Detailed Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. His hair was a mess; he had forgotten to comb it again.
What do the words “mess” and “again” suggest about Einstein?
(=These words suggest two things about Einstein:
1) Einstein paid little attention to his appearance.
2) It was more a regular practice than an accident for Einstein to go to work with messy hair.)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=他的头发凌乱，他又忘了梳头了。)

2. Albert felt all the pressure and responsibility of any young husband and father.
What does “all the pressure and responsibility” refer to?
(=It refers to the pressure from work, the family responsibilities and the necessity to harmonize strained relationships among family members.)
What do you think is the author’s purpose of writing the sentence?
(=The author intends to use the sentence as an evidence to show that Einstein was not a space alien but a man of his time since the problems that troubled “any young husband and father” also troubled Einstein.)

3. Oh, and by the way, E=mc².
How do you understand the use of the phrase “by the way” in the sentence?
(=Originally “by the way” is used to introduce a comment or question that is only indirectly related to the main subject of conversation; here it is used to achieve the rhetorical effects of humor, hence shouldn’t be taken literally.)
What do you know about “E=mc²”?
(=Einstein was the first scientist to propose the E = mc2 formula in which E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum. This equation indicates that energy always exhibits mass in whatever form the energy takes.)

4. With nothing better to do, he developed his Theory of Universal Gravitation.
What can we learn about the author’s tone from the part “With nothing better to do”?
(=The part is another vivid proof of the author’s humorous tone. In fact, it’s by no means a piece of cake for Isaac Newton to develop the Theory of Universal Gravitation.)
What do you know about the “Theory of Universal Gravitation”?
(=It is an empirical physical law developed by Isaac Newton describing the gravitational attraction between bodies with mass.)

5. All of his 1905 papers unraveled problems being worked on, with mixed success, by other scientists.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=All of Einstein’s 1905 papers solved problems that other scientists had been working on and making some progress.)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=他所有发表于1905年的那些论文解决了当时其他科学家正多多少少在解决的问题。)

6. What’s remarkable about 1905 is that a single person authored all five papers, plus the original, irreverent way Einstein came to his conclusions.
What can we learn about the author’s attitude towards Einstein’s achievements from the sentence?
(=We can learn that the author is overwhelmed by the fact that Einstein authored all five papers in one year and thrilled by the way Einstein came to his conclusions.)
How does the author convey this attitude?
(=The author conveys this attitude mainly through the diction. Two words “remarkable” and “original” are used complimentarily to show the author’s appreciation of and respect for Einstein.)

7. This character flaw was to be a key ingredient in Einstein’s discoveries.
What does “this character flaw” refer to?
(=It refers to Einstein’s defiance of authority and his character traits of always doubting and questioning.)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=这种个性缺陷成为日后爱因斯坦作出种种发现的主要因素。)

8. That didn’t slow him down.
What does “that” refer to?
(=“That” refers to Einstein’s failure to understand light’s duality.)
What does the sentence suggest about Einstein’s personality?
(=The sentence suggests that Einstein tends to be stimulated rather than frustrated in face of failure, the personality of which contributed to Einstein’s achievements to a certain degree.)

9. Disdaining caution, Einstein adopted the intuitive leap as a basic tool.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=Although Einstein felt bewildered by the bizarre duality of light, he believed in his intuition and conducted scientific researches instead of being too cautious to take any actions.)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=爱因斯坦不屑谨小慎微，他采用直觉跳跃思维作为基本工具。)

10. Einstein credited his discoveries to imagination and endless questioning more so than orthodox intelligence.
What can you infer about Einstein’s attitude towards success from the sentence?
(=We can infer that in Einstein’s opinion, imagination and the ability to question play a far more important role than intelligence in a person’s way to success.)

11. Later in life, it should be remembered, he struggled mightily to produce a unified field theory, combining gravity with other forces of nature.
What do the words “struggled” and “mightily” suggest about Einstein?
(=The words suggest two things about Einstein:
1) Einstein was a hardworking man who made every effort to pursue his dreams.
2) It was no easy task for Einstein to produce the unified field theory.)
What is the unified field theory, according to the sentence?
(=It is a theory that might combine gravity with other forces of nature.)

12. Neither was Einstein’s brain.
Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence.
(=The sentence is in the inverted order, the predicate “was” being placed before the subject “Einstein’s brain”.)
What is the function of the sentence in the text?
(=The sentence serves as a transitional sentence, helping the author shift from discussion on Einstein’s brainpower to discussion on the structure of Einstein’s brain, thus achieving coherence of the text.)

II. Words & Expressions

in a row:  happening a number of times, one after another

- Bill Gates lost $6 billion last year, but that didn’t stop him from being the richest man in the world for the 8th year in a row.

- 这是接连着第三个星期天下雨了。

(=This is the third Sunday in a row that rains.)

doze off:  fall into a light sleep

- Before I had time to doze off again, I was disturbed by a rattling of plates and dishes in the servant’s hall.

- That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.

- 有些学生常在课堂上打瞌睡。

(=Some students often doze off in class.)

frail: adj.  weak

- Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.

- 自从他病愈之后，就一直很虚弱，但他却有惊人的耐力。

(=Ever since his recovery he has been very frail, yet capable of surprising endurance.)

CF: frail, weak, crippled & fragile

这四个形容词均有“虚弱的、乏力的”之意。 

frail多指因经常生病而身体虚弱，也指某物不耐用，易碎易损。

weak是普通用词，指缺乏应有的力量，可用于身体、意志或精神。

crippled指肢体部分伤残的或无法使用四肢的。

fragile语气比 frail 强，侧重脆弱，指人容易生病。

Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. She felt weak in the legs when she heard the bad news.

2. He was physically fragile, but spiritually strong.

3. He couldn’t walk fast because of his crippled legs.

4. The weak old man totters as he walks.

5. The child is too frail to take part in sports.

strain: vt. 

1) make a situation or relationship more difficult

- Relations between Tokyo and Washington were further strained by the monetary crisis involving the December 1971 revaluation of the Japanese yen.

- 该事件使得两国关系趋于紧张。

(=The incident has strained relations between the two countries.)

2) stretch tightly by pulling

- They strained the wire between two posts.

- 负载过重会把绳子拉紧到崩断的地步。

(=Too heavy a load will strain the rope to its breaking point.)

Collocation：

strain every nerve  尽力

strain at the leash  渴望挣脱束缚

strain one’s muscles 绷住劲

strain one’s authority 滥用职权

make ends meet:  balance one’s income and expenditure

- It may be difficult at times to make ends meet on your small income.

- It was very difficult for Arthur to make ends meet when his factory was put on a three-day week during the recession.

- 他们失了业，还要养活两个小孩，无法维持起码的生活。

(=Being out of work and having two young children, they found it impossible to make ends meet.)

stretch:

1. vt.

1) make sth. longer, wider or tighter by pulling

- Where can I buy those things that stretch your shoes?

- A spider’s web can be stretched considerably without weakening.

- 你如果拉橡皮带，它就会伸长。

(=If you stretch a piece of elastic, it becomes much longer.)

2) extend or thrust out (a limb or part of the body) and tighten the muscles

- She went out to stretch her legs after lunch.

- 应付抽筋最有效的方法就是轻柔缓和地去伸展肌肉抽筋的部位。

(=The most effective treatment for muscle cramps is to gently stretch the cramped muscle.)

2. vi. spread out over an area or a period of time; extend

- The ocean stretched as far as they could see on all sides.

- 这条道路穿过沙漠伸向远方。

(=The road stretched out across the desert into the distance.)

Collocation：

stretch one’s legs  散步

stretch a point  做出让步

at a stretch   连续地

at full stretch   竭尽全力

beyond the stretch of … 超出…范围

CF: stretch, extend, lengthen & prolong

这四个动词均有“伸展、伸长”之意。

stretch 表示在长宽上增加，意思是“延伸、伸长”。 例如：

- I stretched out my arm trying to reach the ball.

(=我伸手设法够到那只球。)

extend表示时空的延长，一般指延伸到某一预想的位置。还可以表示某一范围，如种类、影响、适用度的增加。例如： 

- The kingdom extended as far as hundreds of miles in every direction.

(=这个王国的领土绵延方圆数百里。)

lengthen 表示时空长度的增加、伸长。例如： 

- I have to ask the tailor to lengthen this skirt.

(=我得要裁缝将这条裙子放长一些。)

prolong表示超过通常、普通的限定，使期限延长。 例如：

- The meeting may be prolonged into the evening because so many problems have to be solved tonight.

(=会议可能要延长到夜里，因为今晚有太多问题要解决。)

twist: vt.

1) turn round; revolve

- Twist the handle to the right and the box will open.

- 我扭过头去把汽车向后倒。

(=I twisted my head round to reverse the car.)

2) deliberately give a false meaning to words, etc.

- The police tried to twist the man’s statement into an admission of guilt.

- 报纸把我的话全都歪曲了。

(=The papers twisted everything I said.)

Pattern:

twist sth. round sth. 使某物缠绕某物

twist sth. into sth.  把某物扭/搓成某物 

twist off    扭断；拧开

twist up    扭弯；歪曲

outbreak: n.  the sudden or violent start of sth. unwelcome, such as disease

- The area was struck by an outbreak of cholera.

- So violent was his outbreak that they hesitated to intervene.

- 由于战争爆发，这个研究计划搁浅了。

(=The research project fetched up because of the outbreak of the war.)

alien:

1. n. anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

- Immigrant workers were classed as resident aliens.

- 背井离乡这么久，现在在他自己的国家，他觉得自己像个外人。

(=After being away for so long, he feels like an alien in his own country now.)

2. adj. 

1) very different from what you are used to, especially in a way that is difficult to understand or accept

- Their ideas are quite alien to our ways of thinking.

- 残忍完全不合他的本性。

(=Cruelty is quite alien to his nature.)

2) being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world

- After the alien spacecraft had hovered over the park for a short time, it vanished.

- 我在异国他乡遇到故知。

(=I ran into an old friend in the alien land.)

CF: alien, foreign & extrinsic

这三个形容词均有“外来的”之意。

alien 表示无关联的、外来的，不能成为事物固有的组成部分，常带有厌恶之意，至少有不可兼容、不可调和之意。

foreign 是正式用法，表示在本国以外的，涉及到国外的。还表示因没有共同特性、关联而与其他事物有所不同的，不相干的。

extrinsic 表示明显在某物之外的，或从其他事物中得来的。 

Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. I can’t understand what he says; he must be foreign.

2. Failure, like pain, is alien to my life.

3. A man’s courage and talent are intrinsic advantages; his wealth and family influence are extrinsic advantages.

4. The swelling on her finger was caused by a foreign body in it.

remarkable: adj.

1) striking

- He showed remarkable courage when he faced the danger.

- 他生病的整个阶段都表现出非凡的忍耐力。

(=He showed remarkable endurance throughout his illness.)

2) worthy of attention

- The social changes which occurred in China are remarkable.

- 唐朝是一段以开明著称的时期。

(=The Tang Dynasty is a period remarkable for its liberality.)

CF: remarkable, noticeable, outstanding & conspicuous

这四个形容词均含有“突出的、值得注意的”之意。

remarkable 指所描写的事物或特征因与众不同或非同寻常而显得突出，含有需要大家评论、注意或关注的意味。

noticeable 指某事物或某特征太明显而不可避免地引起人们的注意，可作定语或表语。

outstanding 为普通用词，指人或物在同类比较中显得出类拔萃或具有显著的特征。

conspicuous 指某事物或某特征太显眼太突出而刺激感官或头脑并立即为感官或头脑所感觉到。

Fill in the blanks with the words above.

1. The actress red dress was very conspicuous on the stage.

2. Improvement is noticeable in the factory.

3. He took a conspicuous seat near the entrance to wait for his girlfriend.

4. The economy of our country is developing with a remarkable speed.

5. Our arts and crafts are enjoying fast sales for their outstanding workmanship.

original: adj.

1) being or productive of something fresh and unusual; being as first made or thought of

- I don’t think George is capable of having original ideas!

- 评论家们称赞该作品独树一帜。

(=Critics praised the work as highly original.)

2) preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

- His original enthusiasm has turned sour.

- He excluded certain passages from the original book in the new edition.

- 房子原先的主人搬出去了。

(=The original owner of the house moved out.)

loose: adj.  not firmly fastened in place

- I tied the boat to the tree but it has come loose.

- 他的裤子太短，外套和背心又太肥大。

(=His trousers were too short and his coat and vest too loose.)

Collocation：

hang loose   放松，自在

come loose   放松，解开

break loose   挣脱，逃脱

at a loose end   无事可做

have a loose tongue 嘴不紧

CF: loose, lax & slack

这三个形容词均有“松的、松懈的”之意。

loose 意为“宽松的，不紧的”，通常指事物因未固定牢或安装得不紧而松动或移动。也可以指事物处于未控制或限制的状态，即自由状态。例如： 

- The dog is too dangerous to be left loose.

(=这条狗太危险了，不可放开。)

lax 指对人或事物给予不足够的重视或对其要求不严，亦可指行为松懈、懒散，常含有放纵、漠不关心之意。例如：

- The teacher is too lax with his students, no wonder they are so undisciplined.

(=老师对学生们管理松懈，怪不得他们这么缺乏纪律性。)

slack 指绳子、线等没有拉紧或绷紧而显得松弛下垂。还可指人疏忽职守、懈怠或无力气。例如：

- The workmen have been very slack in their work recently.

(=工人们最近工作一直很懈怠。)

unify: vt.  bring together

- His music unifies traditional and modern themes.

- 我们决意将这两岛联合起来创立一个国家。

(=It’s our firm determination to unify the two islands into one country.)

beyond any doubt:  allowing no uncertainty

- The authenticity of the manuscript is beyond any doubt.

- The prosecution must prove beyond any doubt that the accused is guilty of the crime.

- 她使我深信，保罗确实是清白无辜的。

(=She convinced me that Paul was, beyond any doubt, innocent.)

Collocation：

beyond all doubt    毫无疑问

beyond the shadow of doubt  毫无疑问

without doubt     无疑地

cast doubt on …    对…产生怀疑

hang in doubt     悬而未决

not give a fig for:  not be at all concerned about or interested in sth. or sb.

- He didn’t give a fig for his mistake.

- 对邻居们的闲言碎语她丝毫不放在心上。

(=She wouldn’t give a fig for her neighbors’ gossip.)

Collocation：

not care a fig for 毫不重视

not worth a fig  一文不值

undermine: vt.  gradually or insidiously make sb. or sth. less strong or effective

- Badgers had undermined the foundations of the church.

- The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.

- 足球教练的主要竞争对手在散布谣言以逐渐破坏他的威信。

(=The football coach’s major opponent is spreading rumors to undermine his authority.)

Collocation：

undermine confidence  破坏信心

undermine authority  损害权威

undermine credibility  破坏名誉

undermine health   损害健康

predict: vt.  tell in advance

- It is virtually impossible to predict the future accurately.

- It is difficult to predict what the long-term effects of the accident will be.

- 预言这次对话可能有什么结果，现在还为时过早。

(=It’s yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.)

CF: predict, forecast, foretell & promise

这四个动词均有“预言、预示、预告”之意。

predict 较为正式，指从已知事实推断或者根据自然定律断定未来的事情，其准确度不一，主语只能是人。例如： 

- Who can predict how the elections will turn out?

(=谁能预测选举的结果将会怎样？)

forecast 指根据已知可能的发展进程或将来的情况做出大概的预测，尤其适用于天气预报。例如：

- The weatherman was unable to forecast the weather more than three days in advance.

(=气象员不能预报出3天以后的天气情况。)

foretell 普通用语，原带有迷信色彩，表示预言注定的命运，但现在这种色彩逐渐消失，主语可以是人或物。例如：

- He foretells events from the flights of birds.

(=他能从鸟的飞行来预测事件。)

promise 表示通过某种事实预示着给人以希望，有发生的可能，但主语只能是物。例如：

- Early mist promises fair weather.

(=晨雾预示着晴朗天气。)

never get anywhere:  not be successful

- You will never get anywhere unless you have set your goal.

- We shall never get anywhere with all this criticism and fault finding. I believe in the principle “live and let live”.

- 除非我们立即采取行动，否则我们就不会成功。

(=We shall never get anywhere unless we take immediate actions ourselves.)

ingredient: n.

1) any of the foods that are combined to make a particular dish

- Get all the ingredients together before you start cooking.

- 她能用简单配料烹调出美味的饭菜。

(=She can produce delicious meal from very simple ingredients.)

2) any of the qualities of which sth. is made

- John has all the ingredients of a great basketball player.

- Investment in new product development is an essential ingredient of corporate success.

- 想象力和勤奋工作是成功的要素。

(=Imagination and hard work are the ingredients of success.)

CF: ingredient, element & component

这三个名词均有“成分、要素”之意。

ingredient 指混合物中的一部分，既可指混在一起而本身没有变化的物质，如配料，又可指与别的物质混在一起，发生了变化的成分。有时用于比喻。

element指一个整体必不可少或固有的部分，强调一个复杂整体中最基本、最简单的元件、元素或成分等。

component 指在混合物或化合物中的单个物质。

Fill in the blanks with the words above. Change the form where necessary.

1. The food is home-cooked using fresh ingredients.

2. All material things in the universe known to our senses are composed of one or more chemical elements.

3. Each component is carefully checked before assembly.

4. You must understand the elements of mathematics before we can proceed further.

accordingly: adv.

1) consequently, therefore

- Some of the laws were contradictory; accordingly, measures were taken to clarify them.

- 人家叫她说话简短, 于是她就长话短说了。

(=She was told to speak briefly; accordingly she cut short her remarks.)

2) in a suitable manner

- Just tell us the color and design you have in mind. We’ll change them accordingly.

- 请将你的合同文本进行相应的修正。

(=Please amend your copy of the contract accordingly.)

disdain: vt.  have no respect for sb. or sth.

- Childcare was seen as women’s work, and men disdained it.

- The soldier disdained shooting an unarmed enemy.

- 他鄙视那个势利小人，不愿和他说话。

(=He disdained that man for snobbishness and was unwilling to talk to him.)

Pattern:

disdain to do / doing sth. 不屑于做某事

caution:

1. n. great care and attention

- 他小心翼翼地爬上墙头。

(=With much caution he climbed to the top of the wall.)

2. vt. warn sb. to be careful

- Officials were quick to caution that these remarks did not mean an end to the peace process.

- 我必须告诫你谨防危险。

(=I must caution you against the danger.)

Pattern:

caution sb. against sth.   警告某人防止某事物

caution sb. (not) to do sth.  提醒某人（不要）做某事

Collocation:

throw caution to the winds  鲁莽行事

Caution is the parent of safety. 谨慎为安全之本。

with a caution    加以警告

stimulate: vt.  make sb. interested and excited

- The exhibition stimulated people’s interest in the artist’s works.

- 政府将竭尽全力去刺激经济发展。

(=The government will do everything in its power to stimulate economic growth.)

Pattern:

stimulate sb. to do sth.    激励某人去做某事

stimulate one’s interest in sth.  激发某人对…的兴趣

credit:

1. vt. say that sb. or sth. is responsible for sth. good

- Much of Manchester United’s success can be credited to their manager.

- The relics are credited with miraculous powers.

- 她总是把自己独特的性格归功于父母。

(=She always credited her distinctive character to her parents.)

2. n. praise, approval, recognition

- She was given the credit for what she had done.

- 他的勇敢使他所在的团大为增光。

(=His courage has brought great credit to his regiment.)

Pattern:

credit sth. to sb./sth.  把…归功于

credit sb./sth. with sth.  认为某人、某事具有…

Collocation:

add to one’s credit   增加荣誉

to be one’s credit   为某人争光

give credit to    称赞，赞扬

get credit for    因…而得到好评

if anything: if there is anything different; on the contrary even

- Sam didn’t seem too disappointed at losing, if anything, he seemed relieved that it was all over.

- 他可不瘦——按说还算有点胖呢。

(=He’s not thin, if anything, he’s rather on the plump side.)

Collocation:

for anything  无论如何也不

like anything  全力地；无比地

anything but  一点也不

a trifle:  slightly

- This dress is a trifle short.

- 起码可以说，他的背景不大可靠。

(=His background is a trifle dubious, to say the least.)

After Reading >> Useful Expressions

连续地    in a row

弄得全家都没法睡 keep the household awake

打瞌睡    doze off

不能一天不上班  couldn’t skip a day

维持生计   make ends meet

为量子力学奠定基础 lay the foundation for quantum mechanics

迸发出创造性思想  have a creative outburst

躲避瘟疫爆发   avoid an outbreak of plague

由于没有什么更好的事情可做  with nothing better to do

将…描述成    paint … as

外星人    space alien

产生光电效应   do the photoelectric trick

接近     close in

毫无疑问    beyond any doubt

毫不在乎权威   not give a fig for authority

一事无成    never get anywhere

个性缺陷    character flaw

回顾     in retrospect

使…放慢脚步   slow … down

采用直觉跳跃思维  adopt the intuitive leap

相信直觉    believe in intuition

在世纪初    at the turn of the century

集中思想的能力   powers of concentration

专心致志地解题   engross oneself in a problem

要说有什么区别的话  if anything

After Reading >> Sentence Translation

1. Einstein credited his discoveries to imagination and endless questioning more so than orthodox intelligence.

(=爱因斯坦把他的发现更多地归功于想象力和不断地提出问题，而不是通常所谓的智慧。)

2. His slow development was combined with a cheeky rebelliousness toward authority, which led one German schoolmaster to send him packing.

(=他智力发展缓慢，再加上对权威无礼的反叛，致使一位德国校长勒令他退学。)

3. He retained the ability to hold two thoughts in his mind simultaneously, to be puzzled when they conflicted and to delight when he saw an underlying unity.

(=他具有脑海里同时容纳两种想法的能力，当它们冲突时，他感到困惑；当他看到基本上统一时感到欣喜。)

4. Einstein soon acquired an image, which grew into a near legend, of being a kindly professor, distracted at times but unfailingly sweet, who rarely combed his hair or wore socks.

(=不久爱因斯坦在人们心目中成了这样一种形象，而且几乎变成传奇：一位平易近人的教授，有时心不在焉，但总是和蔼可亲，难得梳头发，不常穿袜子。)

5. 联合国宣布2005年为“世界物理学年”，以庆祝爱因斯坦“奇迹年”出现100周年。

(=The United Nations has declared 2005 “The World Year of Physics” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s “miracle year.”)

6. 你呆在这里损害了全班学生对我的尊重。

(=Your mere presence here undermines the class’s respect for me.)

7. 科学是爱因斯坦家餐桌上聊天的话题。 

(=Science was dinner-table conversation in the Einstein household.)

8. 爱因斯坦对科学技术与生俱来怀有兴趣。 

(=Albert’s interest in science and technology came naturally.)