Academic Reading
The tides and the Moon
ATwice a day, the sea rises and falls along most coastlines in a rhythm we call the tides. The main cause is the gravitational pull of the Moon, which draws the ocean waters towards it, creating a bulge of water on the side of the Earth facing the Moon.
BThe Sun also affects the tides, though less strongly than the closer Moon. When the Sun and Moon line up, their combined pull produces especially high 'spring' tides; when they are at right angles, the weaker 'neap' tides occur. Sailors and fishermen have used knowledge of the tides for thousands of years.