Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia (肺炎), and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking’s determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray(伽马射线) range of the spectrum (光谱). In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer (合成器) and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton’s chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England.
【小题1】Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in order to _____.
A. get a Ph.D. in physics
B. study mathematics
C. study the universe and black holes
D. seek help from the Lucasian Professor
【小题2】Before Hawking started researching black holes, _____.

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia (肺炎), and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking’s determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray(伽马射线) range of the spectrum (光谱). In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer (合成器) and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton’s chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England.

1.Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in order to _____.

A. get a Ph.D. in physics

B. study mathematics

C. study the universe and black holes

D. seek help from the Lucasian Professor

2.Before Hawking started researching black holes, _____.

3.Which of the following books was NOT written by Dr. Hawking alone?

4.When did Hawking enter University College, Oxford?

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia (肺炎), and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking’s determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray(伽马射线) range of the spectrum (光谱). In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer (合成器) and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton’s chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England

1. 1.

   Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in order to _____

   1. A.
      get a Ph.D. in physics
   2. B.
      study mathematics
   3. C.
      study the universe and black holes
   4. D.
      seek help from the Lucasian Professor
2. 2.

   Before Hawking started researching black holes, _____

   1. A.
      he gave lectures with the help of a speech synthesizer
   2. B.
      he finished his book The Universe in a Nutshell
   3. C.
      he was made the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
   4. D.
      he was diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
3. 3.

   Which of the following books was NOT written by Dr. Hawking alone?

   1. A.
      300 Years of Gravity
   2. B.
      A Brief History of Time
   3. C.
      The Universe in a Nutshell
   4. D.
      Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
4. 4.

   When did Hawking enter University College, Oxford?

   1. A.
      in 1942
   2. B.
      in 1970
   3. C.
      in 1959
   4. D.
      in 1963

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology (宇宙学) and quantum gravity（量子重力）, especially in the context of black holes. He experienced extreme difficulties and obstacles in his life, which only made him stronger. Finally he contributed much to the careers he devoted to and became one of the most famous scientists in the world.

Hawking was outstanding in his school life. After a successful period of education at St. Albans School, the entrance of Oxford opened to him. In March 1959, at the age of 17, Hawking took the scholarship examination with the aim of studying natural sciences at Oxford. Then Hawking went to Cambridge to do research in cosmology.

When Stephen Hawking was dreaming about his future, he faced extreme difficulties and obstacles. Symptoms of disorder first appeared while he was enrolled at Cambridge; he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head. The diagnosis (诊断) of motor neuron （运动神经元）disease came when Hawking was 21, shortly before his first marriage, and doctors said he would not survive more than two or three years. Hawking gradually lost the use of his arms, legs, and voice, and is now almost completely paralyzed（瘫痪）.

Despite his disease, he describes himself as "lucky" --- not only has time to make influential discoveries, but also has, in his own words, "a very attractive family".

As someone has said, when we meet frustration, someone fights, someone cries, someone escapes, someone tries. Hawking succeeds because he tries.
61. You may meet "frustration" if you ______________.

A. are defeated in an important match             B. win 1,000 yuan in a lottery

C. finally give up some bad habits                 D. meet old friends by chance

62. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Hawking is famous in the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity.

B. Hawking was diagnosed to have the motor neuron disease.

C. Hawking started to suffer symptoms of disorder when he was in Oxford.

D. Hawking gradually lost the use of his arms, legs and voice.

63. Hawking describes himself to be lucky because ________.

A. he is one of the most famous scientists in the world.

B. he is a famous scientist in spite of the disease.

C. he was born in St. Albans.

D. he is almost completely paralyzed as time goes by.

64. What's Hawking's attitude towards the disease?

A. Optimistic.                 B. Sad                          C. Disappointed.      D. Negative.

65. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. Hawking is famous for his contributions.

B. Hawking has a successful school life.

C. Hawking overcame extreme difficulties and achieved his aims.

D. Hawking suffers from disease and is completely paralyzed.

As summer approaches, a lot of people will be in search of a great book to read while they are relaxing on the beach or by the pool. Here we have made a list of four e-books that we think are great summer reads.

Stark by Ben Elton--- If you have read a lot of books then you may know that Ben Elton is  one of the funniest writers around the world. This book is one of his best pieces of work to date and it will certainly leave you in hysterics(狂笑). You may find yourself laughing out loud constantly when reading this book.

1984 by George Orwell---there is a big chance that some of you may have read this book ,but even if you have, it’s still well worth reading again. This is a great holiday book and it will shock you constantly due to the accuracy of the book. The book was actually written in 1948 and was written about what the author (George Orwell) fell the world would be like in 1984,and he was pretty spot-on .This book is thrilling and will probably leave you a little scared at the end of it.

The Road---This book is a fantastic read and will leave you hanging on edge all the way through it. This book is quite dark, however, and it certainly had some shocking moments throughout. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic(浩劫后的) world where modern life has been destroyed and in which there is no wildlife and a lot of humans have actually turned to cannibalism(同类相食).This book is fantastic if you enjoy a thrilling read that will leave you on the edge of your seat every few seconds. This certainly isn't a book for the faint of heart.

The Theory of Everything by Stephen Hawking---If you haven’t read this book yet then you really must .If you’re looking for a non-fiction and highly informative book for your summer then this is the book for you. This book was written by Professor Stephen Hawking and is extremely famous.

1.What is the text mainly about?

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

3.We can learn from the passage that____________

4.If Mark likes reading thrilling and exciting stories, which of the following should he choose?

5.In which section of a magazine would you most probably read the text?