研究人員們發現瞭一顆巨型恒星，其大氣成分前所未見。他們認為這個龐大的物體是由兩顆 “白矮星” 合並而成的，通常白矮星會以強大的超新星的形式爆炸。
The new star is what astronomers call a ‘white dwarf’. It’s what stars like the Sun become at the end of their lives when they’ve used up all their nuclear fuel.
這顆新星被天文學傢稱為 “白矮星”。它是像太陽這樣的恒星在它們生命的盡頭，耗盡所有核燃料後演化成的星體。
The star loses most of its atmosphere, leaving a very hot core. The heavier atoms in the atmosphere sink and the lighter ones remain at the surface. Some white dwarves have almost pure hydrogen or helium atmospheres, but this star has an atmosphere unusually high in the heavier element, carbon.
這顆恒星失去瞭大部分大氣層，留下瞭一個熾熱的核。大氣中較重的原子下沉，而較輕的原子留在表面。一些白矮星的大氣中幾乎隻有純氫或氦，但這顆星的大氣中重元素碳的含量異常高。
Computer modelling indicates it could have been created by the merger of two such stars. This suggests that such occurrences might be more common than previously thought.
計算機模型顯示，這顆星可能由兩顆類似的恒星合並而成。這表明，這種星體存在的數量可能比人們之前認為的更普遍。
詞匯
astronomers 天文學傢
nuclear fuel 核能燃料
atmosphere 大氣層
atoms 原子
element 化學元素
computer modelling 計算機模型
merger 合並
occurrences 事物存在的數量
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題 。
1. Where in the lifespan of a star is the white dwarf stage?
2. What type of atoms usually stay on the surface of a star?
3. How does this new star differ from other white dwarf stars?
4. True or false? Computer modelling has caused two stars to merge, forming a new white dwarf star.
答案
1. Where in the lifespan of a star is the white dwarf stage?
A white dwarf star is what a star like the Sun becomes at the end of their lives when they’ve used up all their nuclear fuel.
2. What type of atoms usually stay on the surface of a star?
The heavier atoms in the atmosphere sink and the lighter ones remain at the surface.
3. How does this new star differ from other white dwarf stars?
This white dwarf star has an atmosphere unusually high in the heavier element, carbon.
4. True or false? Computer modelling has caused two stars to merge, forming a new white dwarf star.
False. Computer modelling indicates the new star could have been created by the merger of two such stars.
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