Albert Einstein, whose theories on space time and matter helped unravel the secrets of the atom and of the universe, was chosen as "Person of the Century" by Time magazine on Sunday.
A man whose very name is synonymous with scientific genius, Einstein has come to represent_(1)_the flowering of 20th century scientific thought that set the stage for the age of technology.
"The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic, but technological-technologies_(2)_," wrote theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in a Time essay explaining Einstein's significance. "Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein."
Time chose as runner-up President Franklin Roosevelt to represent the triumph of freedom and democracy over fascism, and Mahatma Gandhi as an icon for a century when civil and human rights became crucial factors in global politics.
"What we saw Franklin Roosevelt embodying the great theme of freedom's fight against totalitarianism, Gandhi personifying the great theme of individuals struggling for their rights, and Einstein being both a great genius and a great symbol of a scientific revolution that brought with it amazing technological advances_(3)_," said Time Magazine Editor Walter Isaacson.
Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. In his early years, Einstein did not show the promise of what he was to become. He was slow to learn to speak and did not do well in elementary school. He could not stomach organized learning and loathed taking exams.
In1905, however, he was to publish a theory which stands as one of the most intricate examples of human imagination in history. In his "Special Theory of Relativity," Einstein described how the only constant in the universe is the speed of light. Everything else-mass, weight, space, even time itself-is a variable. And he offered the world his now-famous equation: energy equals mass times the speed of light squared-E=mc2.
"Indirectly, relativity paved the way for a new relativism in morality, art and politics, " Isaacson wrote in an essay___(4)____. "There was less faith in absolutes, not only of time and space but also of truth and morality."
Einstein's famous equation was also the seed that led to the development of atomic energy and weapons. In1939, six years after he fled European fascism and settled at Princeton University, Einstein, an avowed pacifist, signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging the United States to develop an atomic bomb before Nazi Germany did. Roosevelt heeded the advice and formed the "Manhattan Project"_(5)_. Einstein did not work on the project.
Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey in 1955.
A．explaining Time's choices
B. how he thought of the relativity theory
C. more than any other person
D. that secretly developed the first atomic weapon
E. that flowed directly from advances in basic science
F. that helped expand the growth of freedom
Key: CEFAD
The First Four Minutes
When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book, "Contact: The first four minutes", he offers this advice to anyone __(1)___: "Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people’s whole lives would change if they did just that".
You may have noticed that the average person does not give his undivided attention to someone he has just met. He keeps looking over the other person’s shoulder, as if __(2)__. If anyone has ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much.
When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says, "People like people who like themselves".
On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his own needs, fears, and hopes.
Hearing such advice, one might say, "But I’m not a friendly, self-confident person. That’s not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to act that way".
In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us __(3)__. We can become accustomed to any changes we choose to make in our personality. "It is like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one."
But isn’t it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don’t actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, ’total honesty" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, and a certain amount of play-acting may be best for the first few minutes of contact with a stranger. That is not the time to complain about one’s health or to mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one’s opinions and impressions.
Much of __(4)__ also applies to relationships with family members and friends. For a husband and wife or a parent and child, problems often arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed, they should be dealt with later.
The author says that interpersonal relations should be taught as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on __(5)_. That is at least as important as how much we know.
EXERCISE:
A) Feel comfortable about changing our social habits
B) What has been said about strangers
C) How we get along with other people
D) Interested in starting new friendships
E) Hoping to find someone more interesting in another part of the room
F) Who are eager to make friends with everyone
KEY: D E A B C
