①“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.

②At 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.

③Opposition 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.

④Some 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.

⑤Yet 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.

⑥The 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. 

1.Queen Liliuokalani’s remark in Paragraph 1 indicates _________

A her conservative view on the historical role of astronomy.

B the importance of astronomy in ancient Hawaiian society.

C the regrettable decline of astronomy in ancient times.

D her appreciation of star watchers’ feats in her time.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据题目定位到第一段，根据古代的夏威夷人是天文学家，观星者夏威夷社会中最受尊敬的成员之一，可推知天文学在夏威夷古代的重要地位，故选B。

2.Mauna Kea is deemed as an ideal astronomical site due to _________

A its geographical features.

B its protective surroundings.

C its religious implications.

D its existing infrastructure.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据Mauna Kea定位到第二段，可知莫纳克亚山坐落在太平洋上，其顶峰高耸于地球稠密的大气层之上，在那里，望远镜可以获得无比清晰的图像。可知其地理条件十分优越，故选A。

3.The construction of the TMT is opposed by some locals partly because _________

A it may risk ruining their intellectual life.

B it reminds them of a humiliating history.

C their culture will lose a chance of revival.

D they fear losing control of Mauna Kea.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据TMT和opposed定位到第三段，可知一小群夏威夷人和环保主义者认为它们的处在是对神圣土地的不尊重，让人痛苦地想起曾经的主权国家被占领。故选B。

4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that progress in today’s astronomy _________

A is fulfilling the dreams of ancient Hawaiians.

B helps spread Hawaiian culture across the world.

C may uncover the origin of Hawaiian culture.

D will eventually soften Hawaiians’ hostility.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据题目定位到第五段，可知发现地平线之外的东西的好奇心，最先把早期波利尼西亚人带到夏威夷海岸，同样也激励着今天的天文学家探索天空。天文学和夏威夷文化都在寻求回答关于我们是谁、我们来自哪里和我们要去哪里的重大问题。可推知今天天文学的进步实际上也是在实现古代夏威夷人的梦想，故选A。

5.The author’s attitude toward choosing Mauna Kea as the TMT site is one of _________

A severe criticism.

B passive acceptance.

C slight hesitancy.

D full approval.

解析：选D。D观点态度题。根据第六段最后一句可知，莫纳克亚山没有理由不欢迎人们去拥抱他们的文化遗产和研究星星，可知作者对莫纳克亚山TMT持支持态度，故选D。