Many Taiwanese have had the experience of trying to balance an egg when the Dragon Boat Festival rolls around. This important holiday falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunarcalendar, that is, usually near the end of May to mid-June on the Western solar calendar. Along with eating zongzi and watching dragon boat races, egg balancing—also known as egg standing—is a tradition that most youth look forward to.
The idea is that at noon on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the Earth is lined up with the Sun, so there will be a direct and equal pull between those two heavenlybodies. An egg, it is thought, will thus be able to be balanced “standing up” at that time. Spoiler alert! Unfortunately for tradition lovers, there is no scientific evidenceto support this notion. First, there is no known magneticforce acting on the Earth’s surface that is special to the festival date. Second, the idea of a balance between day and night does occur on the vernal equinox, also better known as the first day of spring. However, that date is on or about March 21, not even close to the Dragon Boat Festival date, much less at noon. Further, there is no relationship between day/night length and the gravitationalpull between the Sun and the Earth. Finally, eggs have been shown to balance on any day of the year, so there is no “best time” to succeed in egg standing.
But, why let science interfere with a little fun? If you can balance an egg during the Dragon Boat Festival, you’ll have good luck and harmonythroughout the year, they say. That’s worth a try, isn’t it?
1. Why are zongzi and dragon boat races mentioned in the passage?
(A) To illustratethe reasons why we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.
(B) Because both are traditions related to the Dragon Boat Festival.
(C) To explain the history of the Dragon Boat Festival.
(D) Because they are helpful in balancing an egg.
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements about egg balancing is true?
(A) There is no evidence that a certain day is the best time to balance an egg.
(B) The success of egg balancing depends on the shape and weight of eggs.
(C) A magnetic force that sometimes appears is the key to getting an egg to stand up.
(D) The best time to balance an egg is on March 21 rather than the Dragon Boat Festival.
3. What might the author suggest about balancing eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival?
(A) We should do it during that day before we eat zongzi.
(B) We shouldn’t waste time trying it because it doesn’t have any benefits.
(C) We shouldn’t continue this tradition since there’s no proof of its effects.
(D) We should give it a shot despite the fact that science doesn’t support the belief.
