Free levelled English reading practice. Read for meaning first, then use the full Speed Reading tool to time yourself and track your progress.
For most of human history, communities set their clocks by the local position of the Sun. Noon occurred when the Sun reached its highest point, so neighbouring towns could keep slightly different times. This became increasingly inconvenient in the nineteenth century as railways, telegraphs and long-distance commerce demanded precise coordination. Britain gradually adopted a standard based on the time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and railway timetables helped spread its practical use. In 1884, an international conference in Washington selected the Greenwich meridian as the world's prime meridian for longitude, although the decision reflected political and commercial power as well as scientific convenience. Greenwich Mean Time later became a foundation for global timekeeping, but modern systems use atomic clocks and Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, for greater precision. The history of standard time demonstrates how technologies can turn a previously local experience—time of day—into an internationally coordinated system requiring shared conventions.
Comprehension questions
Why did towns once keep slightly different times?
Which technologies increased the need for standard time?
What happened at the 1884 international conference?
Why was the choice of Greenwich not purely scientific?
What system is used for modern precision timekeeping?
