On September 25, 2026, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, known as FAST or the China Sky Eye, marked ten years since it was completed in Guizhou. After a three-day full maintenance, the first of its kind in ten years of operation, the giant telescope restarted its observations of the universe on the same day.
The check-up covered every key part. Engineers examined the reflector panels that form the giant dish, the actuators that pull the panels into shape, and the receivers that collect cosmic signals. The feed cabin, which works like the pupil of the eye, was slowly lowered for inspection. It is 13 metres in diameter and weighs 30 tonnes, hanging on six steel cables that must position it with millimetre accuracy.
Ten years of operation have paid off. Using FAST, scientists at home and abroad have made a series of original discoveries, including fast radio bursts and hundreds of new pulsars. Researchers say the telescope’s high sensitivity allows them to catch faint radio signals coming from very distant corners of the universe.
FAST is also growing a second generation. A test array is under construction in the hills three or four kilometres away, where the fifth 40-metre radio telescope has just finished its main structure. In the plan, dozens of 40-metre telescopes will surround FAST, forming a unique array with a giant telescope at the centre.
According to the chief engineer, the array will raise FAST’s resolution by 200 times and double its sensitivity. The Sky Eye will then not only see farther, but also see more clearly. For astronomers around the world, the next decade of the China Sky Eye has just begun.
Words to know:
- telescope (望远镜)
- reflector (反射面，反射器)
- cable (钢索，缆绳)
- sensitivity (灵敏度)
- resolution (分辨率)
- array (阵列)
- observation (观测)
长难句拆解 · which 非限制性定语从句 + 被动语态
原句：The feed cabin, which works like the pupil of the eye, was slowly lowered for inspection.
主干：The feed cabin was lowered for inspection. 结构：which works like the pupil of the eye 是非限制性定语从句，用两个逗号隔开，补充说明馈源舱的功能；was lowered 是被动语态，for inspection 是目的状语。 语法点：非限制性定语从句不能省略，去掉后句子仍成立，但会丢失关键信息。科技报道里常用「比喻 + which 从句」把专业设备写活，pupil of the eye 就是这样处理瞳孔与馈源舱的对应关系的。 直译：馈源舱相当于这只眼睛的瞳孔，被缓缓降下进行检查。
再看一句：Engineers examined the reflector panels that form the giant dish, the actuators that pull the panels into shape, and the receivers that collect cosmic signals. 主干：Engineers examined the reflector panels, the actuators and the receivers. 结构：三个并列宾语 panels、actuators、receivers，每个后面都跟一个 that 引导的限制性定语从句，说明各自的功能。 语法点：平行结构（三个 that 从句）让长句保持节奏感，写作时三个并列项用同一句式，读者一眼就能抓住层次。 直译：工程师们检查了组成巨型反射面的反射面板、把面板拉成形状的促动器，以及接收宇宙信号的接收机。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
同一个意思，原文和题干常用不同的词表达，认得出替换就等于认得出答案。
- marked ten years since it was completed → celebrated a decade after its completion（落成十周年）
- the first of its kind in ten years of operation → the first such maintenance in a decade（运行十年来首次）
- restarted its observations → resumed observing（重启观测）
- weighs 30 tonnes → has a weight of 30 tonnes（重30吨）
- with millimetre accuracy → with millimetre precision（毫米级精度）
- have paid off → have brought rewards（没有白费）
- double its sensitivity → make its sensitivity twice as high（灵敏度翻倍）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断题：根据第一段和第二段，这次检修是 FAST 运行十年来首次全面检修，为期三天。请判断 True / False / Not Given。
- 简答题：According to paragraph 5, how many times will the array raise FAST’s resolution?
- 选词填空（从 cable、array、resolution、sensitivity 中选）：The feed cabin hangs on six steel ____; the new ____ will improve ____ by 200 times and double the telescope’s ____.
参考答案与解析
- True。第一段 a three-day full maintenance, the first of its kind in ten years of operation 与题干两项对应。干扰项套路是「偷换时间」：望远镜是2016年落成、2026年满十年，若把「检修三天」当成「停运三年」，就是把数字单位偷换了。
- 200 times。第五段 the array will raise FAST’s resolution by 200 times and double its sensitivity 给出答案。注意同句里的 double 对应灵敏度，若把 200 和 double 互换位置，就把两个指标张冠李戴了。
- cables；array；resolution；sensitivity。第一空对应第二段 hanging on six steel cables；后三空对应第五段 the array will raise FAST’s resolution by 200 times and double its sensitivity。observation 和 reflector 都在文中出现，但都不是这四处的答案。
中文译文
2026年9月25日，500米口径球面射电望远镜——也就是「中国天眼」FAST——迎来了它在贵州落成十周年。在完成为期三天的全面检修（这是它运行十年来首次大规模维护）之后，这台巨型望远镜在同一天重启了对宇宙的观测。
这次「全面体检」覆盖了每一个关键部件。工程师们检查了组成巨型反射面的反射面板、把面板拉成形状的促动器，以及接收宇宙信号的接收机。馈源舱相当于这只眼睛的瞳孔，被缓缓降下进行检查。它直径13米、重达30吨，由六根钢索悬吊，这些钢索必须以毫米级精度对它进行定位。
十年的运行没有白费。借助FAST，国内外科学家取得了一系列原创发现，包括快速射电暴和数百颗新脉冲星。研究人员说，望远镜的高灵敏度让他们能够捕捉来自宇宙极遥远角落的微弱射电信号。
FAST还在长出第二代。几公里外的山头上，一座试验阵正在建设，第五台40米口径射电望远镜刚刚完成主体结构。按规划，未来将有数十台40米望远镜环绕FAST，构成一个以巨型望远镜为中心的独特阵列。
据总工程师介绍，阵列建成后，FAST的分辨率将提升200倍，灵敏度提升一倍。到那时，天眼不仅看得更远，还看得更清。对全世界的天文学家来说，中国天眼的下一个十年才刚刚开始。