8-10 诺贝尔大师自传：罗阿尔德·霍夫曼

Autobiography¹ of Nobel Prize Winner: Roald Hoffmann

 

I came to a happy Jewish family in dark days in Europe. On July 18, 1937 I was born in Zloczew, Poland. My family left Poland for Czechoslovakia in 1946. On Washington's Birthday 1949 we came to the United States.

 

In 1955 I began at Columbia College as a premedical¹ student. That summer and the next I worked at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington with E.S. Newman and R.E. Ferguson. The summer after I worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory, with J.P.Cumming. These summers were important because they introduced me to the joys of research, and kept me going through some routine courses at Columbia. I did have some good chemistry teachers, G.K. Fraenkel and R.S. Halford, and a superb teaching assistant, R. Schneider.

 

In 1958 I began graduate work at Harvard and received my doctorate²² in 1962, as the first Harvard Ph.D. of both Lipscomb and Gouterman. That last year at Harvard was exciting. I was learning organic chemistry at a great pace, and I had gained access to a superior mind. R.B. Woodward possessed³ clarity of thought, encyclopedic³ knowledge of chemistry, and an aesthetic⁴⁴ sense unparalleled⁵ in modern chemistry. He taught me, and I have taught others.

 

My first real introduction to poetry came at Columbia from Mark Van Doren, the great teacher and critic whose influence was at its height in the 1950's. Through the years I maintained an interest in literature, particularly German and Russian literature. I began to write poetry in the mid-seventies, but it was only in 1984 that a poem was first published.

 

The language of science is a language under stress. Words are being made to describe things that seem indescribable⁶ in words - equations⁷ chemical structures and so forth⁵. Words do not, cannot mean all that they stand for, yet they are all we have to describe experience. By being a natural language under tension, the language of science is inherently⁸ poetic⁶. There is metaphor⁷⁹ aplenty¹⁰ in science. Emotions emerge shaped as states of matter and more interestingly, matter acts out what goes on in the soul.

 

One thing is certainly not true: that scientists have some greater insight into the workings of nature than poets. Interestingly, I find that many humanists deep down feel that scientists have such inner knowledge that is barred to them. Perhaps we scientists do, but in such carefully circumscribed⁸ pieces of the universe! Poetry soars¹¹, all around the tangible⁹¹², in deep dark, through a world we reveal and make.

 

Writing has become increasingly important to me. I expect to publish four books in the next few years. Science will figure in these, but only as a part, a vital part, of the risky¹⁰ enterprise of being human.

 

注释：

1. premedical [5pri:5medikEl] adj.  医学预科的

2. doctorate [5dCktErit] n.  博士学位

3. encyclopedic [en7saiklEu5pi:dik] a. = encyclopaedic 知识广博的，百科全书式的

4. aesthetic [i:s5Wetik] a.  美学的，美感的

5. unparalleled [7Qn5pArEleld] a.  无比的，无双的，独一无二的，独特的

6. indescribable [7indi5skraibEbl] a.  难以形容的，描写不出的

7. equation [i5kweiFEn] n.  [数] 等式，方程(式)

8. inherently [In5hIErEntlI] ad.  内在地，固有地，生来就有地

9. metaphor [5metEfE] n.  隐喻

10. aplenty [E5plenti] a.  丰富的，充裕的，绰绰有余的

11. soar [sC:] vi.  高飞，翱翔，升高，升腾

12. tangible [5tAndVEbl] n.  可触知的东西，实际的东西

 

诺贝尔大师自传：罗阿尔德·霍夫曼

 

在欧洲黑暗的日子里，我降生到一个幸福的犹太人家庭。那是1937年7月18日，在波兰的兹沃切夫。1946年，我们全家离开波兰去了捷克斯洛伐克。1949年，华盛顿生日那天，我们一家人来到了美国。

1955年，我作为医学预科生进入了哥伦比亚大学。那年夏天和次年夏天，我在华盛顿的国家标准局与E.S.纽曼和R.E.弗格森一起工作。第三年夏天，我在布鲁克黑文国家实验室与J.P.卡明一起工作。这几个夏天非常重要，因为它们引领我尝到了研究的乐趣，并且使我完成了在哥伦比亚大学的一些常规课程。我确实遇到了一些优秀的化学老师，像G.K.弗伦克尔和R.S.哈尔福德，还有一位出色的教学助理R.施奈德。

1958年，我开始了在哈佛的研究生生活，并于1962年获得博士学位，是利普斯科姆和古特曼的第一个哈佛博士。在哈佛的最后一年是激动人心的，我很快掌握了有机化学，并接触到一位天才。R.B.伍德瓦德先生思路清晰，化学知识渊博，对现代化学有着无与伦比的审美意识。他传授给我，我又传授给其他人。

我第一次真正接触诗歌是在哥伦比亚大学，是马克·范多伦引我入门的。他是一位杰出的教师和评论家，20世纪50年代他的影响达到了顶峰。这些年来我一直对文学保持着兴趣，特别是对德国和俄国文学。70年代中期，我开始写诗，但是直到1984年，我的第一首诗才得以发表。

科学的语言是在重压之下形成的语言。词汇被创造出来，用以描述那些似乎用词汇难以描述的事物——方程式、化学结构等等。词汇不是，也不可能意味着它所代表的事物的全部内容，但我们只有用词汇来描述经历。科学语言是在压力下形成的一种自然语言，生来就富有诗意。科学中蕴含着丰富的隐喻。情感作为物质形态出现，而更有意思的是，物质又把人的灵魂表现出来。

有一点肯定是不正确的，即科学家对于自然活动的洞察力要强于诗人。有趣的是，我发现许多人文学者深深地感到，科学家们拥有那种对事物深层次的认识，而他们没有。也许我们科学家确实如此，但仅是在宇宙被精确限定的那些部分。在我们展现和创造的世界里，诗歌得以在任何方面、在深深的黑暗中尽情翱翔。

对我来说，写作变得越来越重要。我希望在今后几年里能够出版4本书。在这些书中，会谈到科学，但只是作为人类的冒险事业的一部分，极其重要的一部分。

1 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

2 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

3 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

4 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

5 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

7 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

8 circumscribed   

adj.[医]局限的：受限制或限于有限空间的v.在…周围划线( circumscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；划定…范围；限制；限定

参考例句：

• The power of the monarchy was circumscribed by the new law. 君主统治的权力受到了新法律的制约。
• His activities have been severely circumscribed since his illness. 自生病以来他的行动一直受到严格的限制。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。