UNIT5 Text I Force of natureWord文档下载推荐.docx

UNIT5 Text I Force of natureWord文档下载推荐.docx

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2.Whichonedoyouadmiremost?

Why?

1WhileIwasateenagergrowingupinNewRochelle,NewYork,IhaduponmybulletinboardaphotoofMarieCurie2sittingunderanelmtree,herarmswrappedaroundherdaughters,two-year-oldEveandnine-year-oldIrene.Ididn’tknowverymuchaboutCuriebeyondthebasics:

Sheandherhusbandhaddiscoveredradioactivity.ShewasthefirstpersontowintwoNobelprizes.Shewasbrilliant,single-minded,alegend.Iwasjustagirlwithlittledirection,moredrawntowordsandmade-upstoriesthantoformulasandlabexperiments.

2Lookingback,IthinkIadmiredthatphotosomuch,notbecauseofMarieCurieandwhatshestoodforbutbecausesheseemedsoexotic—ormaybebecauseofhowherarmsencircledhergirls.Myownmotherlayinthehospital,recoveringfromagraveinjuryinacarcrash.Iwantedhertoholdme,butshecouldn’t.So,instead,IidolizedMarie,whoinmymindbecamethestrongestandmostcapablewomanintheworld.

3Likeanygirl’sfantasy,minecontainedatleastashredoftruth3.MarieCurie’sowndaughtersgrewintoaccomplishedwomenintheirownright,thoughtheirmotherwasobsessivelyengagedinherresearchbeforetheywereborn.Curiewaswhatwemighttodaycallasuper-competentmulti-tasker4.Herworkrevolutionizedthestudyofatomicenergyandradioactivity,andshe’soneofapitifulfewfemalescientistswhomschoolchildreneverstudy.Alsoshewasawomandrivenbypassions,fightingbattlesmuchofherlifewithwhatadoctornowwouldprobablydiagnoseasseveredepression.Intheend,hermostbrilliantdiscoveryprovedfatalforbothherandherhusband.

4WhenCuriewas10yearsold,in1878,hermotherdiedoftuberculosis.ThePolishgirlthenknownasManyaSklodowskacarriedonwithherschoolworkasifnothinghadhappened,butformonthsshe’dfindplacetohidesoshecouldcryhereyesout.

5Atage18,shelandedajobasgovernesstoawealthyfamilynearWarsaw.ShewoundupfallinginlovewithCasimirZorawski,anaccomplishedstudentof19withwhomshesharedaloveofnatureandscience.ButwhenCasimirannouncedthatheandManyawantedtomarry,hisfatherthreatenedtodisinherithim.Shewasbeneathhisstation5,poor,acommonnursemaid.Definitelyno.Fouryearsdraggedby.Finally,ManyatoldCasimir,“Ifyoucannotdecide,Icannotdecideforyou.”Inwhatstillseemstomearemarkableactofcourage,ManyathengatheredhermeagersavingsandtookatraintoParis,whereshechangedhername,enrolledattheSorbonne6---andwalkedintohistory.

6In1893,shebecamethefirstwomantoearnadegreeinphysicsattheSorbonne.Ifyouhaveeverseenthe1943filmMadameCurie,youknowthebroadbrushstrokesofherearlyexperimentstofindamysterious,hiddennewelement.There’sasceneinwhichactressGreerGarson,asMarie,stirsaboilingvat,herfaceglisteningwithsweat.Lateatnight,Marieandherhusband,Pierre,enterthelabtoseeatinyluminousstaincongealedinadish.“Oh,Pierre!

Coulditbe?

”exclaimsMarieastearsrolldownhercheeks.Yes,thiswasit---radium!

7Therealitywasalotgrittier---andalotlessromantic7.MarieandPierre,whomshemarriedin1895,didindeedworksidebysidelateintothenight.ButtheirlabwassoshabbyanddankthattheirdaughterIrene,atagethree,calledit“thatsad,sadplace”.Andoneprominentscientistsaidthathadhenotseentheworktable,hewouldhavethoughthewasinastable.

8Intime,theCuriesbecameworldfamous,especiallyaftertheywonaNobelPrizeinphysicsin1903forthediscoveryofradioactivity.TheywerethetoastoftheEuropeanscientificcommunity,fetedlavishlyandvisitedathomeinParisbyacolyteswhocamefromasfarawayasNewZealandtopayhomage.

9FortheCuries,though,theirtriumphcontainedtheseedsoftheirtragedy.Remember,theyworkedaroundradioactivitynearlyeveryday.EvenbeforewinningtheNobel,Pierrewasseverelyillfromexposuretothisfierceenergy.Hehadopensoresonhishandsandfingers,andincreasingdifficultywalking.In1906,hefellintothepathofawagondrawnbytwohugedrafthorses,andawheelranoverhishead.Hediedinstantly.

10Yearslater,EveCurie,scarcelyayearoldwhenherfatherdied,wrotethatPierre’sdeathmarkedthedefiningmomentinhermother’slife:

“MarieCuriedidnotchangefromahappyyoungwifetoaninconsolablewidow.Themetamorphosiswaslesssimple,moreserious.Acapeofsolitudeandsecrecyfelluponhershouldersforever.”Mariewasjust38.TheSundayafterthefuneral,insteadofstayingwithfamilyandfriends,sheretreatedtothelab.InherdiaryshewrotePierre:

“Iwantotalktoyouinthesilenceofthislaboratory,whereIdidn’tthinkIcouldlivewithoutyou.”

11TheworkthatMarieandPierrehadbegunwentonafterhisdeath..AsecondNobelinchemistrywenttoMariealoneforisolatingtheelementsradiumandpolonium.

12WiththeonsetofWorldWarIin1914,sherecognizedthatmobileX-ray8unitscouldsavelivesinbattlefieldhospital,sosheestablishedafleetofthesevehicles,knownaspetitesCuries,orlittleCuries.SheandIrenedroveonethemselves.

13LatershewentbacktotheRadiumInstitutesheestablished,teaching,travelingandlecturinguntilherdeath,atage66,onJuly4,1934.Thecausewasaplasticperniciousanemia,mostlikelyduetoherlong,devastatingexposuretoradiumandotherradioactiveelements.

14TheMarieCuriethatIdiscoveredwasnoiconbutaflesh-and-bloodwoman.Sheconqueredhugeprofessionalobstaclesbutpaidaterriblepersonalprice.Iknownowhowcomplexherlifewas—trulygloriousandtragic.

1,005words

GLOSSARY

elmpitiful

radioactivitypassion

single-mindedtuberculosis

made-upgoverness

exoticwindup

encircledisinherit

gravenursemaid

idolizedragby

fantasymeager

shredenroll

obsessivelyvat

revolutionizeglisten

atomicluminous

staindraft

congealdefining

radiuminconsolable

grittymetamorphosis

shabbycape

danksecrecy

prominentpolonium

stableonset

toastX-ray

fetefleet

acolyteaplastic

homagepernicious

exposureanemia

fierceicon

soreobstacle

Notes

1、AbouttheauthorPrize-winningauthorandsocialhistorian,BarbaraGoldsmithwasborninNewYorkCity,graduatedfromWellesleyCollege（1958）,andholdsthreedoctorates.AfoundingeditorofNewYorkMagazine,shecurrentlycontributestotheNewYorkTimes,ArchitecturalDigest,andNewYorker.SheistheauthoroftheacclaimedbestsellersLittleGloria...HappyAtLast（1980）andJohnsonv.Johnson（1987）.AtrusteeoftheNewYorkPublicLibrary,GoldsmithalsoservesonthePresident’sCommissionontheCelebrationofWomeninAmericanHistory.

2、MarieCurie（Paragraph1）（1867-1934）,Polish-bornFrenchchemistwho,withherhusbandPierreCurie,wasanearlyinvestigatorofradioactivity.TheCuriessharethe1903NobelPrizeinphysicswithFrenchphysicistAntoineHenriBecquerelforfundamentalresearchonradioactivity.MarieCuriewenttostudythechemistryandmedicalapplicationsofradium.Shewasawardedthe1911NobelPrizeinchemistryinrecognitionofherworkindiscoveringradiumandpoloniumandinisolatingradium.

3、Likeanygirl’sfantasy,minecontainedatleastashredoftruth.（Paragraph3）Likeallothergirls,IalsohadmyfantasiesaboutoutstandingpersonageslikeMarieCurie,andmyfantasieswerebuiltoncertaintruths.

4、super-competentmulti-tasker（Paragraph3）anextraordinarilycapablepersonthatcanperformmanydifferenttasksatsametime

Theprefixsuper-canbeusedbeforeadjectivetoindicatethatsomethinghasalotofaquality,e.g.super-fit,super-slim,etc.whiletheprefixmulti-isoftenusedtoformadjectives,occasionallyusedinfrontofnouns,indicatingthatconsistsofmanythingsofaparticularkind,e.g.multi-millionaire,etc.

5、Shewasbeneathhisstation...（Paragraph5）Shewasbelowhissocialrank...

6、Sorbonne（Paragraph5）thenameofoneofthebuildingoftheUniversityofParis,popularlyusedtodesignatetheentireuniversity.Thenamewasderivedfromatheologicalcollegefoundedabout1257byRobertdeSorbon.

7、Therealitywasalotgrittier---andalotlessromantic.（Paragraph7）Unlikewhatmanywouldexpect,suchanachievementhadinfactdemandedextraordinaryresolutionandfortitude,andinnowaywasitaromanticbusiness.

8、X-ray（Paragraph12）photographicimageusingX-rays,producedonphotographicfilmbyX-rayspassingthroughobjectsorpartsofthebody,oftenusedinmedicineandscienceasadiagnostictool.DensepartssuchasbonesabsorbtheX-raysandappearaslighterregionsonthedevelopedfilm

Textcomprehension

I.Decidewhichofthefollowingbeststatestheauthor’spurpose.

A、TodisplayMarieCurie’scareerasaNobelPrizewinner.

B、TohonorMarieCuriewhomademagnificentcontributioninscience.

C、TounfoldMarieCurie’scomplexlifeasgloriousandtragic.

D、TointroduceMarieCurieandherfamily.

II.Judge,accordingtothetext,whetherthefollowingstatementsaretrueorfalse.

1、AtfirstIonlyknewthatMarieCurie,abrilliantwomanscientist,wasthefirstpersontowintwoNobelPrize.

2、MarieCuriewasobsessivelyengagedinherresearchafterherdaughterswereborn.

3、Asgovernesstoawealthyfamily,MarieCuriefellinlovewithCasimirZorawski,theyoungmaster.Ashisfatherthreatenedtodisinherithim,sheleftWarsawwithcourageforParis,wherehernewlifebegan.

4、MarieCurieleftWars