The Metric System

Pre-reading Questions:

1. Does your country use the metric system?

【趣味英语】春节小知 世界节日（1）Spring

2. Do you know another system of measurement?

3. Which countries do not use the metric system?

People all over the world use kilograms, centimeters, square meters, liters①, and Celsius② (C). These are all ways to measure things. They are all part of the metric system.

During the French revolution (1789—1799)against the king, the revolutionary government started the metric system. Before that, every part of France had a different system for measuring things. Also, cloth makers measured cloth with one system, jewelers used another system. Carpenters used another. Other countries used other systems. The revolutionary government wanted an international scientific system of measurement. They asked a group of scientists and mathematicians to invent a system.

The mathematicians and scientists decided to use the numbers ten, hundred, and thousand for their system.

Next they had to decide on a “natural”length. They chose one ten-millionth (1/10,000,000) of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole. They called this one meter. Then they chose one gram for weighing things. A cubic centimeter of water weighs one gram.

Mathematicians and scientists worked on these problems for twenty years until they finally finished the complete system. The biggest problem was measuring the meter.

The metric system was a wonderful gift to the world. There are only a few countries that don't use it. The United States is one. The metric system is truly an international system.

Notes: ①liter 升 ② Celsius摄氏温度计的