Isaac Newton was born in England in 1642. At school he did not work very hard until he decided to do better than a big boy who had kicked him. At the age of 19, Newton went to Cambridge University where he began to study mathematics and science. He started to make discoveries in mathematics while he was still at college, and at the age of twenty-six he was appointed Professor of Mathematics.
Newton was very interested in light and he made several new telescopes. He put curved mirrors in his telescopes and they produced better results. Today the largest telescope in the world, on Mount Palomar in California, has a curved mirror nearly 17 feet across.
It is said that one day Newton watched an apple fall to the ground. He wondered why it fell towards the earth and not up to the sky. After much thought, he produced his theory of gravitation which he explained in his book. He showed that everybody attracts every other body. The sun and the earth attract each other, and so we do not fly away from the sun into the darkness and coldness of outer space. The moon and the earth also attract each other, and that is why the moon stays near us and does not rush away, leaving us in darkness every night.
Newton was so interested in his scientific work that he sometimes became rather forgetful. Once, when he was entertaining some guests at dinner, he went out of the room to fetch some wine. For a long time his friends waited for him to return, but he did not come. At last they went to look for him, and found him hard at work in his study. He had forgotten all about the wine, the dinner and his guests.
On another occasion he invited one of his friends to dinner, and the man arrived at the proper time at Newton's house. But Newton was not there. The guest sat down to wait and often looked hungrily at the dinner table not far away. All the food was ready on the table.
After some time, the guest could wait no longer. He sat down at the table and enjoyed a splendid dinner all alone. When he had finished, he returned to his chair and waited for his friend.
At last Newton came in. He looked at his guest in a puzzled manner and realized that he had entirely forgotten him. After shaking his hand and apologizing, he turned to the dinner table and noticed that someone had already eaten the food.
"I'm sorry, "he said, apologizing again. "I see that I have already eaten my dinner. I ought to have waited for you to arrive."
In 1696, when he was fifty-four, Newton gave up his pet of professor at Cambridge, and became Master of the Mint. The Mint is the place where coins are made in England, and the work has very little to do with science. Thus the GREat man gave up his scientific work and never went back to it. He died in 1727.
Words: 518
Total Reading Time:_________
Words per minute: _________
Notes: curved 弯曲的, gravitation 地球引力, occasion 机会
I. True or False:
1. At school Newton didn't work hard until he was kicked by a big boy.
2. The largest telescope in the world is still in England.
3. The GREat man went on with his scientific till his death.
II. Answer the Questions:
4. When did Newton go to Cambridge University?
_____________________________________________________
5. What did he take an interest in?
_____________________________________________________
III. Multiple Choice:
6. What theory he produced is well-known in the world?
A. Theory of Relativity. B. Theory of Gravitation.
C. Theory of Practice. D. Theory of Evolution.
7. What was Newton like sometimes because of his interest in scientific work?
A. He became out of mind.
B. He kept everything in his mind.
C. He was in the habit of forgetting.
D. He was lazy.
8. What did he become at the age of 54?
He became __________.
A. President of Cambridge University
B. Master of a factory which made coins
C. Secretary of a scientific center
D. a professor at Cambridge
% Comprehension: __________
参考答案：
1．T。
2．F。(It's in California，America)
3．F。
4．When he was nineteen．
5．Light．
6．B。
7．C。文中所举的两个例子告诉我们牛顿有"忘事"的习惯。
8．B。由最后一段可得知。
