Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

I. Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson, an American writer and biographer, was born on May 20, 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Harvard College and University of Oxford. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of Time. In November 2009, he was nominated by President Obama to be the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and the other international broadcasts of the U.S. government.

He is the author of American Sketches (2009), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003) and of Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and is the co-author, with Evan Thomas, of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986).

II. Abraham Flexner

      Author of the monumental survey Medical Education in the United States and Canada (1910), Abraham Flexner (1866 — 1959) contributed to a period of reform in American medical education that hastened the closing of commercial medical schools and strengthened university-affiliated institutions adopting scientific approaches. A Louisville, Kentucky, native who earned his B.A. degree at Johns Hopkins University, Flexner established his own preparatory school in Louisville. However, he gained prominence as an educator through his critical essays, surveys, and reports about American educational institutions and practices. Throughout the early twentieth century, Flexner’s ideas wielded influence through the sponsorship and largesse of powerful corporate foundations. Finally, from 1930 to 1939, Flexner designed and directed the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.

III. Institute for Advanced Study

The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is a center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. Since its founding in 1930 by philanthropists Louis Bamberger and Caroline Bamberger Fuld, the Institute has no formal links to Princeton University or other educational institutions, although it has enjoyed close, collaborative ties with Princeton. The first Director was Abraham Flexner. The current Director is Peter Goddard (as in 2010).

The Institute is divided into four Schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science, with a more recent program in systems biology. It consists of a permanent faculty of 29, and each year awards fellowships to 190 visiting members, from over 100 universities and research institutions.

IV. Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. It is defined most commonly as the area delineated on the north by 14th Street, on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by the East River, and on the south by New York Harbor.

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. His hair poking out from a wide-brimmed black hat, Einstein surreptitiously disembarked onto the tug, which ferried him and his party to lower Manhattan, where a car would whisk them to Princeton.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=爱因斯坦头戴宽边黑帽，里面的头发露了出来。他秘密登上拖船，和随行人员一起摆渡到下曼哈顿，一辆汽车将从那里飞快将他送到普林斯顿。)

2. America, despite its inequalities of wealth and racial injustices, was more of a meritocracy than Europe.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=... unlike Europe, America was governed by leadership selected more on the basis of personal achievement, although there were inequalities of wealth and racial injustices.)

3. Einstein, however, was no Einstein when he was a child.
Paraphrase the sentence.
(=But Einstein was not very clever when he was a child.)

4. “We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.”
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=“在我们出生的神秘世界面前，我们永远表现得像充满好奇心的孩子。” )

5. By spring 1921, his exploding global fame led to a grand two-month visit to the United States, where he received so warm a welcome that he would evoke mass frenzy wherever he went.
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(=到1921年春天，他在全世界迅速传扬的名望促成了他为期两个月的隆重的美国之行。他受到了非常热烈的欢迎，无论走到哪里，总会引发大众的狂热。)

II. Words & Expressions

contribution: n.  any one of a number of individual efforts in a common endeavor (followed by to)

- Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contribution to Quantum Theory.

- 这项发明对道路安全作出了重大贡献。

(=This invention made a major contribution to road safety.)

despite: prep.  without being affected by the factors mentioned (usually used in the patterns:                        despite sth., despite the fact that)

- I still enjoyed the weekend despite the weather.

- 尽管医生告诫她应该休息，她还是去了西班牙。

(=She went to Spain despite the fact that her doctor had told her to rest.)

consult: vt.  get or ask advice from (usu. used in the pattern: consult sb. about sth.)

- Consult your doctor if the headaches continue.

- 越来越多的人咨询会计师关于税法的问题。

(=An increasing number of people are consulting their accountants about the tax laws.)

not amount to much/anything/a great deal:   not be important, valuable, or successful

- His teachers said that he wouldn’t amount to much after graduation.

- 吉姆永远不会有多大出息。

(=Jim’s never going to amount to much.)

probe: vi.  question or examine thoroughly and closely

- I don’t want to probe too deeply into your personal affairs.

- 记者开始打探更多的消息。

(=Reporters began probing for more information.)

retain: vt.  hold within

- The state wants to retain control of food imports.

- 水比空气保持热量的时间更长。

(=Water retains heat much longer than air.)

conflict: vi. go against, as of rules and laws (followed by with)

- They found that the new evidence conflicted with previous findings.

- 个人道德和职业道德有时发生冲突。

(=Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.)

cease: v. put an end to a state or an activity (used in the following patterns: cease doing sth.; cease to do sth.)

- The company ceased trading on 31st October.

- 他从未停止给我带来惊喜。

(=He never ceases to amaze me.)

contrary to:  in opposition to

- Contrary to all our expectations, he’s found a well-paid job and a nice girlfriend.

- 与流行的观点相反，我没有染头发。

(=Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t dye my hair.)

widespread: adj.  widely circulated or diffused

- I think advantages of the widespread use of chemicals in agriculture outweigh its disadvantages.

- 大雨导致了一场十年来最大范围的洪水。

(=Heavy rains have led to the most widespread flooding in a decade.)

excel at/in:  be good at

- I never excelled at sport.

- 吕贝卡上学时一直在语言方面表现出众。

(=Rebecca always excelled in languages at school.)

complicated: adj.  difficult to analyze or understand

- I had to fill in this really complicated form.

- 遵循这些规则太复杂了。

(=The rules are rather complicated to follow.)

triumph: vi.  prove superior (followed by over)

- In the end, good shall triumph over evil.

- 民主党在最近的选举中胜出。

(=The Democrats triumphed in recent elections.)

overcome: vt.  deal with successfully

- to overcome difficulties/obstacles/problems/resistance

- I don’t think he’ll ever overcome his fear of flying.

- 我们相信在法律方面的困难是可以克服的。

(=We are confident that the legal difficulties can be overcome.)

resistance: n.  the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with (followed by to)

- The no-smoking policy was introduced with little resistance from staff.

- 民众强烈抵制新税收。

(=There is strong public resistance to the new taxes.)

appreciate: vt.  be fully aware of; realize fully

- Her abilities are not fully appreciated by her employer.

- I appreciate that it’s a difficult decision for you to make.

- 我认为你并不了解我花了多长时间来准备这顿饭。

(=I don’t think you appreciate how much time I spent preparing this meal.)

disarm: vt.  make less hostile; win over

- His apology disarmed her.

- 她用幽默来消除人们的敌意。

(=She uses humor to disarm people.)

come by:  visit informally and spontaneously

- He said he’d come by to see me later.

- 这周的某一天我会顺道去你办公室/你家拜访，我们聊聊。

(=I’ll come by your office/house one day this week and we can have a chat.)

construct: vt.  make by combining materials and parts

- The Empire State Building was constructed in 1931.

- 市议会计划新建两所学校和一家医院。

(=The city council has plans for constructing two new schools and a hospital.)

find out: get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

- He hurried off to find out what the problem was.

- 我得知这趟火车被取消了。

(=I found out that the train had been cancelled.)