35. my fr iend, alber t einstein

　　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 .

　　阅读自测

　　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_______ ( 单 纯) .

　　2. caught in a_______ ( 倾盆大雨) , i have got a bad cough.

　　3. in the hometown of emperor zhu yuanzhang, there are many _______ ( 轶事) about him.

　　4. to my _______ ( 沮丧) , 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?

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. simplicity 2. downpour 3. anecdotes 4. dismay 5 . in awe of Ⅱ. yes, i have a new understanding of him. i find he is not only a great scientist but also a simple man. he is polite and kind to the young people. also he is a little humorous.