5．It took 100years，but finally，scientists proved Albert Einstein's theory that gravitational waves（引力波）exist．
The waves were predicted as part of Einstein's general theory of relativity nearly 100years ago．It was the theory of the physics behind the workings of our world and the universe．
The idea was that the waves are like waves in space，caused by some of the violent and energetic processes in the universe．For example，two black holes crashing into each other．
Now a group of scientists，including ones from Caltech，MIT and the LIGO Scientific，Collaboration finally found the gravitational waves．
David Reitze is the executive director of the LIGO observatory at Caltech．
"We have detected gravitational waves．We did it!"
What are these gravitational waves？
Well，imagine throwing a rock into a pond．When the rock hits the flat surface of the water，it creates waves．Space-time is like the surface of the water．So that means gravitational waves are like the waves moving out from where the rock hits the water．
It might be hard to understand，but those gravitational waves expand and contract space and time as they move through space．And when they get to the Earth，the waves pass through，and they contract and expand the planet as the waves go by．
It was Einstein who said these gravitational waves should be observable．
But these are not huge waves．They are very，very small，which is why it took so long to find them．You cannot see them with your eyes．They are smaller than the size of an atom．
How did the scientists find them？
They used a giant scientific tool called LIGO，which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory．The billion-dollar LIGO project is two L-shaped observatories．One is in Louisiana and the other in Washington state．
For years，scientists have been watching two black holes in another faraway galaxy．The two were spinning around each other，moving closer and closer together．When they finally crashed into each other，it was with such power and force that gravitational waves rang throughout the universe，like a giant bell．
Those waves，traveling at the speed of light，finally reached the Earth，some l.3billion years later．They are the same waves that the scientists announced this past week．
So，what does this discovery mean？
Our understanding of the heavens changed dramatically．
32．What are gravitational waves about？A
A．About the workings of the universe．
B．About how black holes form．
C．About how the universe began．
D．About how the waves form on the surface of water．
33．The underlined sentence"two black holes crashing into each other"is used to expressB．
A．how the universe begins to exist
B．how gravitational waves form
C．how new black holes appear
D．how the earth is affected
34．Why are gravitational waves difficult to find？A
A．Because they are too small．
B．Because they are far away．
C．Because they seldom occur．
D．Because they have disappeared．
35．With the discovery of gravitational waves，we'llC．
A．create a new world
B．make full use of gravitational waves
C．understand the universe in a new way
D．a(chǎn)void being hit by black holes．
分析 文章大意：本文主要介紹了科學(xué)家們對愛因斯坦"引力波"理論的研究．包括引力波的產(chǎn)生，引力波發(fā)現(xiàn)的意義和引力波的尋找過程．引力波的發(fā)現(xiàn)，讓我們對天空的認(rèn)識發(fā)生了巨大的變化．
解答 32．答案：A．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第二段中It was the theory of the physics behind the workings of our world and the universe這是我們宇宙和宇宙運(yùn)行背后的物理學(xué)理論．可知"引力波"是關(guān)于宇宙的運(yùn)作．故選項A正確．
33．答案：B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)本段caused by some of the violent and energetic processes in the universe由宇宙中一些暴力和充滿活力的過程引起的．一句可知這個例子主要是介紹引力波形成的原因．故答案選B．
34．答案：A．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文中They are very，very small，which is why it took so long to find them它們非常非常小，這就是為什么花了這么長時間才找到它們的原因．可知引力波很小．故答案A正確．
35．答案：C．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)最后一句Our understanding of the heavens changed dramatically我們對天空的認(rèn)識發(fā)生了巨大的變化．可知我們將以全新視角理解這個世界．故答案C正確．
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