By Dennis Overbye The New York Times
Published: June 20, 2006
【趣味英语】春节小知
世界节日（1）Spring BEIJING Like anotherworldly[1]emperor, Stephen Hawking rolled his wheelchair onto the stage of the GREat Hall of the People on Monday, bringing with him ther_______①of science and making China, for this week at least, the center of the cosmos.
Moving no more than an eyelid to send his words to an audience of 6,000, Hawkingruminated[2]on the origin of the universe as theheadliner[3]of an international physicsc________②.But （1）his mere presence was a powerful symbol of what China is and would like to be.
（A）________________________________________（中国希望在科学上强大起来，就像它在经纪上正逐渐走向强大一样）,and it is pouring money and talent into the sciences, particularly physics. Jie Zhang, director general of basic sciences for the Chinese academy, said his budget had been increasing 17 percent a year for the last few years as China tried toramp[4]up research spending to about 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product. By comparison, the United States spends slightly less than 2 percent, according to the National Science Foundation.
（2）While some scientists express doubts that China is open enough to foster top-tier science, others are enthusiastic."China is changing at a rate that is truly amazing," said David Gross, the director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, California, and a recent Nobel Prize winner.
Hawking's talk was part of the very publick_______③of Strings 2006, which has drawn 800 of the world's brightest and most ambitious physicists here for a week totake stock of[5]string theory. Calling string theory the cutting edge of curiosity, Shing-Tung Yau, a Harvard mathematics professor and the meeting's chief organizer, said he hoped to make China more involved in the field.
（3）Hawking's star turn also had historic resonance.In the Cultural Revolution, Chinad_______④Einstein and his work asreactionary[6]and bourgeois. Groups of scientists and scholars were set up to criticize relativity.
（4）"The Chinese are so smart they knock your socks off,"said Andrew Strominger, a Harvard string theorist who visits here often. "The impression you get when you go over there is that China is going to take over the world soon."
Marvin Cohen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who is president of the American Physical Society, was impressed by an up-to-date physics building that he saw in Beijing. （5）Putting up buildings is easy compared with filling them with the right people.Most researchers say, their best students are so far staying in the United States. The system, everyone seems to aGREe, isrife[7]with politics, and the sudden influx of money has created opportunities for corruption and fraud. The Education Ministry has since set up a special commission to study misconduct. Yau said he was pleased to see China take the problems_______⑤.
"（B）________________________,（很多人都要求别人提建议，接受起来却很犹豫）"Dr. Gross said. "In China, they are totally open to exploring how other countries do it. They are totally unarrogant about accepting advice."
NOTES:
[1]otherworldly adj.非现实世界的；来世的
[2]ruminate v.反复思考；沉思默想
[3]headliner n.受到大力宣传的演员；明星
[4]ramp v.暴跳；乱撞；索要高价
[5]take stock of估计；观察
[6]reactionary adj.反动的
[7]rife adj.(with)充满…的
试一试：
1．根据首字母提示和译文，填入适当单词：
①ther_______of science（科学的王国）
②international physicsc________（物理学国际大会）
③k_______of Strings 2006（2006年国际弦理论大会的开场活动）
④d_______Einstein and his work as reactionary（指责爱因斯坦及其理论是反革命）
⑤take the problems_______（严肃对待这个问题）
参考答案：
①royalty ②conference ③kickoff ④denounced ⑤seriously
2．翻译划线部分英文：
参考答案：
（1）单单是他的出现，就足以证明中国现在的地位以及将要达到的地位。
（2）虽然有些科学家怀疑中国是否足够开放，能够营造出一流的科学环境，但人们对此还是充满热情的。
（3）霍金的明星之旅也具有历史意义。
（4）中国人太聪明了，让人吃惊。（Knock sb’s socks off使不知所措，使吃惊）
（5）修建大楼与在大楼里安排恰当的人选相比要容易得多。
3．根据译文，写出句子：
原文表达：（A）China wants to stand up scientifically, as it is beginning to economically
（B）A lot of people ask for advice but are hesitant to accept it
附：参考消息全文：【美国《纽约时报》6月20日报道】题：斯蒂芬·霍金赢得了北京 记者丹尼斯·奥弗比
就像一个超凡脱俗的皇帝，斯蒂芬·霍金昨天乘着轮椅登上了人民大会堂的讲台，带来了一个科学的王国，让中国至少在这一周里成为了宇宙的中心。作为物理学国际大会的明星，霍金对着6000名听众讲述了宇宙的起源。不过，单单是他的出现，就足以证明中国现在的地位以及将要达到的地位。
中国希望在科学上强大起来，就像它在经济上正逐渐走向强大一样。中国正在向科学尤其是物理学投入大量的资金和人才。中国科学院官员表示，过去几年来，由于中国努力加大科研投入，希望达到国内生产总值的2.5%，所以他们的预算一直以每年17%的速度增长。相比之下，据美国全国科学基金会的数据，美国的投入还不到其国内生产总值的2%。虽然有些科学家怀疑中国是否足够开放，能够营造出一流的科学环境，但人们对此还是充满热情的。诺贝尔奖获得者、卡夫利理论物理学研究院的院长戴维·格罗斯说：“中国变化的速度真的很令人吃惊。”
霍金的演讲是2006年国际弦理论大会的开场活动。此次大会吸引了600多位世界最著名、最有抱负的物理学家来到这里，探讨弦理论。哈佛大学数学系教授、大会组织者丘成桐称弦理论是知识领域的最前沿，他希望让中国更多地参与该领域的工作。霍金的明星之旅也具有历史意义。在文化大革命时代，中国指责爱因斯坦及其理论是反革命，是资产阶级的，科学家和学者还对相对论进行批判。哈佛大学弦理论学家安德鲁·施特勒明格说：“中国人太聪明了，让人吃惊。你只要一到那里，那里给你的印象就是中国就要征服整个世界了。”
美国物理学会会长、加州大学伯克利分校物理学教授马文·科恩对北京的一座现代化物理学大楼印象深刻，但修建大楼与在大楼里安排恰当的人选相比要容易得多。很多研究人员表示，他们最好的学生到目前为止还留在美国。大家似乎都认为中国的科学体系充斥着政治，突然增加的金钱也给腐败和诈骗提供了机会。中国教育部已经组建了一个特别委员会，调查各种不法活动。丘成桐教授对中国严肃对待这个问题感到高兴。格罗斯教授说：“很多人都会要求别人提建议，接受起来却很犹豫。在中国，他们在探索其他国家的做法时完全是开放的。他们在接受建议时一点也不傲慢。”
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