The Earth is shaped like a ball.
地球的形状像一个球体。
Different parts of the Earth receive different amounts of sunlight.
地球的不同区域接收到的阳光量不同。
The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.
赤道是地球中间的一条假想线。
It gets the most direct sunlight all year round.
它一年四季都能接收到最多的阳光。
That’s why the equator is very hot.
这就是为什么赤道地区非常炎热。
Countries near the equator, like Brazil and Indonesia, have warm weather all year.
靠近赤道的国家，比如巴西和印度尼西亚，一年四季都很温暖。
The North Pole is at the top of the Earth.
北极位于地球的顶部。
It is far from the equator and gets less sunlight.
它离赤道很远，接收到的阳光较少。
The sunlight in the North Pole is spread out and not very strong.
北极的阳光分布得很稀疏，照射强度较低。
That’s why the North Pole is very cold most of the year.
这就是为什么北极一年中的大部分时间都很寒冷。
In winter, the North Pole gets no sunlight at all.
冬天时，北极完全收不到阳光。
This makes it even colder.
这使得北极变得更加寒冷。
In summer, the sun never sets in the North Pole.
夏天时，北极的太阳不会落下。
But even then, it is still much colder than the equator.
但即使在夏天，它仍然比赤道冷得多。
The South Pole, at the bottom of the Earth, is even colder than the North Pole.
位于地球底部的南极比北极还要冷。
Ice and snow cover both poles because of the cold temperatures.
由于气温寒冷，冰雪覆盖了南北极地区。
People and animals in the North Pole must adapt to the freezing weather.
生活在北极的人类和动物必须适应寒冷的环境。
Now you know that the North Pole is colder than the equator because it gets less sunlight!
现在你知道北极比赤道冷，是因为它接收到的阳光更少了！
