雅思阅读 100: NASAs Roman Telescope Opens a New Window on the Cosmos

Adapted from 'NASAs Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launches to space', Scientific American, August 2026.

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NASAs newest telescope is on its way to deep space after more than a decade of development. Onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 30, 2026.

The telescope will transform our understanding of the cosmos, from the most mysterious forces to the planets and stars in our galaxy. It will conduct science observations from the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, about one million miles behind Earth, where the Suns and Earths gravitational pulls balance. This gives Roman a stable parking spot in space.

With an initial five-year mission, Roman will join Hubble and Webb in revealing the universe. Among its targets is dark energy, believed to fuel the universes expansion but whose fundamental nature remains a mystery. Dark matter, thought to hold galaxies together, is another enigma.

The telescopes main survey will take over a year and its scale is enormous. We would need over half a million 4K TVs to fully display the single Roman image from our largest survey, said senior project scientist Julie McEnery.

Roman is also equipped with a coronagraph, an instrument that blocks bright starlight to reveal faint planets. It could detect exoplanets 100 million times fainter than their stars. NASA says Roman could increase the number of known exoplanets from about 6,000 to 100,000.

One of our main goals is answering: Are we alone? said Nicky Fox of NASAs Science Mission Directorate. With Roman, we will make a giant leap forward, resolving the atmospheres of distant worlds to see if they could be habitable.

However, first observations will not arrive immediately. After reaching L2, the telescope must go through commissioning to come fully online. NASA expects first images early next year.

Questions 1-5

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

1. When did Roman launch? A. August 2026 B. September 2026 C. 2014 D. 2031
2. Where will Roman observe from? A. Low Earth orbit B. The Moon surface C. The L2 Lagrange point D. Mars orbit
3. What is dark energy believed to do? A. Hold galaxies together B. Fuel the universes expansion C. Block starlight D. Produce exoplanets
4. How many known exoplanets could Roman reveal? A. 6,000 B. 500,000 C. 100,000 D. 1,000
5. What does the coronagraph do? A. It measures temperature B. It blocks bright starlight to reveal faint planets C. It captures sound D. It maps the Moon

Questions 6-10

Do the following statements agree with the information? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.

6. Roman was launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
7. L2 is about one million miles behind Earth.
8. Dark matter is proven to consist of atoms.
9. First Roman images are expected immediately after launch.
10. Roman will work alongside Hubble and Webb.

Questions 11-13

Complete the summary. Choose ONE WORD ONLY.

Roman will study dark energy, which fuels cosmic 11, and dark matter, which holds 12 together. Its coronagraph will reveal exoplanets 100 million times 13 than their stars.

Answers

1. A 2. C 3. B 4. C 5. B
2. TRUE 7. TRUE 8. FALSE 9. FALSE 10. TRUE
3. expansion 12. galaxies 13. fainter

Key Vocabulary

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