阅读理解。
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent (潜流) of conversation at Einstein memorial
meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will appear, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all,
more than 200 years separated Einstein from Isaac Newton.
Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn't been born yet, or is a baby now. That's because the search
for a unified theory that would explain all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits.
New math must be created after the problem can be solved.
But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein appearing anytime soon.
For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein's day, there were a few thousand physicists
worldwide, and the theorists who could argue with Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to
spare. Education is different, too. One key aspect of Einstein's training that-is little noticed is the years of
philosophy he read as a teenager-Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think
independently about space and time and it wasn't long before he became a philosopher himself.
And Einstein was a clever musician. The interplay between music and math is well-known. Einstein would
play his violin hard as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.
Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren't many jobs in science for them, so
they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills. Those who stay in science don't work
alone and they sometimes do experiment together which takes years.
It's hard to imagine a renegade (背叛者) like Einstein standing it. "Maybe there is an Einstein out there
today," said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, "but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard."
1. According to the second paragraph, the next Einstein will _____.[ ]
A. have to create new math
B. create a unified theory
C. have to be born now
D. push math to its limits
2. The underlined words "knotty" in the fourth paragraph means _____.[ ]
A. easy
B. interesting
C. strange
D. difficult
3. Which of the following will be useful for the next Einstein to be born? [ ]
A. There will be music around.
B. There will be no problems to solve.
C. There will be suitable philosophy to study.
D. There are only a few physicists.
4. The bold words "unified theory" in Paragraph 2 refers to _____. [ ]
A. agreement
B. mathematical rule
C. unique idea
D. physical saying
