世界名人简介 第3期:阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦

 Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist¹, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a genius, as in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pretty brainy to discover the Theory ofRelativity and the equation E=mc2.

阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦是一名德国物理学家，尽管绝大部分人都认为他是世界上最聪明的人。他的名字已经收入到了许多语言当中，当人们想要说某人很聪明时，我们就会说：她真是个活爱因斯坦”。他一定绝顶聪明，否则他不会发现相对论和等式E=mc2。

In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by heart. He said it destroyed learning and creativity. He had already done many experiments, but failed the entrance exams to a technical college.

1999年，时代周刊把爱因斯坦评为了世纪人物。爱因斯坦上学期间，没有人会想到他会受此殊荣。他对科学非常感兴趣，但是他讨厌死记硬背的学习方法。他说这些摧毁了学习和创造力。他进行了许多实验，但是在一次理工学院的考试中，他没有通过入学考试。

He didn’t let this setback² stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degree in physics. Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on to publish over 300 scientific papers.

他并没有回头丧气。16岁的他做出了著名的理想假设实验，即测量光速。1900年，他最终获得了物理学学士学位。12年之后，他成为了大学教授，1921年，他获得了诺贝尔物理学奖。他出版了300多篇科学论文。

Einstein is the only scientist to become a cult³ figure, a household name, and part of everyday culture. Heonce joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: "Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to change our world.

爱因斯坦成为了唯一一位明星级别的科学家，他的名字家喻户晓，并成为了文化的一部分。曾经他开玩笑地说当有人在大街上阻拦我时，他总是回答道：“对不起！我总是被误认为是爱因斯坦教授。”如今，人们把他看成是一个近乎疯狂、注意力不集中的教授，但却是一位改变世界的教授。

1.Theory of Relativity 相对论

It may be unoriginal, but hey it is your first robot, don't expect to develop the theory of relativity on your first try.

这可能没有创造性，但这是你的第一个机器人，不要指望在第一次尝试的时候就发明相对论。

2.a beam of light 一束光

And Grier should know: he designed his own tractor beam and built it, demonstrating for the first time that a beam of light can tug⁴ objects over long distances.

因为他设计并制造了他自己的牵引光束装置，并且用他的装置第一次证明了光束可以远距离拖动物体。

3.household name 家喻户晓的人

Huamei is hardly a household name in Britain, but its products may well be keeping you decent.

华美这个名字在英国并非家喻户晓，但是其产品或许能让你显得很体面。

4.be mistaken for 被误认为…

Some patients develop neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, loss of appetite and vomiting⁵; in these patients the disease, in its early stages, may be mistaken for meningitis.

一些患者出现脖子僵硬、畏光、食欲减退和呕吐症状；这些人在发病初期可能会被误诊为脑膜炎患者。

1 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

2 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

3 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

4 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

5 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”