Reading Comprehension Text 2
“The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers,” wrote Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, in 1897. Star watchers were among the most esteemed members of Hawaiian society. Sadly, all is not well with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), a giant observatory that promises to revolutionize humanity’s view of the cosmos.
At issue is the TMT’s planned location on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano worshiped by some Hawaiians as the piko, that connects the Hawaiian Islands to the heavens. But Mauna Kea is also home to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes. Rested in the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea’s peak rises above the bulk of our planet’s dense atmosphere, where conditions allow telescopes to obtain images of unsurpassed clarity.
Opposition to telescopes on Mauna Kea is nothing new. A small but vocal group of Hawaiians and environmentalists have long viewed their presence as disrespect for sacred land and a painful reminder of the occupation of what was once a sovereign nation.
Some blame for the current controversy belongs to astronomers. In their eagerness to build bigger telescopes, they forgot that science is not the only way of understanding the world. They did not always prioritize the protection of Mauna Kea’s fragile ecosystems or its holiness to the island’s inhabitants. Hawaiian culture is not a relic of the past; it is a living culture undergoing a renaissance today.
Yet science has a cultural history, too, with roots going back to the dawn of civilization. The same curiosity to find what lies beyond the horizon that first brought early Polynesians to Hawaii’s shores inspires astronomers today to explore the heavens. Calls to disassemble all telescopes on Mauna Kea or to ban future development there ignore the reality that astronomy and Hawaiian culture both seek to answer big questions about who we are, where we come from and where we are going. Perhaps that is why we explore the starry skies, as if answering a primal calling to know ourselves and our true ancestral homes.
The astronomy community is making compromises to change its use of Mauna Kea. The TMT site was chosen to minimize the telescope’s visibility around the island and to avoid archaeological and environmental impact. To limit the number of telescopes on Mauna Kea, old ones will be removed at the end of their lifetimes and their sites returned to a natural state. There is no reason why everyone cannot be welcomed on Mauna Kea to embrace their cultural heritage and to study the stars.
26. Queen Liliuokalani’s remark in Paragraph 1 indicates
27. Mauna Kea is deemed as an ideal astronomical site due to
28. The construction of the TMT is opposed by some locals partly because
29. It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that progress in today’s astronomy
30. The author’s attitude toward choosing Mauna Kea as the TMT site is one of
答案与解析 (Answers)
26. [B] the importance of astronomy in ancient Hawaiian society.
解析：第一段提到女王说古代夏威夷人就是天文学家，且观测者是社会中最受尊敬的成员，这说明了天文学在古代夏威夷社会的重要性。
27. [A] its geographical features.
解析：第二段提到冒纳凯亚火山山峰高出稠密的大气层，条件允许获得无与伦比的清晰图像，这些都属于其地理特征。
28. [B] it reminds them of a humiliating history.
解析：第三段指出，当地人将望远镜视为“a painful reminder of the occupation of what was once a sovereign nation”，即提醒他们那段被占领的屈辱历史。
29. [A] is fulfilling the dreams of ancient Hawaiians.
解析：第五段指出，早期波利尼西亚人来到夏威夷岸边的“同一种好奇心”激励着今天的天文学家探索上苍。天文学和夏威夷文化都在寻求关于“我们是谁”的大问题的答案，暗示了今天的进步正在实现古人的梦想。
30. [D] full approval.
解析：最后一段提到天文学界正在做出妥协，减少环境影响，并总结道“没有理由不欢迎每个人……既拥抱文化遗产又研究群星”，体现了作者对选址的全力支持和乐观态度。
全文翻译
"古代夏威夷人是天文学家，"夏威夷最后一位在位君主利留卡拉尼女王在1897年写道。观星者是夏威夷社会中最受尊敬的成员之一。可悲的是，如今夏威夷的天文学并非一切都好。围绕三十米望远镜（TMT）的建设爆发了抗议活动，这是一座承诺人类对宇宙视角带来革命性改变的巨型天文台。争议焦点是TMT计划建在莫纳克亚山上，这是一座被一些夏威夷人崇拜为piko的休眠火山——piko将夏威夷群岛与天穹连接起来。但莫纳克亚山也是世界上一些最强望远镜的所在地。坐落在太平洋中，莫纳克亚山的顶峰高耸于地球稠密大气层的大部分之上，那里的条件使望远镜能够获得无与伦比清晰度的图像。反对在莫纳克亚山上建望远镜并非新事。一小群但发声响亮的夏威夷人和环保主义者长期以来将望远镜的存在视为对圣地的不尊重，以及对曾经是一个主权国家被占领的痛苦提醒。当前争议的一些责任属于天文学家。在急于建造更大望远镜的过程中，他们忘记了科学并不是理解世界的唯一方式。他们并不总是优先保护莫纳克亚山脆弱的生态系统或它对岛上居民的神圣性。夏威夷文化不是过去的遗迹；它是一种正在经历复兴的活文化。然而，科学也有文化史，根源可以追溯到文明的曙光。最初将早期波利尼西亚人带到夏威夷海岸的那种寻找地平线之外之物的好奇心，如今激励着天文学家探索天空。要求拆除莫纳克亚山上的所有望远镜或禁止未来在那里开发的呼声忽略了一个现实，即天文学和夏威夷文化都试图回答关于我们是谁、我们从哪里来以及我们要去哪里的大问题。也许这就是为什么我们探索星空，仿佛在回应一种认识我们自己和真正祖先家园的原始召唤。天文学界正在作出妥协以改变其对莫纳克亚山的使用。TMT地址的选择是为了最小化望远镜在岛上的可见性，并避免考古和环境影响。为了限制莫纳克亚山上的望远镜数量，旧的望远镜将在其寿命结束时被移除，其地点恢复自然状态。没有理由不让每个人都被欢迎来到莫纳克亚山，拥抱他们的文化遗产并研究星辰。
核心长难句精解 (Highlighted Sentences)
1. 过去分词短语作状语：
"Rested in the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea’s peak rises above the bulk of our planet’s dense atmosphere, where conditions allow telescopes to obtain images of unsurpassed clarity."
【解析】Rested in... 是过去分词短语作状语。where 引导定语从句修饰 atmosphere，解释了地理位置带来的观测优势。unsurpassed clarity 是高频表达。
【翻译】冒纳凯亚火山坐落在太平洋中，其顶峰高耸于地球稠密大气层的主体之上，那里的条件使望远镜能够获得清晰度无与伦比的图像。
"Rested in the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea’s peak rises above the bulk of our planet’s dense atmosphere, where conditions allow telescopes to obtain images of unsurpassed clarity."
【解析】Rested in... 是过去分词短语作状语。where 引导定语从句修饰 atmosphere，解释了地理位置带来的观测优势。unsurpassed clarity 是高频表达。
【翻译】冒纳凯亚火山坐落在太平洋中，其顶峰高耸于地球稠密大气层的主体之上，那里的条件使望远镜能够获得清晰度无与伦比的图像。
2. 否定词引导的宾语从句：
"Calls to disassemble all telescopes... ignore the reality that astronomy and Hawaiian culture both seek to answer big questions about who we are, where we come from and where we are going."
【解析】ignore the reality that... 中 that 引导同位语从句。从句中包含了三个宾语从句作为介词 about 的宾语，形成排比，强调了科学与文化的共性。
【翻译】要求拆除所有望远镜的呼声忽视了这样一个现实：天文学和夏威夷文化都在寻求回答关于我们是谁、从哪里来以及往哪里去的重大问题。
"Calls to disassemble all telescopes... ignore the reality that astronomy and Hawaiian culture both seek to answer big questions about who we are, where we come from and where we are going."
【解析】ignore the reality that... 中 that 引导同位语从句。从句中包含了三个宾语从句作为介词 about 的宾语，形成排比，强调了科学与文化的共性。
【翻译】要求拆除所有望远镜的呼声忽视了这样一个现实：天文学和夏威夷文化都在寻求回答关于我们是谁、从哪里来以及往哪里去的重大问题。
3. 虚拟语气与比喻：
"Perhaps that is why we explore the starry skies, as if answering a primal calling to know ourselves and our true ancestral homes."
【解析】as if 引导虚拟语气，将科学探索比喻为对原始召唤的回应，提升了文章的哲理高度。
【翻译】或许这正是我们探索繁星闪烁的夜空的原因，仿佛在响应一种了解我们自身和真正的祖先家园的原始召唤。
"Perhaps that is why we explore the starry skies, as if answering a primal calling to know ourselves and our true ancestral homes."
【解析】as if 引导虚拟语气，将科学探索比喻为对原始召唤的回应，提升了文章的哲理高度。
【翻译】或许这正是我们探索繁星闪烁的夜空的原因，仿佛在响应一种了解我们自身和真正的祖先家园的原始召唤。