Reading

No BoundariesNo Boundaries

Stephen Hawking

He was one of the greatest physicists of our time. But he isdisabled. His subject is the beginning of space ,matter , andtime. In 1988 his book “ A Brief History of Time” became a best-seller.

Task I: Scan the text to answer the following questions.

1. Why did Stephen Hawking need a PhD?

2. When did Hawking become famous?

3. When did Hawking visit Beijing?

Stephen Hawking needed a PhD so that he could get a job and get married.

In the early 1970s

In 2002

Task II: Read the text again and find out the main idea of each paragraph.

Para. 1-2

Para. 3

Para. 4

Para. 5

Para. 6

Para. 7

Introduction.

Hawking didn’t let the disease stop him from living the kind of life he had always dreamt of

Hawking made new discoveries about the Big bang and black holes and wrote A Brief History of Time.

Hawking explains both what it means to be a scientists and how science works.A scientific theory is the result of the scientific method.

Why it is difficult to understand Hawking

TaskIII: Understanding the text.

1. According to the 1st paragraph, a promising graduate student___

A. has an incurable disease which makes people disabled.B. is a man who never gives up his dreams and hopes for

the future.C. is very likely to be successful or very good in the future.D. learns at one of the well-known universities in the

world.2. The incurable disease mentioned in the text made

Stephen Hawking____. A. stop working on a PhD. B. lose the ability to walk and talk. C. get engaged to a nice girl. D. give up the way of life he dreamed of.

C

B

3. _______made Stephen Hawking well-known in the world.

A. The research on the incurable disease. B. His book A Brief History of Time. C. His new discoveries about the universe. D. The lectures he gave all over the world.4. A Brief History of Time became a best-seller

because____ A. it’s about the Big Bang and black holes. B. it explains what it means to be a scientist and how

science works. C. it includes answers to many questions about the

universe. D. it was written in a way ordinary people could

understand.

C

D

5. According to Hawking, many people think that____. A. science is often misunderstood. B. science is changing all the time. C. some science facts can be wrong. D. true science facts always stay unchanged.6. The basic steps of the scientific method do NOT necessarily include___ A. getting a model with which to test the theory. B. building a theory about how things happen. C. observing something with care and attention. D. trying to test the theory in a practical way.

D

A

No giving up. ___People’s attitude to Hawking ___Facing the frustrated life. ___Science in Hawking’s eyes ___Ways of becoming famous ___How to shape scientific theory ___

Task ITask I:: Scanning and finish: Scanning and finish: There is some information about Hawking, put the There is some information about Hawking, put the right numbers on the blanks based on the passage.right numbers on the blanks based on the passage.

26

14

35

Task IV:Task IV: Scanning,and fill in the form below Scanning,and fill in the form below according to the passageaccording to the passageFirst name

Family name

Gender

Year of birth

Place of birth

Nationality

Occupation

Marriage Health

Something about his disease

Ways of traveling around

Ways of giving lectures

Great achievements or successes

StephenStephen HawkingHawking MaleMale

BritishBritish

DisabledDisabledYesYes

Not Not mentionedmentioned

Not Not mentionedmentioned

ScientistScientist

incurable, disabledincurable, disabled

sitting in his wheelchairsitting in his wheelchair

speaking through a computerspeaking through a computer

““A Brief History of Time”,A Brief History of Time”, giving lecturesgiving lectures

Task V: True or falseTask V: True or false

Hawking was told that he had an incurable disease when he was just 21 years old.

Finally Hawking had to give up PhD and his research.

He and Roger Penrose made new discoveries about the Big Bang and black holes.

“A Brief History of Time” is too difficult for people to understand.

Science is about true facts that never change.

When Hawking gives lectures, he always speaks through a computer.

T F

T

T

F

F

Task VI: Carefully reading:

Read the 1 para and finish:

1.1. Write down the words or phrases based on the expressionsWrite down the words or phrases based on the expressions

A: Pass:

B: full of hope of success or good results; seeming likely to

succeed, have good results, etc. (adj.)

C: that can not be cured (adj.)

D: Person who has taken a university degree, esp. the first or

Bachelor’s degree.

E: stop doing sth.

go by

promising

incurable

graduate

give up

Read para 2-5 and finish the following:1. Find the detailed information of the following

figures:

in the early 1970s

1988

2002

became famous, made new discoveries about the Big Bang and black holes.

Wrote A Brief History of Time, which quickly became a best-seller.

Visited China and spoke to university students in Hangzhou and Beijing.

2. Something about “A Brief History of Time” (1) What does he explain in it?

(2) How do people misunderstand science?

(3) What are the basic steps of the scientific method?

In the book, he explains both what it means to be a scientist and how science works. he tells readers how discoveries are made and how they change the world.

People often think that science is about “true “ facts that never change.

Steps What to do Why

1st Observe

2nd To explain what they have seen

3rd

Build a theory

Test the theory

To find out something about what they are interested in

To see if it matches what they have seen and if it can predict future events.

Read the last paragraph and answer:

1. Why people who listen to Hawking’s lectures sometimes find it difficult to understand him?

2. What is it that Hawking does not like about his speech computer?

Because his thoughts and ideas often seem as large as the universe he is trying to describe.

The computer gives him an American accent

Write down the words or phrases based on the expressions:Write down the words or phrases based on the expressions:

1. to make someone unable to use a part of their body properly2. to think about something that you would like to happen or have3. book that is sold in very large numbers4. take a wrong meaning from ( instructions, messages, etc. )5. say (tell) in advance (sth. that will happen)6. prove to be; be in the end7. look for; try to find8. see or notice; watch carefully

9. where everything that exist in it; all the stars, planets, satellites.10. way of doing sth.11. sth that is discovered.

disabledisable

dream ofdream ofbest-sellerbest-seller

misunderstandmisunderstand predictpredict

turn out (to be)turn out (to be)seekseek

observeobserve

universemethod

discovery

a promising graduate student give up

have an incurable disease our hope for peace

go by in fact get/ be engaged to

go on with’’’ work on

in the early 1970s make new discoveries

seek answers to the nature of the universe

a best-seller build/test the theory exploration

dream of in a/one way according to…

predict future events turn out to be +…

There did not seem much point in working on my phD.

Nor did he let the disease stop him from living the kind of life he had always dreamt of.

stop/prevent sb (from) doing sth

keep sb from doing sth be happy/satisfied with

Fill in the blanks according to the text.

When Hawking was just 21 years old, he was diagnosed with ALS — an_________ disease. Doctors _________ that he had only two years to live. Instead of giving up his dreams, he _____ __ ____ his research, got his PhD and married Jane. As his disease has _______ him, Hawking has to sit in his ____________ wheelchair and speak ________ a computer. In 1988,

incurable predicted

went on with

disablednow-famous

through

Task VII: Post-reading:

he wrote A Brief History of Time , whichquickly became a __________ . In the book, Hawking explains both what it _______ to be a scientist and how science works. Science, according to Hawking, isoften ______________: people often thinkscience is always true. Scientists, on the other hand, Hawking writes, know _____their job is never finished and _____ eventhe best theory can ____ ___ to be wrong.

best-seller

means

misunderstood

thatthat

turn out

Translate the following phrases:

1. 热衷于 2. 与…相似，近似3. 有…共同点 4. 因…而闻名5. 从事于…

6. 与…订婚7. 事实上 8. 继续干9. 梦想 , 梦到 10. 做讲座

1.be on fire for

2. be similar to

3.have …in common4.be famous for 5.work on 6.be engaged to 7.in fact 8.go on with 9.dream of10. give lectures

The answers to the ranslations:

11. in the early1970’s11. 在二十世纪七十年代早期

12. 问题的答案

13. 另一方面

14. 结果是 , 证明是 , 原来是

15. 对…感到满意

16. 与众不同

17. 相信 , 坚信

18. 颠倒 , 相反 , 反过来

19.( 时间 ) 消逝，过去

20. 畅销货

12. answers to questions

13. on the other hand

14. turn out

15. be satisfied with

16. make a difference

17. believe in 18. the other way around 19. go by

20. best seller