欧美文化博览 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦(37)

Einstein had to be really afraid that Hilbert would actually take over the whole game and publish the final equations of General Relativity before him.

爱因斯坦真的担心希尔伯特实际上会接管整个大局并在他自己面前发表最终的广义相对论方程式。

All of a sudden, he discovered that several pointers all seemed to point to the same direction.

突然,他发现所有矛头似乎都指向同一个方向。

Einstein remembered that he had given up a very radical¹ solution that he had stumbled upon already in 1912 and that he had then discarded because it looks just physically² too unfamiliar³, too unacceptable.

爱因斯坦想起他已经放弃的一个非常激进的解决方案,这个方案他偶然在1912发现,之后又是他自己废弃,因为它看起来很不熟悉,有些不可接受。

But now, after he tried out all these other alternatives,

但现在,在他尝试了所有这些其他选择后,

he was ready to return exactly to that equation,

他准备重新返回那个等式,

back to an equation that he had early considered and then discarded three years before.

回到一个他在3年前就曾早考虑过,然后放弃的方程式。

You realized that you've been wrong in a real flash of inspiration because you realized what you should be doing.

你意识到你在一个真正的灵感瞬间已经错了,因为你意识到自己应该做什么。

You know he had it all in his drawer.

你知道他在自己的抽屉里有这一切。

And that's of course an glorious moment.

当然,这是一个辉煌时刻。

There it was, the equation that he had discarded.

它就在那边, 他已经抛弃了的方程式。

And now it was, look much more promising⁴, much more useful than it had in the winter of 1912.

而现在,看起来更有前途, 比在1912年的冬天更有用。

It isn't always a dark time when you realize that you are wrong,

当你意识到你是错误的也并不总是一个黑暗的时代,

sometimes it's a wonderful time.

有时这是一段美好的时光。

The excitement for Einstein comes with the realization⁵ that the answer for his new theory can be found in an old astronomical⁶ riddle⁷.

爱因斯坦的兴奋来自他意识到这个新理论的答案,这在一个古老的天文谜语中被发现。

Einstein began to look at a mystery that had puzzled astronomers⁸ for generations.

爱因斯坦开始寻找一个困扰了天文学家世代的谜。

According to Sir Isaac Newton,

根据艾萨克·牛顿爵士,

the planet Mercury should be going around the sun like this.

水星这样绕太阳运行。

But it was known for quite a while that the orbit of Mercury deviates⁹ from Newton's laws of motion.

但是它已经被众人知晓,水星的轨道偏离了牛顿的运动定律。

It tilts¹¹ a little bit.

它稍微倾斜。

So the orbit instead of going like this begins to tilt¹⁰ and it begins to make a pattern like the petals¹² of a flower.

所以轨道而是不继续像这样开始倾斜,它就花瓣一样开始进入一个模式。

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

7 riddle   

n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜

参考例句：

• The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
• Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

8 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deviates   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The boy's behavior deviates from the usual pattern. 这个男孩子的举止与一般人不同。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The limit occurs when the ordinate deviates appreciably from unity. 这个限度发生在纵坐标明显地从单位1偏离的时候。 来自辞典例句

10 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

11 tilts   

（意欲赢得某物或战胜某人的）企图，尝试( tilt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As the kitten touches it, it tilts at the floor. 它随着击碰倾侧，头不动，眼不动，还呆呆地注视着地上。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The two writers had a number of tilts in print. 这两位作家写过一些文章互相攻击。

12 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》