Question

Physics is a different world now. Will there ever be another Einstein?

Scientists say a new Einstein will appear, but it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival (对手) , Isaac Newton. Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet, or is only a baby now. That’s because the searching for a unified(统一的) theory that would explain all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved.

But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein appearing anytime soon. For one thing, physics is quite a different field today. In Einstein’s day, there were a few thousand physicists worldwide, and fewer theoreticians. Education is different, too. One extremely important aspect of Einstein’s training that failed to be considered is the philosophy he read as a teenager. It taught him how to think theoretically about space and time.

And he was a skilled musician. The interplay between music and math is well known. Einstein would fiercely play his violin as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.

Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren’t many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills to more practical and rewarding efforts.

Besides, those who stay in science don’t work alone. It’s very difficult to imagine an independent person like Einstein ever tolerating this.

1.Which of the following best explains the reason that the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet?

A. Education today doesn’t pay enough attention to philosophy teaching.

B. We don’t know who will be another Einstein among newly-born babies.

C. There were more physicists in Einstein’s time than today.

D. Math today is limited and cannot help the further development of physics.

2.One of the reasons that made Einstein a great scientist is _________.

A. the philosophy he read in his teens

B. the lack of physicists in his day

C. the knowledge learnt from Isaac Newton

D. his decision of not working at Wall Street

3.The underlined word “knotty” here probably means________.

A. interesting and useful    B. important and meaningful

C. difficult and puzzling    D. realistic and hard

4.From Paragraphs 3 and 4, how many reasons does the writer give to explain that another Einstein hasn’t appeared?

A. One.    B. Two.

C. Three.    D. Four.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文，爱因斯坦是伟大的物理学家，文章讨论了爱因斯坦之所以伟大的原因是：当时的研究环境氛围、年轻时所接受的教育、他的音乐才能，文章还讲述了现在不会出现“爱因斯坦”的原因。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段最后两句“That’s because the searching for a unified(统一的) theory that would explain all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved.”可知爱因斯坦还没有出现是因为能够解释所有自然力的统一的理论已经把数学推向了极致，现在的数学学科限制了物理学的发展。故Ｄ项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段最后两句“One extremely important aspect of Einstein’s training that failed to be considered is the philosophy he read as a teenager. It taught him how to think theoretically about space and time.”可知人们忽视的一个事实是爱因斯坦年轻时学会的哲学历年帮助他理论性地思考空间和时间。年轻时学会的哲学知识是让爱因斯坦伟大的一个重要原因。故A项正确。

3.猜测词义题。根据本段中前两句“And he was a skilled musician. The interplay between music and math is well known.”可知爱因斯坦是一个音乐家，大家都知道音乐和数学之间的紧密联系，当爱因斯坦遇见难题的时候，他会拉小提琴，会帮助他解决所遇见的难题。所以本句中的“knotty” 意为“困难的”。故C项正确。

4.细节理解题。根据这两段“For one thing, physics is quite a different field today……One extremely important aspect of Einstein’s training that failed to be considered is the philosophy he read as a teenager. And he was a skilled musician. The interplay between music and math is well known.”可知这两段里提及了三个原因：当时的物理与现在的情况不一样、爱因斯坦年轻时受到的教育、以及他的音乐才能。故C项正确。