My Friend, Albert Einstein

He was one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known, yet if I had to convey the essence 2 of Albert Einstein in a single word, I would choose simplicity. Perhaps an anecdote 3 will help. Once, caught in a downpour, he took off his hat and held it under his coat. Asked why, he explained, with admirable logic , that the rain would damage the hat, but his hair would be none the worse4 for its wetting. This knack for going instinctively to the heart of a matter was the secret of his major scientific discoveries — this and his extraordinary feeling for beauty.

I first met Albert Einstein in 1935 , at the famous Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N. J. 5 He had been among the first to be invited to the Institute, and was offered carte blanche6 as to salary. To the director’s dismay, Einstein asked for an impossible sum: it was far too small. The director had to plead with him to accept a larger salary.

I was in awe of7 Einstein, and hesitated before approaching him about some ideas I had been working on. When I finally knocked on his door, a gentle voice said, “Come ”—with a rising inflection that made the single word both a welcome and a question. I entered his office and found him seated at a table, calculating and smoking his pipe. Dressed in ill-fitting clothes, his hair characteristically awry8 , he smiled a warm welcome . His utter naturalness at once set me at ease.

As I began to explain my ideas, he asked me to write the equations on the blackboard so he could see how they developed. Then came the staggering — and altogether endearing — request:“Please go slowly. I do not understand things quickly. ”This from Einstein! He said it gently, and I laughed. From then on, all vestiges of fear were gone.

阅读自测

Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with proper words of the passage:

1. If I have to describe Albert Einstein in a single word, I would choose_______ ( 单 纯) .

2. Caught in a_______ ( 倾盆大雨) , I have got a bad cough.

3. In the hometown of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, there are many _______ ( 轶事) about him.

4. To my _______ ( 沮丧) , my father doesn’t buy me the Walkman I like best. 5. Helen Keller is so strong-minded a person that I am _______ ( 敬畏) her.

Ⅱ. Questions :

After reading this passage , do you have a new understanding of this famous person, Albert Einstein? If yes, then what is it?

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参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. simplicity 2. downpour 3. anecdotes 4. dismay 5 . in awe of Ⅱ. Yes, I have a new understanding of him. I find he is not only a great scientist but also a simple man. He is polite and kind to the young people. Also he is a little humorous.

参考译文

爱因斯坦轶事

阿 尔伯特· 爱因斯坦是世界上最伟大的科学家之一, 然而如果要用一个词来形容他的 话, 那就是单纯。还是看一段他的轶事吧。一次, 爱因斯坦遇上了倾盆大雨, 他便摘下帽子 把它夹在上衣里。问他为什么这样做, 他的解释真是妙极了: 大雨会淋坏帽子, 而头发淋一 下却无伤大雅。他具有一把抓住事物核心的天赋, 而且对美有着独特的感受, 这是他探索重大科学发现的诀窍所在。

我第一次见阿尔伯特· 爱因斯坦是1935 年, 在新泽西州普林斯顿镇著名的高等研究 院。他是首批被邀请到研究院工作的, 院方给予的待遇是一张签好字的空白支票。令院长 沮丧的是, 爱因斯坦的要求让你难以接受: 他索要甚少。院长不得不恳求他多索要一些薪 水。

我敬畏爱因斯坦, 在就我所做的研究向他请教之前, 我都感到忐忑不安。最终, 我敲响 了他办公室的门,“ 进来”, 一个温柔的声音说道——— 那种升调使得这个简单的词语既表示欢 迎又含有疑问。我走进办公室, 看到他坐在桌子旁边, 一边正计算着什么, 一边还抽着烟 斗。爱因斯坦不修边幅, 头发蓬乱, 颇有特色, 他微笑着向我表示热烈欢迎。那种轻松自如 的神态, 立刻让我觉得很放松。

我正要向他解释我的想法, 他让我把等式写在黑板上, 以便他能看清楚等式的演算过 程。然后他提了一个令人吃惊的——— 又让人喜爱的——— 请求:“ 请慢点写, 我反应慢。”这 话竟出自爱因斯坦! 他说话如此斯文, 我笑了。自那一刻起, 我对爱因斯坦一点都不觉得 害怕了。

阅读导评

人们说, 一滴水中见天光, 一粒沙中看世界。爱因斯坦曾经说过:“ 照亮我的道路, 并且 不断地给我新的勇气, 去愉快地正视生活的理想的东西是真、善和美。”今天, 通过生活中的 这些点滴小事, 我们看到了他至真、至善、至美的一面。从而, 这也让我们看到了这位伟大 的科学家的人格魅力之所在。

阅读导释

1. 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦( 1879—1955) , 20 世纪最伟大的科学家之一。他出生在德国乌尔 姆, 直到3 岁才开始讲话, 他从小就对自然界充满强烈的好奇心并对数学概念有较强的 理解能力。1905 年, 爱因斯坦发表了著名的《狭义相对论》( Special Theory of Relativity) , 解释了时间、空间和运动等基本自然现象之间的关系。1916 年, 他发表《广义相对论》 ( General Theory of Relativity) , 用公式表示能量和质量之间关系, 解释了太阳取之不尽的能 量的本质, 为原子能的发现奠定了基础。1921 年, 爱因斯坦因发现光电效应定律而获诺贝尔物理奖。他还曾参加过反战、反法西斯战争, 并反对使用核武器。

2. 在这里是“ 本质, 实质”的意思, 和词组in essence 意思相同。essence 可作“ 精髓, 精华” 解, of the essence 引申为“极其重要的, 必不可少的”。

3.“ 轶事, 趣闻”的意思, 指历史或名人生平中不曾发表过的秘闻。

4. 这个词组作“并不更差, 依然如此”解, 如: I like a man none the worse for being outspoken. ( 我并不因为一个人直言不讳而讨厌他。)

5. N. J. 是New Jersey ( 新泽西州) 的缩写。Princeton ( 普林斯顿) 是新泽西州中部一个自治 镇, 就是这个小镇竟被人们称为“ 学术圣地”, 原因是这里有两个高等学府: 普林斯顿大 学( University of Princeton) 和普林斯顿高等研究院( Princeton Institute for Advanced Study) 。这篇文章中提到的是普林斯顿高等研究院。该研究院为了保持活力, 开学术交 流之风气, 常邀请世界各地教授到这里访问研究。他们聘请教授长则一年, 短则数月, 但 很少有终身教授。 6. 这是个法语词, 指“ 签好字的空白支票”, 引申为“全权, 自由处理权”。这里的意思是“ 爱 因斯坦想要多少工资就可以自己填上多少”。

7. 这个词组作“敬畏”解, 常用于句型stand / be in awe of somebody 中, 如: The soldier stood in awe of the general. ( 士兵敬畏将军。)

8.“曲的, 斜的”的意思, 一般用作表语, 既可作形容词也可作副词使用, 如: glance awry ( 斜 视) , 这里是形容词。这个词还可作“ 离开了预期或正确方向的, 错的”解, 如: 短语go / run awry 指“人背离正道, 走上邪路”, 比喻事情出岔子, 失败。
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