With its clear sky and dry air, Chile’s Atacama desert is a place where astronomers(天文学家) look up at the night skies for life on other planets. They also study dark energy, a mysterious force thought to be driving the growth of the universe.

Soon, they will have a new Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) to search into distant worlds beyond Earth. The GMT is a $1.8 billion center being built at the Las Campanas observatory. The telescope will be able to see 10 times clearer than the well-known Hubble Space Telescope.

The GMT is expected to begin operating by 2030. It will compete with the nearby European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope in use as well as the Thirty Meter Telescope being built in Hawaii.

Leopoldo Infante is the head of the Las Campanas observatory. He said the new generation of giant telescopes is being developed to search for life on other planets and look for the origin(起源) of dark energy. “It’s a race by these three groups for who makes it first and who makes the first discovery,” he said.

Infante said the new large telescope would be able to find molecules(分子) in the atmosphere of faraway planets. “And whoever detects life on another planet will win the Nobel Prize, I assure you.”

The other prize is studying dark energy which makes up most of the universe. Infante said dark energy is causing the universe to expand but scientists do not understand its origin. Infante said the GMT will help astronomers study and understand “what that energy is and where that energy comes from”.

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1.What’s NOT the purpose for astronomers to stay in Atacama desert? a.To study dark energy. b.To search for life on other planets. c.To look for the origin of the universe. d.To build a new Giant Magellan Telescope.

A a;b

B b;c

C a;c

D c;d

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第一段内容可知，在智利的阿塔卡马沙漠天文学家正在仰望夜空寻找其他行星生命的地方，他们还研究暗能量。故选D。

2.How many telescopes under construction are mentioned in the passage?

A One.

B Two.

C Three.

D Four.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段Soon, they will have a new Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) to search into distant worlds beyond Earth.以及第三段…the Thirty Meter Telescope being built in Hawaii.可知，文中提及的在建天文望远镜共两部：智利的巨型麦哲伦望远镜（GMT）和美国夏威夷的三十米望远镜，故选B。

3.The underlined part in Paragraph 4 does NOT include researchers using_______.

A Hubble Space Telescope

B Thirty Meter Telescope

C Giant Magellan Telescope

D Extremely Large Telescope

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，巨型麦哲伦望远镜预计将在2030年开始投入使用。它将与附近欧洲南方天文台的超大望远镜以及夏威夷正在建造的三十米望远镜竞争。“three groups”不包括哈勃太空望远镜，故选A。

4.According to Infante, scientists_______ with the help of the GMT.

A will be confident to win the Nobel Prize

B will discover the origin of human beings

C will help humans find new living places

D will explore and uncover the universe secrets

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据最后一段内容可知，暗能量正在导致宇宙膨胀，但科学家不了解其起源。麦哲伦望远镜将有助于天文学家研究和理解“暗能量是什么以及暗能量来自哪里”。由此推断科学家们将借助麦哲伦望远镜探索和揭示宇宙的秘密，故选D。