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34. My Friend, Albert Einstein1
He was one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known, yet if I had to convey the essence 2 of Albert Einstein in a single word, I would choose simplicity. Perhaps an anecdote 3 will help. Once, caught in a downpour, he took off his hat and held it under his coat. Asked why, he explained, with admirable logic , that the rain would damage the hat, but his hair would be none the worse4 for its wetting. This knack for going instinctively to the heart of a matter was the secret of his major scientific discoveries — this and his extraordinary feeling for beauty.
I first met Albert Einstein in 1935 , at the famous Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N. J. 5 He had been among the first to be invited to the Institute, and was offered carte blanche6 as to salary. To the director’s dismay, Einstein asked for an impossible sum: it was far too small. The director had to plead with him to accept a larger salary.
I was in awe of7 Einstein, and hesitated before approaching him about some ideas I had been working on. When I finally knocked on his door, a gentle voice said, “Come ”—with a rising inflection that made the single word both a welcome and a question. I entered his office and found him seated at a table, calculating and smoking his pipe. Dressed in ill-fitting clothes, his hair characteristically awry8 , he smiled a warm welcome . His utter naturalness at once set me at ease.
As I began to explain my ideas, he asked me to write the equations on the blackboard so he could see how they developed. Then came the staggering — and altogether endearing — request:“Please go slowly. I do not understand things quickly. ”This from Einstein! He said it gently, and I laughed. From then on, all vestiges of fear were gone.
閱讀自測
Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with proper words of the passage:
1. If I have to describe Albert Einstein in a single word, I would choose_______ ( 單 純) .
2. Caught in a_______ ( 傾盆大雨) , I have got a bad cough.
3. In the hometown of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, there are many _______ ( 軼事) about him.
4. To my _______ ( 沮喪) , my father doesn’t buy me the Walkman I like best. 5. Helen Keller is so strong-minded a person that I am _______ ( 敬畏) her.
Ⅱ. Questions :
After reading this passage , do you have a new understanding of this famous person, Albert Einstein? If yes, then what is it?
