大学体验英语第三册Unit2-Passage B

The Wake-up Call from Stockholm
　"These are the last 20 minutes of peace in your life," the Swedish caller told Caltech professor Ahmed Zewail at 5:40 a.m. on October 12.

　Soon the world would hear of Zewail's award - the 1999 Nobel Prize in chemistry - and Zewail would hear from the world. Two thousand e-mails would zoom¹ his way within a few days and three phone lines would start ringing with eager requests for interviews from the national and Egyptian press and with congratulations from friends and colleagues. But first, the 53-year-old man would share the news with his family.
　He kissed his wife, Dema, and young sons, Nabeel and Hani. His mother, whom Zewail reached in his native Egypt, cried and cried. His daughters, Maha and Amani, "were going crazy on the phone. I couldn't even speak," said Zewail.

　"I was disappointed in Nabeel's reaction," he added. "I told him I had won the prize. He said, 'Good.'" But when Zewail asked if he'd tell the kids at school, the six-year-old said, "No. These guys will say 'So what?'" But Nabeel did ask, "Are we going to see the king?"

　The Royal Swedish Academy honored Zewail for his groundbreaking work in viewing and studying chemical reactions at the atomic level as they occur. He has shown "that it is possible with rapid laser technique to see how atoms in a molecule² move during a chemical reaction."

　Zewail had brought the most powerful tools from the field of physics into the chemistry lab to create a revolution, and the field of femto-chemistry was born. It was "a revolution in chemistry and related sciences," the Swedes announced, "since this type of investigation³ allows us to understand and predict important reactions," to probe nature at its most fundamental level.

　Zewail is the 27th Caltech faculty⁴ member or alumnus to receive the Nobel Prize, and the third faculty member to be so honored in this decade.
　"In my experience," said Zewail after a tumultuous week, "whenever you cross fields or bring in new ideas and tools, you find what you don't expect. You open new windows."

　Zewail's path to the forefront of the international science arena⁵ has been elegant and swift, like the atoms he observes performing molecular⁶ dances. With a wealth of experience in home chemistry projects as a boy in Egypt, he sailed to the top of his class at Alexandria University. The classical science education he received there prepared him for a promised tenure⁷-track position in the field of his choice: math, physics, chemistry, or geology, but he decided⁸ to get his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania - to "see the molecular world of chemistry." He had heard of Caltech, but to this young Egyptian, "institute" sounded less prestigious⁹ than "university." As it turned out, Penn provided the "ideal" transition from classical science studies to the postdoctoral work he did at UC Berkeley.

　He stayed at Berkeley for postdoctoral work for two reasons: to think more about research rather than about getting a PhD and "the secret reason - I wanted to buy a big American car to take back to Egypt with me." At Berkeley, he published three papers "immediately" and was advised to apply to the top handful of American universities.

　"The most important reason why I decided on Caltech was, once the offer was made, I was well received by the staff, administration, and faculty." He also felt he could make his own way specializing in dynamics¹⁰ in a department strong on structure. And the Mediterranean¹¹ climate didn't hurt. That was 1976.

　Zewail was off and running, earning tenure in a year and a half, making full professorship by 1982, seated in the Pauling Chair by 1990. Now with a Nobel Prize under his belt, what's next? "First of all, I'm not retiring," he said. "And I'm not going to Hollywood."

　In the coming years, Zewail looks forward to more breakthroughs. He will remain active in research and in publishing papers, which he considers to be his babies (363 to date ). Tracking the progress of two papers within a week of receiving the prize, he reached a surprised editor who said, "You on the phone? Impossible! I thought you'd be out wining and dining." He will continue to push the envelope of what is possible.
　

1 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

2 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

5 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

6 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

7 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

10 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

11 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。