我们的银河系中有超过2000亿颗恒星，而在可观测的宇宙中，有着20000亿颗星系。我们生活在一个星光璀璨的时代、宇宙中一个属于光和生命的时代。以人类如白驹过隙的视角看去，恒星似乎是永恒不灭的。但即便是神，也不是不朽的。哪里有光，哪里就有黑暗。我们认为最后一颗恒星的光芒，将在大约100000亿年后熄灭，宇宙将重归黑暗。当那一天到来时，最后的恒星逝去，宇宙中所有生命的可能性和意义也将随之消逝。但它们还是会留下一份厚礼。因为在宇宙漫长的历史中，恒星曾照亮过黑暗，也给了我们理解恒星的机会。
考生一：Our Milky Way cradles more than two hundred billion stars; the observable universe, in turn, holds two trillion galaxies. We are born into an era ablaze with starlight—a fleeting season of light and life within the cosmos. From the fleeting perspective of man, the stars seem eternal and unyielding. Yet not even the gods are immortal. Where there is light, there must be darkness. We foresee the last ember of the final star guttering out some ten trillion years hence, returning the cosmos to its primeval night. When that day comes, and the last light dies, all possibility and meaning of life in the universe shall fade with it. Yet they shall leave behind a parting gift: for in the long annals of the cosmos, the stars shone bright enough to banish the dark, and gracious enough to grant us the wisdom to understand them.
考生二：Our galaxy alone contains over 200 billion stars, while the observable universe is home to an estimated two trillion galaxies. We live in a golden age of astronomy—a time defined by light and life. To us, with our fleeting lifespans, stars appear as permanent fixtures in the sky. But even celestial bodies are not forever. Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. Current models predict that the last star will burn out in roughly 10 trillion years, plunging the universe back into darkness. When that light finally fades, so too will the potential for life as we know it. But the stars will leave a legacy. Because during this brief cosmic epoch, they illuminated the void—and gave us the means to comprehend them.
考生一：Our Milky Way cradles more than two hundred billion stars; the observable universe, in turn, holds two trillion galaxies. We are born into an era ablaze with starlight—a fleeting season of light and life within the cosmos. From the fleeting perspective of man, the stars seem eternal and unyielding. Yet not even the gods are immortal. Where there is light, there must be darkness. We foresee the last ember of the final star guttering out some ten trillion years hence, returning the cosmos to its primeval night. When that day comes, and the last light dies, all possibility and meaning of life in the universe shall fade with it. Yet they shall leave behind a parting gift: for in the long annals of the cosmos, the stars shone bright enough to banish the dark, and gracious enough to grant us the wisdom to understand them.
考生二：Our galaxy alone contains over 200 billion stars, while the observable universe is home to an estimated two trillion galaxies. We live in a golden age of astronomy—a time defined by light and life. To us, with our fleeting lifespans, stars appear as permanent fixtures in the sky. But even celestial bodies are not forever. Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. Current models predict that the last star will burn out in roughly 10 trillion years, plunging the universe back into darkness. When that light finally fades, so too will the potential for life as we know it. But the stars will leave a legacy. Because during this brief cosmic epoch, they illuminated the void—and gave us the means to comprehend them.
