大学体验英语课文阅读

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Passage Four

The Wake-up Call from Stockholm

\Swedish caller told Caltech professor Ahmed Zewail at 5:40 a.m. on October 12.

Soon the world would hear of Zewail's award — the 1999 Nobel Prize in chemistry — and Zewail would hear from the world. Two thousand e-mails would zoom his way within a few days and three phone lines would start ringing with eager requests for interviews from the national and Egyptian press and with congratulations from friends and colleagues. But first, the 53-year-old man would share the news with his family.

He kissed his wife, Dema, and young sons, Nabeel and Hani. His mother, whom Zewail reached in his native Egypt, cried and cried. His daughters, Maha and Amani, \

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\He said, 'Good.'\

six-year-old said, \going to see the king?\

The Royal Swedish Academy honored Zewail for his groundbreaking work in viewing and studying chemical reactions at the atomic level as they occur. He has shown \laser technique to see how atoms in a molecule move during a chemical reaction.\

Zewail had brought the most powerful tools from the field of physics into the chemistry lab to create a revolution, and the field of femto-chemistry was born. It was \Swedes announced, \investigation allows us to understand and predict important reactions,\probe nature at its most fundamental level.

Zewail is the 27th Caltech faculty member or alumnus to receive the Nobel Prize, and the third faculty member to be so honored in this decade.

\tumultuous week, \fields or bring in new ideas and tools, you find what you don't expect. You open new windows.\

Zewail's path to the forefront of the international science arena has been elegant and swift, like the atoms he observes performing molecular dances. With a wealth of experience in home chemistry projects as a boy in Egypt, he sailed to the top of his class at Alexandria University. The classical science education he received there prepared him for a promised tenure-track position in the field of his choice: math,

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physics, chemistry, or geology, but he decided to get his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania — to \but to this young Egyptian, \institute\prestigious than \As it turned out, Penn provided the \transition from classical science studies to the postdoctoral work he did at UC Berkeley.

He stayed at Berkeley for postdoctoral work for two reasons: to think more about research rather than about getting a PhD and \— I wanted to buy a big American car to take back to Egypt with me.\papers \handful of American universities.

\I was well received by the staff, administration, and faculty.\make his own way specializing in dynamics in a department strong on structure. And the Mediterranean climate didn't hurt. That was 1976.

Zewail was off and running, earning tenure in a year and a half, making full professorship by 1982, seated in the Pauling Chair by 1990. Now with a Nobel Prize under his belt, what's next? \retiring,\going to Hollywood.\

In the coming years, Zewail looks forward to more breakthroughs. He will remain active in research and in publishing papers, which he considers to be his babies (363 to date ). Tracking the progress of two papers within a week of receiving the prize, he reached a surprised editor who said, \

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thought you'd be out wining and dining.\what is possible.

Choose the best answer to each question with the information from the passage. 1. Nabeel's reaction disappointed his father; the possible explanation of it might be ______.

A) he had little idea of the importance of the Nobel Prize B) he took it for granted that his father should be the winner C) he was more interested in the king than the Prize D) he was afraid his friends would look down upon him

2. Zewail has pioneered in the field of femto-chemistry, which can be regarded as a revolution in ______.

A) chemistry and physics

B) chemical reaction and atomic structure C) laser technology and molecule research D) chemistry and other sciences related

3. Zewail attended several universities; they are, in order of time, ______.

A) the Alexandria University, the University of Pennsylvania, Caltech

B) the Alexandria University, the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkeley C) the University of Pennsylvania, Caltech and UC Berkeley D) the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley and Caltech

4. Zewail chose Caltech over the other top American universities mainly because ______.

A) there were already 26 Nobel Prize winners among the faculty members B) he appreciated the hearty welcome presented by the people there C) he found it a better place to specialize in dynamics D) the Mediterranean climate of California was agreeable

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