47 According to the author, what may be the reason why modern scientists study the skies？
(A)To seek to read people's horoscope.
(B)To understand why many people confuse astrology with astronomy.
(C)To interpret the fate of human beings given by the stars.
(D)To figure out whether there are other life forms in the outer space.

Hundreds of millions of people read their horoscopes every day. Seekers scan the skies for answers to life's challenges, believing that the planets, and their relative positions, have something direct to say to each of us. Many still confuse astrology with astronomy. Even with all my scientific training, I cannot say that I blame them. The better we know the heavens, the better we know ourselves. Even though modern science has stopped seeing the stars as an oracle, we still search for answers in the skies. As we study the skies scientifically, we are trying to explain our cosmic origins, the beginnings of life on Earth—and to know whether we are alone in the universe.

每天都有數以億計的人閱讀自己的星座運勢。他們相信行星及其相對位置對我們每個人都有直接的啟示。許多人仍然把占星術和天文學混為一談。即使我受過科學訓練，我也不能責怪他們。我們越瞭解天體，就越瞭解我們自己。儘管現代科學已經不再把星星視為神諭，但我們仍然在天空中尋找答案。當我們科學地研究天空時，我們正試圖解釋我們的宇宙起源、地球上生命的起源--並想知道我們在宇宙中是否孤獨。

      In ancient times and for many indigenous cultures, the skies were（and still are）sacred. Countless religious narratives and mythical tales from across the planet can prove this. To know the skies was to have some level of control over the course of events that affected people, communities, and kingdoms. The gods wrote their messages on the dark canvas of the night sky, using the twinkling stars as their ink. The shaman, the priest, the holy man or woman were the interpreters, the decoders. They could translate the will of the gods into a message the people could understand. Fast forward to the 17th century, as Galileo and Kepler were establishing the roots of modern science and astronomy. To them the skies were still sacred, even if in different ways from their predecessors. Theirs was a Christian god, creator of the universe and everything in it.

在古代和許多土著文化中，天空過去是（現在仍然是）神聖的。地球上無數的宗教敘事和神話故事都可以證明這一點。瞭解天空就意味著能夠在某種程度上控制影響人類、社區和王國的事件進程。眾神用閃爍的星星作為墨水，在漆黑的夜空畫布上書寫他們的資訊。薩滿、祭司、聖人是翻譯者和解碼者。他們可以把神的旨意翻譯成人們可以理解的資訊。時間快進到 17 世紀，伽利略和開普勒正在建立現代科學和天文學的根基。對他們來說，天空仍然是神聖的，儘管其方式與前人不同。他們的神是基督教的神，是宇宙和萬物的創造者。

     The stars may be way out there, distant and unreachable, yet we feel a deep connection to them. Walking through an open field on a clear, moonless night speaks to us on many different levels. In the modern scientific attempt to study the skies, we identify the same desire for meaning that drove our ancestors to look up and worship the gods. Our most advanced telescopes are concrete evidence of our modern urge to understand the heavens. We know the answers are there, waiting.

星星也許遙不可及，但我們卻與它們有著深厚的聯繫。在晴朗無月的夜晚，漫步在空曠的原野上，我們會在許多不同的層面上與它們對話。在研究天空的現代科學嘗試中，我們發現了與驅使我們的祖先仰望和崇拜神靈一樣的對意義的渴望。我們最先進的望遠鏡就是我們現代人渴望瞭解天體的具體證據。我們知道答案就在那裡，等待著我們。