When Stephen Hawking published A Brief History of Time in 1989, the reactions of the public were quite different from those of scientific circles. People who were not scientists described the book as a masterpiece. They said the book helped them understand what a very complex world astrophysics was. But scientists responded differently. They claimed the book was not scientific enough and relied too much on guessing, rather than on solid facts. Despite these conflicting views, the book has been wildly popular. Since its release in 1989, over 5.5 million copies have been sold with translations published in 33 different languages.
A Brief History of Time covers a broad and diverse range of topics regarding the nature of the universe and time. Did time actually have a beginning? Does time have an end? Is the universe infinite? Hawking deals with these interesting issues only after reviewing former theories that tried to unlock the mysteries of the universe. These included Galileo’s and Newton’s works. Of course, but even more importantly, Hawking raises questions on Einstein’s theory of relativity (which deals with the infinitely large) as well as his work in quantum mechanics (which deals with the infinitely small).
Hawking studied these theories, as well as cosmology, during his education at Oxford University in England. He explained his love for physics as an extension of mathematics: “To me, mathematics is just a tool with which to do physics.”
In A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, Hawking explores unknown areas of deep space. He builds his observations on the idea that “At one point, the earth we now walk on was distributed so tenuously (稀薄地) that a gram of soil would have occupied a column the size of an entire planet … In a sense, each of us has been inside a star; in a sense, each of us has been in the vast empty space between stars; and — if the universe ever had a beginning — each of us was there!”
He is referring to a time before the Big Bang, when all of the matter on and surrounding earth did not exist as it does today. Rather, that matter took shape through temperature and pressure at the centre of a star. As a result of this pressure and temperature, the star, or supernova, exploded. Physicists are still trying to create mathematical models that come close to representing the evolution of the universe from that time forward.
6. What did Hawking study during his time at Oxford University?
A. Galileo’s works. B. Newton’s works.
C. Einstein’s theory of relativity. D. All the above.
7. Which of the following is true about A Brief History of Time?
A. Only 5.5 million copies of it were published.
B. It was brought out in 1989.
C. The public agreed with scientists on the quality of the book.
D. It was not a widely read book.
8. By quoting (引用)Hawking’s remark in the third paragraph, the author intends to .
A. show that mathematics is not important in his studies
B. tell us that mathematics can help us understand physics
C. suggest that physics is just part of mathematics
D. make it clear that Hawking’s study of mathematics was second to his love for physics
9. According to Hawking, .
A. all the things on earth have always existed as they do now
B. all of us once lived inside a star
C. stars have not changed since the Big Bang
D. the matter on and surrounding the earth gathered at a star’s centre before the Big Bang
10. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. People’s different attitudes toward A Brief History of Time.
B. Hawking’s ideas about the nature of the universe.
C. An introduction of A Brief History of Time.
D. Hawking’s fight against his disease and his achievements in research.