名人教英文：albert einstein — a curious boy 乐于探索的爱因斯坦
in the 17th century, the scientist sir isaac newton (牛顿) taught about space, matter, and time. he taught that space, matter, and time are separate from each other. albert einstein (爱因斯坦) came along over 200 years later. he disagreed. he said all three are closely related, or relative to each other. they are connected. and they are connected in ways that can be hard to understand.
einstein turned the world of science upside down with his theory of relativity. einstein knew his ideas could play a part in the making of atomic bombs (原子弹). he wanted them to be used as a force for peace. but he cried out in sorrow when atomic bombs took thousands of lives at the end of world war ii.
albert einstein was born on 14 march 1879 in ulm, germany. the einsteins were a middle class family. they had lived in southern germany for over 300 years. albert's father, hermann, was a warm and optimistic man. he was an engineer whose many business ventures (经营项目) had failed. but he never stopped trying. hermann einstein married pauline koch, a gentle and intelligent young woman, in 1876. the einsteins were jews, but they did not follow hebrew (希伯来人的) religious practices. for example, they did not go to the synagogue (犹太教堂) or follow dietary laws.
albert was the einstein's first child. pauline thought her baby son's head was in an unusual shape. she worried that he might have mental problems. her worry only intensified when albert was slow to learn to speak.
in 1880 the einsteins moved to munich. albert's father hoped he'd have better luck there. in 1881 albert's sister, maja, was born. it was a happy family. the parents showered their two children with love. grandparents, aunts, and uncles all interested in their well-being surrounded the children. still, albert was very quiet. even at nine, he only spoke slowly and thoughtfully.
when albert was very young, his father gave him a magnetic compass. the little boy was delighted and captivated (吸引) by the gift. he kept studying it and turning it around and around. albert also enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles (拼图) and building very high houses of cards. he liked to read, but he never chose light, funny books. he always wanted serious books from which he could learn.
as a young child, albert was tutored at home. he had a very hot temper (急躁的脾气). one day, when he was frustrated, he picked up a chair and threw it at his tutor. the angry teacher fled, never to return. albert learned to control his temper after that.
one day, albert's parents took him to see a military parade (阅兵仪式). they thought he would enjoy seeing the marching soldiers and hearing the music. but albert wept at the sight of the soldiers marching close together. they looked like a frightening monster with many arms and legs to the little boy. all his life, albert had disliked the military.
albert's mother was a talented pianist who passed on her love of music to her children. albert loved to listen to his mother playing the piano.
finally, it was time for albert to attend regular school. his parents wanted to pick the best school they could find for their son. the nearest good school was a catholic school. it had a fine academic record. the einsteins did not care what religion was taught at the school. they only wanted their son to get a good education.
albert einstein enjoyed hearing the colourful bible stories at the catholic school. he was the only jewish child in the whole school, but that was not a problem. the problem was that albert just did not like school. he thought it had been better before with a tutor and his parents teaching him at home.