风俗通》记载，一个名叫杜宣的人夏至时参加了一场酒宴，将映在酒杯里的弓影误认为蛇，出于恐惧饮下了酒。
After the banquet, he felt chest pains and a bellyache（腹疼） and couldn’t recover even after seeing many doctors. Finally, he found he had mistaken the shadow of a redcrossbow（弩）on the wall for a snake in his cup and recovered. Later, people used this idiom to refer to people who are suspicious and frighten themselves.
酒宴过后，杜宣胸腹疼痛，遍访名医之后也不见好转。最后，他发现原来是自己将墙上红弩的影子误认为是杯中的一条蛇，于是就康复了。后来，人们便用这个成语来形容那些疑神疑鬼、自己吓唬自己的人。
归纳
夏至
Summer Solstice
第十个节气
the 10th solar term
公历年
Gregorian calendar
白昼
day time
北半球
the Northern Hemisphere
太阳直射点
the spot of the direct sunlight
大约从夏至开始，在立秋结束
It starts around "Summer Solstice" and ends around "Autumn Begins"
气温一天天上升
The temperature rises day by day
日照充足
abundant sunshine
农作物生长很快
Crops grow fast
需水较多
they are in urgent need of water
降雨
rainfall
“夏至雨点值千金”
rain at this time is “as valuable as gold.”
伏天
hot summer days (“dog days”)
农作物生长旺盛
crops grow vigorously
杂草、害虫迅速滋长漫延
weeds and pests multiply
除草除虫
eradicating weeds and using moderate pesticides to deal with pests
阳气
the yang energy
预防“中暑”“上火”
prevent their bodies from getting sunstroke
夏日炎炎，易让人心烦意乱
The hot summer weather might make people a bit *distracted during the day
心静自然凉
As long as you maintain inner peace, you won’t feel the heat too much
北半球白昼开始逐渐变短，气温逐渐升高
After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter and temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere
中国最北端
the northernmost tip of China
黎明
dawn
黄昏
twilight
晚霞
afterglow
极光
aurora
彩色扇子
colored fans
香包
sachets
驱蚊增香
drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet
敬畏
revere
神奇的现象
amazing phenomenon