VOA慢速英语2019 夏威夷建造望远镜项目受阻（在线收听）

Telescope Project Blocked in Hawaii Seeks Permit to Build in Spain

The group planning to put a telescope on a Hawaiian mountain is now seeking permission to build in Spain because protesters are blocking the project in Hawaii.

计划在夏威夷某座山上安装望远镜的组织现在正在寻求在西班牙安设该望远镜的许可，因为抗议者们正在阻挠夏威夷的这个项目。

The start of construction on the $1.4-billion telescope has been delayed several weeks because of the protests.

该项目斥资14亿美元，但由于抗议活动，开工建造日期延后了数周。 

Hundreds of demonstrators have blocked a road leading to the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s highest mountain.That is where Thirty Meter Telescope wants to build their telescope.But protesters say the Mauna Kea mountaintop is holy.

数百名抗议者堵住了通往夏威夷最高峰莫纳克亚山顶的一条道路。而“30米望远镜项目”也正是想把望远镜建造在这里。但是抗议者说，莫纳克亚山顶是神圣的。

The mountain is already home to several major observatories.Opponents of the project say the new telescope will further desecrate the mountain.

这座山已经是多个重要天文台的所在地。该项目的反对者表示，新望远镜的安设将进一步亵渎这座山。

Scientists say the mountaintop is the best place to put the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which is aimed at helping to answer questions about the universe.The project is operated by a group of universities in California and Canada, with partners from China, India and Japan.

科学家们表示，该山顶是放置30米望远镜(TMT)的最佳地点，TMT旨在帮助解答有关宇宙的一些问题。该项目由加利福尼亚和加拿大的一些大学与来自中国、印度和日本的合作伙伴共同运作。

Hawaii’s Supreme Court approved permits for the Thirty Meter Telescope project in 2018, after years of protests and legal battles.State officials recently approved a two-year extension for construction to begin on the project.

夏威夷最高法院于2018年审批通过了TMT项目，在此之前，已经经历过了多年抗议和官司。州政府官员最近批准将该项目延期两年开工。

Thirty Meter Telescope’s director Ed Stone said in a statement that the group still plans to build on Mauna Kea.However, it wants a backup plan in case the project cannot happen in Hawaii.So, project officials have sought a permit to build on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

TMT项目的负责人艾德·斯通在一份声明中表示，该组织仍然计划在莫纳克亚山顶安放望远镜。不过，该组织希望有一个备用方案，以防项目无法在夏威夷进行。因此，一些项目工作人员想要获得在西班牙加那利群岛拉帕尔马岛的施工许可。

Stone said, “We continue to follow the process to allow for TMT to be constructed at the ‘plan B’ site in (Spain) should it not be possible to build in Hawaii.”

斯通说:“我们依然在走流程，以便在不可能在夏威夷施工的情况下，在(西班牙)的‘B计划’场地上能行得通。”

Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute Director Rafael Rebolo confirmed to the Associated Press that he had received a letter from the head of the Thirty Meter Telescope seeking a building permit.“We are observing what is happening in Hawaii with the maximum respect,” Rebolo said.“Our position is that we are here if the TMT project needs us,” he added.

加那利群岛天体物理研究所所长拉斐尔·雷博洛在接受美联社采访时证实自己已经收到了30米望远镜项目负责人寻求施工许可的来信。雷博洛说，我们怀着最大的敬意关注了夏威夷的情况。他补充表示，我们的立场是：如果TMT项目需要我们，那我们会配合。

Rebolo said local officials in La Palma solidly back the project and that environmental impact studies have already been carried out.

雷博洛说，拉帕尔马岛当地官员坚决支持该项目，而且环境影响的研究工作已经开始进行了。 

The plan to explore possible building in the Canary Islands pleased many Hawaiian activists.However, the development was not enough for protesters to end their block of the road into Mauna Kea.

他们计划探索在加那利群岛建造“30米望远镜项目”可能性，这一计划让很多夏威夷活动家感到高兴。然而，这样的进展还不足以让抗议者们不再堵住通往莫纳克亚山顶的路。

The demonstrators say they are not opposed to the scientific work the telescope is designed to perform.They say they just want the research to take place somewhere else.

抗议者表示，他们并不反对该望远镜设计后用来执行的科学工作。他们说，他们只是希望研究能在其他地方进行。

“There’s lots of good science to be done from the Canary Islands,” protest organizer Kealoha Pisciotta told the AP.She said that moving the telescope project out of Hawaii would “be a win for everyone.”

抗议组织者基洛哈·皮西奥塔告诉美联社:“有很多好的科学研究都可以在加那利群岛做的。她说，把望远镜项目迁出夏威夷会是一种共赢的做法。