ScientistssaidonThursdaytheyhaveforthefirsttimedetectedgravitational(引力的)wavesripples(涟波)inspaceandtimehypothesized(假设)byphysicistAlbertEinsteinacenturyagoinalandmarkdiscoverythatopensanewwindow

Question

Scientists said on Thursday they have for the first time detected gravitational (引力的) waves ripples (涟波) in space and time hypothesized (假设) by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago in a landmark discovery that opens a new window for studying the cosmos.

Discovering gravitational waves would be a huge deal for physics cosmology and our understanding of the universe at large. But if you’re not a scientist studying one of the mentioned fields it’s possible you’ve never heard of these mysterious ripples. So what are gravitational waves and why is the discovery so significant?

Gravitational waves are disturbances in space-time the very fabric of the universe that travel at the speed of light. The waves are sent out by any mass that is changing speed or direction. The simplest example is a binary (二元的) system where a pair of stars or compact objects (like black holes) orbit their common center of mass.

We can think of gravitational effects as curvatures (曲率) in space-time. Earth’s gravity is constant and produces a static curve in space-time. A gravitational wave is a curvature that moves through space-time much like a water wave moves across the surface of a lake. It is generated only when masses are speeding up slowing down or changing direction.

The new discovery was made by a group of more than 1 000 scientists from universities around the United States as well as in 14 other countries. Director David Reitze announced on Thursday at a press conference that they detected gravitational waves.

While opening a door to new ways to observe the universe scientists said gravitational waves should help them gain knowledge about mysterious objects like black holes and neutron stars. The waves also may provide insight into the mysterious nature of the very early universe.

The scientists said that because gravitational waves are so radically (彻底地) different from electromagnetic waves they expect them to reveal big surprises about the universe.

32. Discovering gravitational waves would be a huge deal for _______.

A. medicine.    B. literature.    C. cosmology.    D. philosophy.

33. The author explains the term of gravitational waves _______.

A. by classifying                B. by giving cause and effect

C. by making a comparison              D. by presenting a definition

34. The number of the countries that have scientists in the new discovery of gravitational waves is _______.

   A. 12.      B. 13.      C. 14.      D. 15.

35. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

   A. Scientists can get further information about the universe by studying gravitational waves.

B. Scientists expect gravitational waves to reveal big surprises about the universe.

C. Gravitational waves are so radically different from electromagnetic waves.

D. Scientists from all the world work together to study the mystery of the solar system.

Answer 1

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