1987 年 2 月，一颗恒星在银河系附近的一个星系中爆炸，尽管当时使用了强大的望远镜进行观测，但仍无法确认爆炸留下的碎片中心是哪一种天体。然而，现在科学家们表示他们已经揭开了恒星爆炸或超新星爆炸残余物的神秘面纱。

The supernova was visible from Earth for four months, shining with the power of a hundred million Suns. There was so much debris that even the most powerful telescopes could not confirm what remained at its heart.

曾经长达四个月之久，人们可以在地球上看到这颗超新星，它发出的光芒亮度相当于一亿个太阳。由于恒星爆炸产生大量碎片，即便是用最强大的望远镜进行观测，也无法确认超新星爆炸后的残骸中心是什么。

But that's now changed with new data from Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope. That shows that the remnant is a neutron star, which is a dead star's collapsed core and made of the densest material in the Universe. 

但美国国家航空航天局詹姆斯·韦布空间望远镜的新观测数据给出了这个问题的答案。新数据表明恒星爆炸的残余物是一颗中子星，它是一颗死亡恒星坍塌的核心，由宇宙中密度最大的物质构成。

The discovery will confirm the theories of what [happens] to giant stars when they reach the end of their lives. That's important because supernovas are responsible for the spread of life-giving elements across the Universe, and the new data will help refine our understanding of how this happens. It will also give astronomers an opportunity to study a 'baby' neutron star and learn how they evolve over time. 

这一发现将证实巨星到达生命尽头时的最终归宿与现有理论相符。证实这一点很重要，因为超新星起到将支持生命必需的元素向宇宙空间扩散的作用，而新的数据将完善我们对这一过程的理解。新的数据还将为天文学家提供一个研究 “婴儿” 中子星的机会，并掌握它们随着时间的推移进行演变的方式。

词汇表

supernova 超新星
debris 碎片，残骸
telescopes 望远镜
remnant 残余物
neutron star 中子星
collapsed core 坍塌的核心
densest 密度最大的
elements 元素
astronomers 天文学家
evolve 演变，演化

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. How long was the supernova visible for from Earth?

2. Why could telescopes not confirm what was at the supernova's heart initially?

3. True or False? A neutron star is made of the densest material in the Universe.

4. What are two reasons why the discovery is important?   

答案

1. How long was the supernova visible for from Earth?

The supernova was visible from Earth for four months.

2. Why could telescopes not confirm what was at the supernova's heart initially?

Telescopes could not confirm what remained at its heart because there was so  much debris.

3. True or False? A neutron star is made of the densest material in the Universe.

True. A neutron star is a dead star's collapsed core and made of the densest material in the Universe.

4. What are two reasons why the discovery is important?   

The discovery is important because it will refine our understanding of the spread of life-giving elements, and it will also give astronomers an opportunity to study a 'baby' neutron star and learn how they evolve over time.