Passage 1 Yerkes Observatory, a place that once attracted the elite of astrophysicists and theoretical astronomers like Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Gerard Kuiper, and Carl Sagan, is undergoing a significant transformation. Thanks to a $15 million facelift - inside and out - financed by a nonprofit group that took possession of the building in 2020, the observatory is being reborn. For the first time in more than a century, the observatory, including its 50-acre grounds, is open for public tours of its working space-science facility. Over the past few years, Yerkes staff have been preparing for what they expect to be one of the busiest days the institution has ever seen: North America's total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Williams Bay will see 90.2 percent totality, and Wisconsinites who don't want to drive hundreds of miles to witness complete darkness could find no more compelling a setting for near totality than here beneath these storied domes. Yerkes's $15 million renovation included repairs to its three signature domes. The largest, 90 feet in diameter, rotates on 36 wheels. But the glories of Yerkes are not confined to the heavens. The building itself is a thing of beauty. Festooned with elaborate Victorian-era stone carvings, Romanesque arches, and terra-cotta figures, the landmark observatory was created by George Ellery Hale and Charles Tyson Yerkes - two men with very different agendas. Hale, an astrophysicist, had the revolutionary notion to establish a facility that housed both an observatory and an academic institution at which physicists and chemists could apply their discoveries to new theories about astrophysics. Financier Yerkes, on the other hand, was one of Chicago's most hated businessmen. He poured money into the observatory to rehabilitate his image, but it didn't work - and he ended up moving to New York. Yerkes's face, however, is depicted on the observatory's exterior columns - albeit with a sinister smile and devilish horns. "The artists had fun with that," notes someone. Who among the following once visited Yerkes Observatory A. Albert Einstein B. Isaac Newton C. Galileo Galilei D. Nicolaus Copernicus What is the main idea of the passage A. To introduce the history of Yerkes Observatory. B. To describe the renovation and features of Yerkes Observatory and its significance. C. To compare different astronomers. D. To explain how to observe a solar eclipse. According to the passage, what can be inferred about the renovation of Yerkes Observatory A. It was only for the appearance of the building. B. It was funded by the government. C. It included repairs to the domes and made the observatory open to the public. D. It was completed a long time ago. What does the word "facelift" in the second paragraph probably mean A. A new telescope. B. A major renovation or improvement. C. A scientific experiment. D. A public tour. 答案： A B C B 解析： 细节理解题。根据文中 “Yerkes Observatory, a place that once attracted the elite o ... ...
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