大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第四冊(cè)Unit9TheEducationofaPhysicist

1、nUnit 9 The Education of a Physicist3. Warm-up QuestionsnWhere else can education take place apart from schools?nWhich do you think is more important for a scientist, book learning or a creative imagination?Vocabulary Study1. enrich:n1) improve the quality of sth, esp. by adding sth. else eg: We mus

2、t have sport, drama and music to enrich childrens education. We can enrich our vocabulary by reading extensively.n2) make rich or richer eg: The rock music of the 1960s enriched recording companies. The development of their oil fields enriched the Arab nations.n2. fascinate: attract or interest sb.

3、greatlyneg: Anything about flying and airplanes fascinated the boy.n I was so fascinated by the majestic eagle gliding the sky in the mountain valley that I could not take my eyes off it.n3. shallow: not deepn eg: The stream was quite shallow so we were able to walk across it.n4. dimly: not brightly

4、 or clearly; badly; slightlyneg: They are sitting in a room which is dimly lit.n Jack was only dimly aware of Lisa coming down the steps toward him.n5. alien: belonging to another country or race; different and strangeneg: According to a secret study completed in 2000, the Earth has not been visited

5、 by alien life forms and unidentified flying objects are just natural phenomena.n When I first went to New Work, it all felt very alien to me.n6. intrigue: arouse the interest or curiosity ofneg: Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the question of whether there are alien life forms.n I

6、t has always intrigued me how a Harvard graduate could do such stupid things.n7. barrier: thing that prevents or controls progress or movementneg: Despite the translation barrier, Shakespeares plays are known and enjoyed and regularly performed in many countries.n8. parallel:n1) exactly correspondin

7、g; similarneg: Parallel experiments are being conducted in Rome, Paris and London.n My feelings in this matter are parallel to yours.n 2) having the same distance between each other at every pointneg: The teacher asked the students to draw a pair of parallel lines.n9. resemble: be like or similar to

8、n e.g. You resemble your mother very closely.n After the earthquake, the city resembled a battlefield.Unit 9 The Education of a Physicist Lead-in1. Background Information:1) About the AuthorMichio Kaku (1947 ): a well-known theoretical physicist BirthEducationBorn on January 24, 1947 in the United S

9、tates1. B.S. from Harvard University in 19682. PH.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1972Working Experiences1. a lecturer at Princeton University in 1973 2. a professor in theoretical physics at City College of New York3. a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Pri

10、nceton4. a visiting professor at New York University His Works1. Beyond Einstein 2. Visions3. Hyperspace 4. Parallel Worlds2) Theoretical Physics and Theoretical Physicists Theoretical Physics Department of Theoretical Physics Molecular Dynamics Reconection in a Magnetic FieldWhat is theoretical phy

11、sics?The description of natural phenomena in mathematical form. There are two main purposes of theoretical physics: the discovery of the fundamental laws of nature and the derivation of conclusions from these fundamental laws.Theoretical Physicists Theoretical physicists refer to those who study the

12、oretical physics, the description of natural phenomena in mathematical form. It is impossible to separate theoretical physics from experimental physics, since a complete understanding of nature can be obtained only by the application of both theory and experiment. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642): Italia

13、n astronomer and physicistSome World-famous Theoretical Physicists Isaac Newton (1642-1727): English mathematician and scientistAlbert Einstein (1879-1955): German-born American theoretical physicistStephen Hawking (1942- ): English theoretical physicist nWhat makes a child decide to become a scient

14、ist? What leads some children to pursue a life of science? nIn this essay, Pro. Michio Kaku, a world-famous physicist, recalls the crucial moments and events in his childhood that set him on the path that would define his life. Reading ComprehensionPart Division of the TextMain IdeasLinesParts 123Mi

15、chio kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that set him on the path to be a theoretical physicist.By watching carp swimming in their pond, Michio Kaku realizes that other dimensions or forces might exist of which we humans are unaware.Einsteins “unified field theory” inspires Michio Kaku to

16、 get to the root of it.1237273103The Japanese tea garden at in San Francisco is the oldest public Japanese garden in California. It was originally built as part of a sprawling Worlds Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition from January to December in 1894. Notable as the oldest publi

17、c Japanese garden in the United States, this complex of many paths, ponds and a teahouse features native Japanese and Chinese plants. Also hidden throughout its five acres (20,000 m) are sculptures and bridges. These include the , the and with its small island in front of the Tea House.Japanese Tea

18、GardenGolden Gate Parksplendid Moon (Drum) BridgeTea Housethe pondPart One Background InformationSan Francisco San FranciscoThe Golden Gate BridgeGold RushChinatownSan Francisco lies on the northern end of a peninsula（半島）（半島） between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It has a population of 77

19、6,733. The Golden Gate Bridge spans the strait to the north that separates San Francisco from Marin county. Founded in the 18th century by the Spanish, it came under Mexican control after Mexican independence in 1821. Occupied by U.S. forces in 1846, it grew rapidly after the discovery of gold in ne

20、arby areas (see gold rush). San Francisco suffered extensive damage from the earthquake and fire in 1906 and from an earthquake in 1989. The city was prominent in the American cultural revolution in the 1960s. It is a commercial, cultural, educational, and financial centre and one of the countrys mo

21、st cosmopolitan cities. Chinatown in San Francisco is famous world-wide.Carp, hardy freshwater fish native to Asia but introduced into Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Many variations in color and form have developed. The carp lives alone or in small groups in quiet, weedy, mud-bottomed ponds,

22、lakes, and rivers. In China, the popular saying, “The carp has leapt through the Dragons gate,” apparently is a statement of success or overcoming obstacles.Carp:Water lily, common name for some members of the Nymphaeaceae, a family of freshwater perennial herbs characterized by large shield-shaped

23、leaves and showy, fragrant blossoms of various colors. Among the plants of the family are the water lilies, lotuses, and pond lilies. In Chinese culture, it is a symbol of purity, fruitfulness and creative power. Water lily:QuestionsnWhere did the authors parents use to take him when he was small? n

24、What would attract him there?FFF1. According to the author, the carp and human beings live in the same universe. 2. The author imagined that there might be carp “scientists” among the fish and that they would propose a parallel world could exist above their world. 3. To the carp, the water lilies wo

25、uld appear to be pushed by waves of water when raindrops fall on the ponds surface.According to the author, the carp and human beings live in two distinct universes.True or False The author imagined that there might be carp “scientists” among the fish and that they would laugh at any fish who propos

26、ed a parallel world could exist above their world.To the carp, the water lilies would appear to be moving around by themselves when raindrops fall on the ponds surface.( )( )( )Part Two TF4. The text indicates that there might be invisible vibrations that fill the empty space around us.5. Most of th

27、e carp would be fascinated by the “scientists” description of his journey beyond their universe.Most of the carp would dismiss the “scientists” description as utter nonsense.( )( )DiscussionnIn stating that the carp scientist disappeared from the pond, then suddenly reappeared, is the author suggest

28、ing that something similar can occur in our world? Or is what happened to the scientist merely fanciful?1. The Unified Field Theory 2. Atom 3. Galaxy4. Higher DimensionBackground for Some Key WordsPart Three The unified field theory is a physical theory that combines the treatment of two or more typ

29、es of fields in order to deduce previously unrecognized interrelationships, especially such a theory unifying the theories of nuclear, electromagnetic, and gravitational forces. The term was coined by Einstein who attempted to reconcile the general theory of relativity with electromagnetism in a sin

30、gle field theory. Atom: A unit of matter, the smallest unit of an element, having all the characteristics of that element and consisting of a dense, central, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a system of electrons. This unit regarded as a source of nuclear energy. Any of the billions of syste

31、ms of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Galaxies vary considerably in size, composition, structure, and activity, but nearly all are arranged in groups, or clusters, containing from a few galaxies to as many as 10,000. Each is composed of millions to trillions of stars; in man

32、y, as in the Milky Way Galaxy, nebulae can be detected.The Milky WayThe Spiral Galaxy Higher dimension as a term in mathematics most commonly refers to any number of spatial dimensions greater than three. The three standard dimensions are length, width, and breadth (or height). The first higher dime

33、nsion required is often time, and space-time is the most common example of a four-dimensional space.“The laws of nature become simpler and elegant when expressed in higher dimensions.” Michio KakuClose-up of Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein1. What was the most important development in physics in the 2

34、0th century which was most developed by Einstein?2. When was the Special Theory of Relativity published? How old was Einstein then?3. What are the three dimensions of geometry? What did Einstein add to the three dimensions?The Theory of Relativity.The Special Theory of Relativity was published in 19

35、05 when Einstein was only 26.The three dimensions of geometry are length, width and height. Einstein added the fourth dimension of time.Questions and Answers1. Who did his schoolteachers talk about with great reverence? What most intrigued him about this man?2. What did the author learn about the un

36、finished papers on Einsteins desk? What did he fail to understand as a child?3. What does “this mystery” in the last paragraph refer to? Why did the author decide to try to get to the root of the mystery? Albert Einstein. What most intrigued him was that Einstein died before he could complete his gr

37、eatest discovery.He learned that the unfinished papers were an attempt to construct what Einstein called the unified field theory. Being a child, he failed to understand that this unified field theory is what links the carps world with his boyhood one, and both with what lies beyond in the universe.

38、“This mystery” refers to the unified field theory. Because it was far more exciting than any murder mystery and more important than anything he could ever imagine, he decided to get to the root of it.DiscussionnWhat was the link between the unfinished papers on Einsteins desk and the carp in the pon

39、d? Talking About the Pictures How does a small child go from watching brightly colored carp swimming among water lilies to being a theoretical physicist ( 沉沉 醉醉 于于 宇宇 宙宙 法法 則則 研研究究) ? In this essay, Michio Kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that (決定了決定了 他他 的的 職職 業(yè)業(yè) 選選 擇擇) The young Kaku

40、spent hours watching carp swimming in their pond. He understood that , limited by their small world , and ( 對(duì)對(duì) 人人 類(lèi)類(lèi) 的的 無(wú)無(wú) 知知) , carp cant imagine life outside water , or (無(wú)鰭游動(dòng)無(wú)鰭游動(dòng)) . Nor can they know that when their water lilies move, its because of (外面的風(fēng)雨外面的風(fēng)雨) . Kaku realized that we humans in o

41、ur world might be like the carp in theirs: other dimensions or forces might exist of which we are unaware. Meanwhile, Kaku learned that a great scientist had died before completing his greatest discovery. This (激勵(lì)激勵(lì)) him to learn all he could about Albert Einstein. He discovered Einstein was trying

42、to construct a single theory that could explain all (自然法則自然法則) from the tiniest atom, (到最大的星系到最大的星系) . Kaku believed Summary Writingfascinate by the laws of the universe_determined his careerchoice_.ignorant of humans_movement without fins_rain and wind from beyond_stimulated_the laws of nature_to the larges