大学英语精读第五册 Unit 8
时间：2018-12-04 作者：英语课 分类：大学英语精读第五册
UNIT 8
TEXT
A victim of an incurable 1 disease, Stephen Hawking 2 is almost completely paralysed, confined to a wheelchair, and unable to speak. Yet, he has overcome every obstacle and achieved far more than most able-bodied people ever dream of accomplishing and become one of the greatest physicists 4 of our time.
Roaming the Cosmos
by Le0on Jaroff
Darkness has fallen on Cambridge, England, and on a damp and chilly 5 evening king's Parade is filled with students and faculty 6. Then, down the crowded thoroughfare comes the University of Cambridge's most distinctive 7 vehicle, bearing its most distinguished 8 citizen. In the motorized wheelchair, boyish face dimly illuminated 9 by a glowing computer screen attached to the left armrest, is Stephen William Hawking, 46, one of the world's greatest theoretical physicists. As he skillfully maneuvers 10 through the crowd, motorists slow down, some honking 11 their horns in greeting. People wave and shout hello.
A huge smile lights up Hawking's bespectacled face, but he cannot wave or shout back. Since his early 20s, he has suffered from amyotrophic lateral 12 sclerosis (ALS), a progressive deterioration 13 of the central nervous system that usually causes death within three or four years. Hawking's illness has advanced more slowly, and now seems almost to have stabilized 14. Still, it has robbed him of virtually all movement. He has no control over most of his muscles, cannot dress or eat by himself and has lost his voice. Now he "speaks" only by using the slight voluntary movement left in his hands and fingers to operate his wheelchair's built-in computer and voice synthesizer.
While ALS has made Hawking a virtual prisoner in his own body, it has left his courage and humor intact, his intellect free to roam. And roam it does, from the infinitesimal to the infinite, from the subatomic realm to the far reaches of the universe. In the course of these mental expeditions, Hawking has conceived startling new theories about black holes and the disorderly events that immediately followed the Big Bang from which the universe sprang. More recently, he has shaken both physicists and theologians by suggesting that the universe has no boundaries, was not created and will not be destroyed.
Most of Stephen Hawking's innovative 15 thinking occurs at Cambridge, where he is Lucasian professor of mathematics, a seat once occupied by Isaac Newton. There, in the Department of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, he benevolently 16 reigns 18 over the relativity group, 15 overachieving graduate students from nine countries. On his office door is a small plaque 19 irreverently reading QUIET, PLEASE. THE BOSS IS ASLEEP.
Hardly. From midmorning until he departs for dinner around 7 p. m., Hawking follows a routine that would tax the most able-bodied, working in his book-lined office, amid photographs of his wife Jane and their three children. When he rolled into the department's common room one morning last month, his students were talking shop around low tables. Maneuvering 20 to one of the tables, Hawking clicked his control switch, evoking 21 tiny beeps from his computer and selecting words from lists displayed on his screen. These words, assembled in sequence at the bottom of the screen, finally issued from the voice synthesizer: "Good morning. Can I have coffee?" Then, for the benefit of a visitor: "I am sorry about my American accent." (The synthesizer is produced by a California company.)
When the conversation shifted to creativity and how mathematicians 23 seem to reach a creative peak in their early 20s, Hawking's computer beeped. "I'm over the hill," he said, to a chorus of laughter.
Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942-300 years to the day, he often notes, after the death of Galileo. As a small boy, he was slow to learn to read but liked to take things apart though he confesses that he was never very good at putting things back together. When he was twelve, he recalls humorously, "one of my friends bet another friend a bag of sweets that I would never come to anything. I don't know if this bet was ever settled and, if so, who won.
Fascinated by physics, Stephen concentrated in the subject at Oxford's University College, but did not distinguish himself. He partied, took a great interest in rowing and studied only an hour or so a day. Moving on to Cambridge for graduate work in relativity, he found the going rough, party because of some puzzling physical problems; he stumbled frequently and seemed to be getting clumsy.
Doctors soon gave him the bad news: he had ALS, it would only get worse, and there was no cure. Hawking was overwhelmed. Before long, he needed a cane 24 to walk, was drinking heavily and ignoring his studies. "There didn't seem to be much point in completing my Ph. D.," he says.
Then Hawking's luck turned. The progress of the disease slowed, and Einsteinian space-time suddenly seemed less formidable. But what really made the difference, he says, "was that I got engaged to Jane," who was studying modern languages at Cambridge. "This gave me something to liver for." As he explains, "if we were to get married, I had to get a job. And to get a job, I had to finish my Ph. D. I started, working hard for the first time in my life. To my surprise, I found I liked it."
What particularly interested Stephen was singularities, strange beasts predicted by general relativity. Einstein's equations indicated that when a star several times larger than the sun exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses 25, its matter crushes together at its center with such force that it forms a singularity, an infinitely 26 dense 27 point with no dimensions and irresistible 28 gravity. A voluminous region surrounding the singularity becomes a "black hole," from which -- because of that immense gravity -- nothing, not even light, can escape.
Scientists years ago found compelling evidence that black holes exist, but they were uncomfortable with singularities, because all scientific laws break down at these points. Most physicists believed that in the real universe the object at the heart of a black hole would be small (but not dimensionless) and extremely dense (but not infinitely so). Enter Hawking. While still a graduate student, he and Mathematician 22 Roger Penrose developed new techniques proving mathematically that if general relativity is correct, singularities must exist. Hawking went on to demonstrate - again if general relativity is correct - that the entire universe must have sprung from a singularity. As he wrote in his 1966 Ph. D. thesis, "There is a singularity in our past."
Stephen later discerned several new characteristics of black holes and demonstrated that the amazing forces of the Big Bang would have created mini-black holes, each with a mass about that of a terrestrial mountain, but no larger than the subatomic proton. Then, applying the quantum theory (which accurately 29 describes the random 30, uncertain subatomic world) instead of general relativity (which, it turns out, falters 31 in that tiny realm), Hawking was startled to find that the mini-black holes must emit particles and radiation. Even more remarkable 32, the little holes would gradually evaporate and, 10 billion years or so after their creation, explode with the energy or millions of H-bombs.
Hawking has visited the U. S. 30 times, made seven trips to Moscow, taken a round-the-word journey, and piloted his wheelchair on the Great Wall of China. On the road, the activities occasionally deviate 34 somewhat from physics. One night Stephen accompanied a group to a Chicago discotheque, where he joined in the festivities by wheeling onto the dance floor and spinning his chair in circles.
Recently, Hawking, who has no qualms 35 about recanting his own work if he decides he was wrong, may have transcended 36 his famous proof that singularities exist. With Physicist 3 James Hartle. He has derived 37 a quantum wave describing a self-contained universe that, like the earth's surface, has no edge or boundary. If that is the case, says Hawking, Einstein's general theory of relativity would have to be modified, and there would be no singularities. "The universe would not be created, not be destroyed; it would simply be," he concludes, adding challengingly, "What place, then, for a Creator?"
NEW WORDS
roam
v. go from one place to another without a goal or purpose; wander 漫游
cosmos
n. the whole universe considered as an ordered system 宇宙
cosmic
a.
damp
a. slightly wet; moist
chilly
a. rather cold; unpleasantly cold
chill
n.
faculty
n. all the teachers of a school or college
thoroughfare
n. a busy main road 通衢
distinguished
a. showing remarkable qualities 杰出的
boyish
a. of or like a boy
dimly
ad. faintly; unclearly 黯淡地
glow
vi. give off a steady light; shine 发光
armrest
n. a support for the arm, esp. one on the chair or couch 扶手
motorist
n. a person who drives or rides in an automobile 38
physicist
n. a person who studies or works in physics
honk
n. the sound made by a wild goose or an automobile horn
greeting
n. an act or expression of welcome or salutation 欢迎;致意
bespectacled
a. wearing glasses
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化
deterioration
n. the act or process of deteriorating 39 恶化
deteriorate
vi. become worse
rob
vt. take from unlawfully, esp. by force 抢劫;使丧失
voluntary
a. controlled by the will; made, done, or a given of one's own free will 随意的;自愿的;志愿的
built-in
a. forming a part of sth. that cannot be separated from it
synthesizer
n. an electrical instrument that can produce many different sorts of sound 音响合成器
voice synthesizer
语音合成器
synthesis
n. the combining of separate things, ideas, etc., into a complete whole 合成
humor
n. the quality of being amusing or funny; the ability to see or express what is funny 幽默(感)
intellect
n. the ability to think, reason, and learn; intelligence
infinitesimal
n. a. 无穷小(的)
subatomic
a. smaller than an atom 亚原子的
expedition
n. a long trip for exploring or studying sth. 远征;探险;考察
disorderly
a. combining lacking organization or order; untidy
theologian
n. a person who has studied theology 神学家
boundary
n. a dividing line between one place or thing and another; border
innovative
a. tending or liking 40 to introduce new ideas or methods; different from, and esp. better than previous ones 创新的
innovation
n.
benevolently
ad. in a kindly 41 manner 仁慈地
reign 17
v. rule, esp. as a monarch 统治
relativity
n. 相对论
overachieve
v. do or perform better than expected
graduate
n. one who has graduated, esp. from a college or university, holding a bachelor's degree
graduate student
研究生
plaque
n. a flat decorative 42 metal or stone plate, that is fixed 43 to a wall, statue, etc. 饰板，匾
irreverently
ad. in a disrespectful manner 不敬地
midmorning
n. the middle of the morning
able-bodied
a. strong and healthy; physically 44 fit
book-lined
a. lined with books
amid
prep. in the middle of; among
common room
a room in a school or college for the use of teachers and / or students when they are not teaching or studying 公共休息室
click
vt. strike or move with a sight short sound
evoke
vt. produce; call up 产生；唤起
beep
n. a sharp, short sound
chorus
n. sth. said or shouted by many people together
confess
v. say that sth. is true; say that one has committed a crime or done sth. wrong 承认；坦白
fascinate
vt. attract or interest very strongly 强烈地吸引；迷住
party
vt. enjoy oneself, esp. at a party or parties
overwhelm
vt. overcome completely; overpower 征服，制服
cane
n. a stick used to help in walking 手杖
formidable
a. difficult to defeat or deal with; frightening 难对付的；可怕的
engaged
a. having agreed to get married 已订婚的
singularity
n. a hypothetical point in space at which an object becomes compressed to infinite density 45 and infinitesimal volume 奇点
beast
n. any (four-footed) animal; a person or thing felt to be hateful or offensive
nuclear
a. of a nucleus 46, esp. of an atom 核的，原子核的
crush
vt. squeeze together violently so as to break
vi. become crushed
infinitely
ad. without limits of any kind; having no end
dense
a. packed closely together; thick
dimension
n. the measurement of the length, width, or height of sth. 尺寸
dimensionless
a.
irresistible
a. that cannot be resisted; too great to be withstood
voluminous
a. very large
compelling
a. strongly convincing or persuasive
thesis
n. a long piece of writing on a particular subject, based on original work and written for a higher degree 论文
amazing
a. causing great surprise or wonder, esp. because of quantity or quality
amaze
vt.
mini-
prefix. very small compared with others of its kind
terrestrial
a. of the planet earth
proton
n. a tiny particle of an atom that has a positive electric charge 质子
quantum
n. the basic unit of radiant energy; the smallest amount of energy capable of existing independently 量子
accurately
ad. precisely 47; exactly
accurate
a.
random
a. without plan, purpose, or pattern 任意的，随机的
uncertain
a. not certain; likely to change
falter
vi. move or speak in an unsteady way; lose strength or effectiveness; fail
radiation
n. the process of sending out rays of energy, such as heat or light; sth. that is radiated 辐射；放射物
radiate
v.
evaporate
v. change from a liquid into a vapor 33 or gas 蒸发
explode
vi. burst with a loud noise; blow up
H-bomb
n. a hydrogen bomb
pilot
vt. act as a pilot; guide; lead 驾驶（飞行器等）；指引；引导
deviate
vi. move away from a usual or accepted standard of behavior 偏离
accompany
vt. go along with
discotheque
n. (formal for disco) a club where people dance to recorded music 迪斯科舞厅
festivity
n. the act of rejoicing; merriment; gaiety 欢庆（活动）
spin
v. (cause to) turn quickly about an axis
recant
vt. say publicly that one no longer holds (a former belief)
self-contained
a. complete in itself; independent
creator
n. a person who creates; (C) God
PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS
light up
make or become bright, cheerful, etc.
rob of
take the property of, esp. using violence; prevent from enjoying
reign over
rule as the king or queen
talk shop
(inf.) talk about things in one's work or trade
in sequence
one following another; in succession
over the hill
past one's prime, unable to function as one used to
put together
form by combining parts or members; assemble
come to anything
end in success / failure
something / nothing
distinguish oneself
behave or perform noticeably well
(be) engaged to
having agreed to marry
to sb's surprise
in a way that surprises sb.
break down
become unusable; fall
deviate from
move away from
PROPER NAMES
Leon Jaroff
利昂.贾洛夫
Cambridge
剑桥(大学)
King's Parade
国王阅兵场
Stephen William Hawking
斯蒂芬.威廉.霍金
Lucasian
卢卡斯的
Isaac Newton
艾萨克.牛顿
California
加利福尼亚(州)
Oxford
牛津(大学)
Jane
简
Roger Penrose
罗杰.彭罗斯
Moscow
莫斯科
Chicago
芝加哥
James Hartle
詹姆斯.哈特尔
- All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
- He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。
- He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
- We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。
- He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
- The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。
- For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
- Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。
- I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
- I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。
- He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
- He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。
- She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
- This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
- Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
- A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
- Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
- the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
- He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
- Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句
- Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- An airfoil that controls lateral motion.能够控制横向飞行的机翼。
- Mr.Dawson walked into the court from a lateral door.道森先生从一个侧面的门走进法庭。
- Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
- The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。
- The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
- His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
- He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
- The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
- The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。
- In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句
- There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
- Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
- This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
- In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句
- Some occur in organisms without evoking symptoms. 一些存在于生物体中，但不发生症状。
- Nowadays, the protection of traditional knowledge is evoking heat discussion worldwide. 目前，全球都掀起了保护传统知识的热潮。
- The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
- The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。
- Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
- Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分
- This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
- English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
- This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
- Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。
- There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
- The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。
- The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
- The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
- The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
- She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。
- It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
- Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。
- The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
- On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
- He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。
- The plan never falters; the design never changes. It is all ordered. 大自然从不步履蹒跚，从不三心二意，一切都是有条不紊。
- She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
- These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
- The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
- This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。
- Don't deviate from major issues.不要偏离主要问题。
- I will never deviate from what I believe to be right.我绝不背离我自信正确的道路。
- He felt no qualms about borrowing money from friends.他没有对于从朋友那里借钱感到不安。
- He has no qualms about lying.他撒谎毫不内疚。
- He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
- It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。
- Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
- The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
- I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。
- The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
- I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
- Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
- A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
- This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
- The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
- He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
- Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
- The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
- The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。