Michael White & John Gribbin

Against All Odds

Culture Background1.Stephen Hawking - a Life in Science (1992)

2. Stephen William Hawking 3. What is ALS? 4. The University of Cambridge Text appreciation

1. Warming up questions. 2. General Analysis. 3. Detailed Analysis Language understanding

word study

1. Stephen Hawking - a Life in Science (1992)

• This biography pays particular attention to Hawking's scientific achievement, as well as to the tragic progress of his illnesses and his extraordinary will to survive and to continue working despite major progressive handicap.

•

• “I am quite often asked how do you feel about having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things.

• I have had motor neuron disease for practically all my adult life. I could select words from a series of menus on the screen, by pressing a switch in hands. Head or eye movement. A speech synthesizer fitted to my wheel chair allowed me to write, talk. Yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family, and success in my work. It gave me something to live for.

• I realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do I was enjoying life in the present more than before. Thanks to the help I have received from Jane, my children, and a large number of other people. I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.”

---Stephen Hawking

         

 

2. Stephen William Hawking

• Hawking, Stephen William (1942- ), British theoretical physicist and mathematician whose main field of research has been the beginning of the universe, and a unified theory of physics, the nature of space and time, including irregularities in space and time known as singularities.

• www.hawking.org.uk

Life experience:

• Born on 8 January 1942 (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England...

• In 1958 he entered Oxford University. • In 1961 he attended a summer course at the

Royal Observatory. • In 1962 he completed his undergraduate

courses and received a bachelor’ degree in physics. Then Hawking enrolled as a research student in general relativity at the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge.

Life experience:

• In 1966 Hawking earned his Ph.D. degree from Trinity College at the University of Cambridge.

• In 1974 he became one of the youngest fellows of the Royal Society. In 1977 he became a professor of physics after finishing doing post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge.

• In 1979 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge.

Scientific research:

• In the earliest stages, Hawking has been concerned with the concept of singularities breakdowns in space and time. The most familiar example of a singularity is a black hole, (the final form of a collapsed star). During the late 1960s Hawking proved that a singularity must occur at the big bang( the explosion that marked the beginning of the universe and the birth of space-time itself).

Scientific research:

• In 1970 Hawking turned to the examination of the properties of black holes: the surface area of the event horizon (The boundary of a black hole) around a black hole could only increase or remain constant with time this area could never decrease.

Scientific research:

• From 1970 to 1974, Hawking provided mathematical proof for the hypothesis as the "No Hair Theorem”: matter entering a black hole loses its shape, its chemical composition, and its distinction as matter or antimatter.

Scientific research:

• Since 1974 Hawking has studied the behavior of matter in a black hole in quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is a theory that describes black holes from which nothing was supposed to be able to escape could emit thermal radiation, or heat.

Scientific research:

• Throughout the 1990s Hawking sought to explain the universe by incorporating all four basic types of interactions between matter and energy: strong nuclear interactions, weak nuclear interactions, electromagnetic interactions, and gravitational interactions.

Current news:

• Professor Hawking is currently interested in selling his hot air balloon basket, especially designed by experts for wheelchair access. This very special item is in excellent condition and ready to use.

• Professor Hawking has given many lectures to the general public.

Major works:

• Universe in a Nutshell/ The Illustrated Brief History of Time(1988)

• Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993),

• The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

• The Future of Spacetime • A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black

Holes• In 1992 American filmmaker Errol Morris helped make

all-time best seller• A Brief History of Time into a film about Hawking’s life

and work.

3. What is ALS?

• ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 肌萎缩侧索硬化

• A = absence of 缺乏 myo = muscle 肌肉 trophic = nourishment 营养

• Lateral = side(of spine) （脊髓的）边沿 Sclerosis = hardening 硬化

• ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. A common first symptom is a painless weakness in a hand, foot, arm or leg, which occurs in more than half of all cases. Other early symptoms include speech swallowing or walking difficulty.

What is ALS?

• ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. A common first symptom is a painless weakness in a hand, foot, arm or leg, which occurs in more than half of all cases. Other early symptoms include speech swallowing or walking difficulty.

4. The University of Cambridge• One of the oldest universities in the world and one of the

largest in the United Kingdom. In 2009, the University will be celebrating its 800th anniversary.

• There are 31 Colleges in Cambridge. Three are for women (New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish) and two admit only graduates (Clare Hall and Darwin). The remainder house and teach all students enrolled in courses of study or research at the University.

• Illustration is detail from the charter of King Edward I, which confirmed the privileges of the University in 1291/2.

Text appreciation

• 1. Warming up questions.

• 2. General Analysis.

• 3. Detailed Analysis

1. Warming up questions.

• 1. How did Stephen Hawking first discover that he had this disease?

• 2. How did Stephen Hawking take the news?

• 3. What helped him get out of his depression?

• 4. How did Hawking struggle bravely against all the physical obstructions?

• 5. Can you describe his married life?

2. General Analysis.

• 1. What kind of order does the text adopt? (The chronological order)

• 2. How many parts can this text be divided into?

3. Detailed Analysis

• Try to find the key sentences in each part and summarize their main ideas.

Language understanding

• 1. odd:• 1) peculiar or eccentric, fantastic 奇怪的古怪• 2) number not divisible by two (opposed to even) 单数

的 , 奇数的• 3) not fixed, not regular, occasional 零星临时• E.g. odd-looking man make a living by doing odd jobs• odds: 1)the chance in favor of/against sth. Happen 可能

的机会• 2) things that are not even, inequalities 不平等• E.g. The odds are against/ in favor of us.• odds and ends: small articles and pieces usu. of small

value; 零碎杂物 oddment

2. modal auxiliaries + perfect tense

• can/could have done

• may/might have done

• must have done

• should /ought to have done

• needn’t have done

Exercises:

• Her eyes are red. She _____________. (cry)

• You _____________ more careful in this experiment.

• I dressed very warmly for the trip, but I _________________________ ; the weather was hot.

must have cried

should have been

should not have dressed so warmly

prep. + doing

• has difficulty /trouble/a hard time (in) doing sth.

• has a good time (in) doing sth.

• There is no point /use (in) doing sth.

• What is the use/ point/good (of) doing sth.?

• be through (with) doing sth.

3. end up: 结束告终• E.g. People who earn less money but

enjoy life may end up happier than those who work too much.

4. only to: 结果却，不料，反而• E.g. The enemy troops rushed there only

to be ambushed.

• 敌人扑到那里却遭到伏击。

5. Worth

• sth. is worth +n. ( money, time, energy)• sth. is worth doing• worthy: 值得

be worthy of n.be worthy of being done be worthy to be doneworthwhile l

• doing sth./to do sth. + be worthwhile• It is worthwhile + doing sth./to do sth. • It is worth one’s while + to do sth.

Exercises

• 1)The Yellow Stone Park is well ----- • a worth visiting b worthy visiting c worth to

visit d worth visiting it• 2 ） The book is worthy of -------• a reading b read c having read • d being read• 3) Handle that flower vase carefully; it --- a lot of

money.• a worths b is worth c worthed • d is worthy of

6. cover: to include; travel; deal with 包含 包括，处理，走过

• E.g. The class covered only half of what the teacher intended. 这堂课只完成了老师想干的工作的一半。 Our trip covered only half of what the tour guide intended. 我们这趟旅游只去了一半导游想去的地方。

7. turn

• turn up: 1) to fold turn up the shirt sleeves 2)to bring to the surface 3)to happen/ occur He’s still waiting for something

to turn up. 4)to appear/ arrive He promised to come, but

hasn’t turned up yet.Turn up one’s nose at sth. 轻视瞧不起• Turn on/off • Turn down 翻下 / 转小拧小 / 拒绝• Turn to 开始工作从事

8. disability: n. 残疾• Compare: • able: adj.• unable: adj. • enable: v. 使能够 • disable: v. 使无能为力， 尤指使残疾• disabled: adj. crippled 残废的• (disabled ex-service man 退役军人 )•

9. term:

• 1) fixed period of time 期间 a long term of imprisonment

• 2) (of school) period into which academic year is divided 学期

• 3) word to express an idea, esp a specialized concept 术语 technical term/ legal term

• 4) (pl.) mode of expression 措辞 , 说法 5)conditions offered or agreed to 条件

• 6)relations 关系 , 交情• E.g. come to/make term with sb./sth. 与某

人达成协议 / 接受某物 • be on good /bad/ friendly term with sb. 与

某人关系良好… .• He referred to your work in terms of high

praise.• I didn’t know you and he were on such

good terms.

10. affect:

• affect: act on

• effect: result; outcome

• influence: v./n. exercise power to affect one’s character, beliefs or actions through example, fear, admiration

Exercises: affect, effect, influence

• 1.Don’t be ___ by bad examples.

• 2.The ___ of Chinese medicine in treating the kind of disease is clear.

• 3.The person who ___ me most deeply in my childhood was my aunt.

Exercises: affect, effect, influence

• 4.The amount of fertilizer you use often__ the size of a crop.

• 5.Climate has a great__ on people’s lives. It can__ the food they eat, the houses they build and the way in which they dress. And weather__ the way people feel, too. A gloomy day often makes people feel low. On the other hand, a bright sunny day__ people quite differently.

• 6. Einstein’s theory of relativity has great __ on the science.