大学英语5 第8课.docx
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大学英语5 第8课.docx
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大学英语5第8课
大学英语精读第五册08
大耳朵英语 2005-09-3000:
40:
22 【打印】
UNIT8
TEXT
Avictimofanincurabledisease,StephenHawkingisalmostcompletelyparalysed,confinedtoawheelchair,andunabletospeak.Yet,hehasovercomeeveryobstacleandachievedfarmorethanmostable-bodiedpeopleeverdreamofaccomplishingandbecomeoneofthegreatestphysicistsofourtime.
RoamingtheCosmos
byLe0onJaroff
DarknesshasfallenonCambridge,England,andonadampandchillyeveningking'sParadeisfilledwithstudentsandfaculty.Then,downthecrowdedthoroughfarecomestheUniversityofCambridge'smostdistinctivevehicle,bearingitsmostdistinguishedcitizen.Inthemotorizedwheelchair,boyishfacedimlyilluminatedbyaglowingcomputerscreenattachedtotheleftarmrest,isStephenWilliamHawking,46,oneoftheworld'sgreatesttheoreticalphysicists.Asheskillfullymaneuversthroughthecrowd,motoristsslowdown,somehonkingtheirhornsingreeting.Peoplewaveandshouthello.
AhugesmilelightsupHawking'sbespectacledface,buthecannotwaveorshoutback.Sincehisearly20s,hehassufferedfromamyotrophiclateralsclerosis(ALS),aprogressivedeteriorationofthecentralnervoussystemthatusuallycausesdeathwithinthreeorfouryears.Hawking'sillnesshasadvancedmoreslowly,andnowseemsalmosttohavestabilized.Still,ithasrobbedhimofvirtuallyallmovement.Hehasnocontrolovermostofhismuscles,cannotdressoreatbyhimselfandhaslosthisvoice.Nowhe"speaks"onlybyusingtheslightvoluntarymovementleftinhishandsandfingerstooperatehiswheelchair'sbuilt-incomputerandvoicesynthesizer.
WhileALShasmadeHawkingavirtualprisonerinhisownbody,ithaslefthiscourageandhumorintact,hisintellectfreetoroam.Androamitdoes,fromtheinfinitesimaltotheinfinite,fromthesubatomicrealmtothefarreachesoftheuniverse.Inthecourseofthesementalexpeditions,HawkinghasconceivedstartlingnewtheoriesaboutblackholesandthedisorderlyeventsthatimmediatelyfollowedtheBigBangfromwhichtheuniversesprang.Morerecently,hehasshakenbothphysicistsandtheologiansbysuggestingthattheuniversehasnoboundaries,wasnotcreatedandwillnotbedestroyed.
MostofStephenHawking'sinnovativethinkingoccursatCambridge,whereheisLucasianprofessorofmathematics,aseatonceoccupiedbyIsaacNewton.There,intheDepartmentofMathematicsandTheoreticalPhysics,hebenevolentlyreignsovertherelativitygroup,15overachievinggraduatestudentsfromninecountries.OnhisofficedoorisasmallplaqueirreverentlyreadingQUIET,PLEASE.THEBOSSISASLEEP.
Hardly.Frommidmorninguntilhedepartsfordinneraround7p.m.,Hawkingfollowsaroutinethatwouldtaxthemostable-bodied,workinginhisbook-linedoffice,amidphotographsofhiswifeJaneandtheirthreechildren.Whenherolledintothedepartment'scommonroomonemorninglastmonth,hisstudentsweretalkingshoparoundlowtables.Maneuveringtooneofthetables,Hawkingclickedhiscontrolswitch,evokingtinybeepsfromhiscomputerandselectingwordsfromlistsdisplayedonhisscreen.Thesewords,assembledinsequenceatthebottomofthescreen,finallyissuedfromthevoicesynthesizer:
"Goodmorning.CanIhavecoffee?
"Then,forthebenefitofavisitor:
"IamsorryaboutmyAmericanaccent."(ThesynthesizerisproducedbyaCaliforniacompany.)
Whentheconversationshiftedtocreativityandhowmathematiciansseemtoreachacreativepeakintheirearly20s,Hawking'scomputerbeeped."I'moverthehill,"hesaid,toachorusoflaughter.
HawkingwasbornonJan.8,1942-300yearstotheday,heoftennotes,afterthedeathofGalileo.Asasmallboy,hewasslowtolearntoreadbutlikedtotakethingsapartthoughheconfessesthathewasneververygoodatputtingthingsbacktogether.Whenhewastwelve,herecallshumorously,"oneofmyfriendsbetanotherfriendabagofsweetsthatIwouldnevercometoanything.Idon'tknowifthisbetwaseversettledand,ifso,whowon.
Fascinatedbyphysics,StephenconcentratedinthesubjectatOxford'sUniversityCollege,butdidnotdistinguishhimself.Hepartied,tookagreatinterestinrowingandstudiedonlyanhourorsoaday.MovingontoCambridgeforgraduateworkinrelativity,hefoundthegoingrough,partybecauseofsomepuzzlingphysicalproblems;hestumbledfrequentlyandseemedtobegettingclumsy.
Doctorssoongavehimthebadnews:
hehadALS,itwouldonlygetworse,andtherewasnocure.Hawkingwasoverwhelmed.Beforelong,heneededacanetowalk,wasdrinkingheavilyandignoringhisstudies."Theredidn'tseemtobemuchpointincompletingmyPh.D.,"hesays.
ThenHawking'sluckturned.Theprogressofthediseaseslowed,andEinsteinianspace-timesuddenlyseemedlessformidable.Butwhatreallymadethedifference,hesays,"wasthatIgotengagedtoJane,"whowasstudyingmodernlanguagesatCambridge."Thisgavemesomethingtoliverfor."Asheexplains,"ifweweretogetmarried,Ihadtogetajob.Andtogetajob,IhadtofinishmyPh.D.Istarted,workinghardforthefirsttimeinmylife.Tomysurprise,IfoundIlikedit."
WhatparticularlyinterestedStephenwassingularities,strangebeastspredictedbygeneralrelativity.Einstein'sequationsindicatedthatwhenastarseveraltimeslargerthanthesunexhaustsitsnuclearfuelandcollapses,itsmattercrushestogetheratitscenterwithsuchforcethatitformsasingularity,aninfinitelydensepointwithnodimensionsandirresistiblegravity.Avoluminousregionsurroundingthesingularitybecomesa"blackhole,"fromwhich—becauseofthatimmensegravity—nothing,notevenlight,canescape.
Scientistsyearsagofoundcompellingevidencethatblackholesexist,buttheywereuncomfortablewithsingularities,becauseallscientificlawsbreakdownatthesepoints.Mostphysicistsbelievedthatintherealuniversetheobjectattheheartofablackholewouldbesmall(butnotdimensionless)andextremelydense(butnotinfinitelyso).EnterHawking.Whilestillagraduatestudent,heandMathematicianRogerPenrosedevelopednewtechniquesprovingmathematicallythatifgeneralrelativityiscorrect,singularitiesmustexist.Hawkingwentontodemonstrate—againifgeneralrelativityiscorrect—thattheentireuniversemusthavesprungfromasingularity.Ashewroteinhis1966Ph.D.thesis,"Thereisasingularityinourpast."
StephenlaterdiscernedseveralnewcharacteristicsofblackholesanddemonstratedthattheamazingforcesoftheBigBangwouldhavecreatedmini-blackholes,eachwithamassaboutthatofaterrestrialmountain,butnolargerthanthesubatomicproton.Then,applyingthequantumtheory(whichaccuratelydescribestherandom,uncertainsubatomicworld)insteadofgeneralrelativity(which,itturnsout,faltersinthattinyrealm),Hawkingwasstartledtofindthatthemini-blackholesmustemitparticlesandradiation.Evenmoreremarkable,thelittleholeswouldgraduallyevaporateand,10billionyearsorsoaftertheircreation,explodewiththeenergyormillionsofH-bombs.
HawkinghasvisitedtheU.S.30times,madeseventripstoMoscow,takenaround-the-wordjourney,andpilotedhiswheelchairontheGreatWallofChina.Ontheroad,theactivitiesoccasionallydeviatesomewhatfromphysics.OnenightStephenaccompaniedagrouptoaChicagodiscotheque,wherehejoinedinthefestivitiesbywheelingontothedancefloorandspinninghischairincircles.
Recently,Hawking,whohasnoqualmsaboutrecantinghisownworkifhedecideshewaswrong,mayhavetranscendedhisfamousproofthatsingularitiesexist.WithPhysicistJamesHartle.Hehasderivedaquantumwavedescribingaself-containeduniversethat,liketheearth'ssurface,hasnoedgeorboundary.Ifthatisthecase,saysHawking,Einstein'sgeneraltheoryofrelativitywouldhavetobemodified,andtherewouldbenosingularities."Theuniversewouldnotbecreated,notbedestroyed;itwouldsimplybe,"heconcludes,addingchallengingly,"Whatplace,then,foraCreator?
"
NEWWORDS
roam
v.gofromoneplacetoanotherwithoutagoalorpurpose;wander漫游
cosmos
n.thewholeuniverseconsideredasanorderedsystem宇宙
cosmic
a.
damp
a.slightlywet;moist
chilly
a.rathercold;unpleasantlycold
chill
n.
faculty
n.alltheteachersofaschoolorcollege
thoroughfare
n.abusymainroad通衢,大道
distinguished
a.showingremarkablequalities杰出的
boyish
a.oforlikeaboy
dimly
ad.faintly;unclearly黯淡地
glow
vi.giveoffasteadylight;shine发光
armrest
n.asupportforthearm,esp.oneonthechairorcouch扶手
motorist
n.apersonwhodrivesorridesinanautomobile
physicist
n.apersonwhostudiesorworksinphysics
honk
n.thesoundmadebyawildgooseoranautomobilehorn
greeting
n.anactorexpressionofwelcomeorsalutation欢迎;致意
bespectacled
a.wearingglasses
amyotrophiclateralsclerosis
肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化
deterioration
n.theactorprocessofdeteriorating恶化
deteriorate
vi.becomeworse
rob
vt.takefromunlawfully,esp.byforce抢劫;使丧失
voluntary
a.controlledbythewill;made,done,oragivenofone'sownfreewill随意的;自愿的;志愿的
built-in
a.formingapartofsth.thatcannotbeseparatedfromit
synthesizer
n.anelectricalinstrumentthatcanproducemanydifferentsortsofsound音响合成器
voicesynthesizer
语音合成器
synthesis
n.thecombiningofseparatethings,ideas,etc.,intoacompletewhole合成
humor
n.thequalityofbeingamusingorfunny;theabilitytoseeorexpresswhatisfunny幽默(感)
intellect
n.theabilitytothink,reason,andlearn;intelligence
infinitesimal
n.a.
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