1、The Lost Years of A Nobel Laureate,Discussion,List some “ eccentric” scientists you have known. Talk about some anecdotes you have heard about the scientists that can well illustrate their deviation from “ normality”.,John Nash,More about John Nash,1. Who: An American economist and mathematician. Hi
2、s theories are used in market economics, computing, artificial intelligence, accounting and military theory.,2. personal life : early life: Nashs younger sister wrote that “Johnny was always different.My parents knew he was different. And they knew he was bright. He always wanted to do things his wa
3、y.,Middle age: Nash began to show signs of extreme paranoia and his wife later described his behavior as erratic, as he began speaking of characters who were putting him in danger. Nash seemed to believe that there was an organization chasing him, in which all men wore “red ties“.,He was later diagn
4、osed with a subtype of schizophrenia called paranoid schizophrenia. (妄想型精神分裂症),3. recognition: In 1994, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (along with John Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten) as a result of his game theory work as a Princeton graduate student.,Text Analysis,Tasks: R
5、ead aloud the 5 subdivisions in the text in succession. (chronological order)Try to get the parts of the text and the main idea.,Parts Paras Main ideas Part One 1-12 A brief summary of Nashs achievements and the progress of his illness.Part Two 13-18 Nash as a genius student before he went to Prince
6、tonPart Three 19-27 Nashs brilliant achievement,Part Four 28-34 Nashs illnessPart Five 35-39 Nash being taken care of by the various people around him Part Six 40-47 Nashs recovery from illness.,Text Analysis,Questions: 1. Of the four types of writing description, narration, exposition, and argument
7、ation which type do you think the text belongs to?Narration.,2. The essay is about the life story of John Nash told mostly in a chronological way. Describe how the writer indicates the time sequence and pieces together the whole story.From the second part on, the writer uses subheadings to show read
8、ers the different stages of Nashs life chronologically.,Language points (part one),Para 2 unbeknownst: Unbeknown,未知的adv.（副词） Without the knowledge of a specified party. Used with to : 不为所知的：某特定的群体所不知道地，和to 连用： Our cousin had been ill for years, unbeknownst to the family. 家里并不知道表妹已经病了好几年了,Para 3 awar
9、d: Something awarded or granted, as for merit. 奖品，奖：因优点奖励或授予的东西 Educational Development Awards 英教育发展奖金 literary awards 文学奖金,A decision, such as one made by a judge or arbitrator. 判定，判决：决定，如法官或仲裁者所作出的 awardable adj. awardee n.受奖者 awarder n.授奖者,V: 1) To grant as merited or due: 奖励，授予：因优点或善行而给予： awarde
10、d prizes to the winners. 给优胜者授予奖品 2) To give as legally due: 判给：因司法判决给予： awarded damages to the plaintiff. 判给原告损害赔偿金,The award was a miracle. It wasnt just that Mr. Nash, one of the mathematical geniuses of the postwar era, was finally getting the recognition he deserved. Nor that he was being honor
11、ed for a slender 27-page Ph.D. thesis written almost half a century ago at the tender age of 21.,Questions: 1. Why was the reward a miracle?Because Nash had got a serious disease.2. Analyze the structure of the sentence.It wasnt just that Nor that 这不仅仅因为 也不是因为,3. Translate the sentence into Chinese.
12、这次授奖堪称奇迹。这不仅仅因为作为战后的一位数学天才，纳什先生终于获得了应有的赞誉。也不是因为他是由于几乎半个世纪前才21岁时写的薄薄一篇27页的博士论文而获此殊荣。,Para 3 slender: 1) Having little width in proportion to height or length; long and thin: 瘦长的，细长的：与高度或长度相比宽度很小的；长而细的： a slender rod. 一根纤细的棍子,2) Thin and delicate in build; gracefully slim: 纤细的苗条的：体型瘦而纤弱的；苗条而有风度的： “She
13、 was slender as a willow shoot is slenderand equally graceful, equally erect”(Frank Norris) “她象柳枝一样的苗条一样的优美，一样的挺拔”(弗兰克诺里斯),3) Small in amount or extent; meager: 微弱的，微薄的：数量或范围小的；贫乏的： slender wages; a slender chance of survival. 微薄的薪水；渺茫的生存机会,Para 5 single out: choose from a group for special attentio
14、n, esp. criticism or praiseThe report singles out Mr. Clarke and Mr. Smith for special criticism.His company was singled out as the most successful small business in the region.,No sooner had Fortune magazine singled him out in July 1958 as Americas brilliant young star of the “new mathematics” than
15、 the disease had devastated Mr. Nashs personal and professional life.,Paraphrase the sentence.As soon as Fortune magazine chose him as Americas brilliant young star of the “new mathematics”, Mr. Nashs personal and professional life was destroyed by the disease.,Para 5 devastate: 使荒芜; 毁灭, 蹂躏; 破坏 压倒,
16、征服, 击败 A long war devastated Europe. 长期的战争破坏了欧洲。 was devastated by the rude remark. 被粗鲁的言论搅昏了头,Difficult sentence: ( translation) There he became the Phantom of Fine hall, a mute figure who scribbled strange equations on blackboards in the mathematics building and searched for anxiously for secret m
17、essages in numbers.,phantom:,a phantom of delight 快乐的化身 the phantom of things past 往事的影子 phantom of a dream 梦中的幻象 He is only a phantom of a king. 他只是有名无实的国王。,scribble: Write hastily or carelesslyI scribbled his phone number in my address book.I will just scribbled Dad a note to say were going out.,P
18、ara 7 distort: 使变形; 弄歪(嘴、脸等) 曲解; 歪曲(事实等) 使不正常 【无】使失真 distort sb.s motives 曲解某人的动机 a distorted view 偏见,“The human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly, distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it” (Francis Bacon).“人的理解如同一面假镜子，无规律地接
19、收光线，将自己的本质和事物的本质混合起来，从而歪曲和玷污了事物的本质” （富兰西斯培根）。,Para 7 die down: become gradually less strong, loud, noticeable, etc.When the applause had died down he started to speak. Eventually the fuss will die down and everything will return to normal.,Para 9:On one level, John Nashs story is the tragedy of any
20、person with schizophrenia.,1. What does the phrase “on one level” mean?“On / at one level (on / at another level)” is used when speaking about two opposite ways of thinking about something.2. What is “on another level”?His early genius.,Para 9: on/at one level: ( used when speaking about two opposit
21、e ways of thinking about sth.)On one level I quite like the attention but on another level, I suppose I find it a bit disturbing.,Para 9 play tricks on: confuse somebody. Or cause problem for them I thought I heard something-my ears must have been playing tricks on me. Fate played cruel tricks on hi
22、m when he was badly injured in his first international game.,Para 9 sensation: 1) 感觉：与感觉器官的刺激或特定的身体状态相关的感觉： the sensation of heat; a visual sensation. 热的感觉；视觉2) 知觉：感觉或察觉的官能；身体的感受能力： The patient has very little sensation left in the right leg. 病人的右腿几乎没有知觉,3) 感觉：不明确的、一般化的身体感觉： a sensation of lightness
23、. 对光的感觉4) 激动：提高的兴趣或感情的状态： “The anticipation produced in me a sensation somewhat between bliss and fear”(James Weldon Johnson) “期待使我产生了介于幸福与恐惧之间的激动”(詹姆斯韦尔登约翰逊),Para 10The sister who made heartbreaking choices about his treatment. The loyal wife who stood by him when she no longer was his wife. The ec
24、onomist who argued to the Nobel committee that mental illness shouldnt be a bar to the prize. Princeton itself.,Analyze the type of the sentences.All these sentences are elliptical sentences. “There was” is omitted before each sentence.,Question: Why is part one not arranged in chronological order?
25、Flashback. （倒叙） The writer is well aware that winning a Noble prize should be a great event to anyone. To mention it before anything else would certainly attract the readers attention the moment they begin to read the essay.,language points (part two),Para 13 invoke: 1)To call on (a higher power) fo
26、r assistance, support, or inspiration: 乞灵：祈求（一种更高的力量）给予帮助，支持，或灵感： “Stretching out her hands she had the air of a Greek woman who invoked a deity” (Ford Madox Ford) “她伸出她的双手，就象一个希腊妇人祈求神灵一样”(福特马多克斯福特),2) To call for earnestly; solicit: 恳求：恳切地请求；恳请： invoked the help of a passing motorist. 恳求一位过路的汽车司机给予
27、帮助,3) To resort to; use or apply: 借助：求助于；使用或应用： “Shamelessly, he invokes coincidence to achieve ironic effect”(Newsweek) “可耻的是，他借助于巧合来达到反讽效果”(新闻周刊),John Nashs West Virginia roots are often invoked by people who knew him at Princeton or at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he taught fo
28、r a while in the 50s, to explain his lack of worldliness.,What can we infer from the sentence ?Most places of the West Virginia are stagnant and people from there seem to lack communication skills.,Para 15 prodigy: 1) A person with exceptional talents or powers: 天才：具有异常的天赋或力量的人： a prodigy who had le
29、arned several foreign languages by the age of five. 一个五岁时就学会了几门外语的天才 ）An act or event so extraordinary or rare as to inspire wonder. 奇观，奇迹：奇特的或罕见的引起人们惊叹的事件或行为,more examples:an infant prodigy 神童 a prodigy of learning 非凡的学者 a prodigy of energy 精力异常充沛的人,Nothing was more important to the senior Nashes t
30、han supervising their childrens education, recalls the sister, Martha Nash Legg. John Jr. was a prodigy but not a straight-A student.,1. Paraphrase the first part of the sentence.It is most important for the senior Nashes to guide their childrens studies.2. Whats the meaning of “straight-A”?Excellen
31、t.,Para 18 awkward: 1) Clumsily or unskillfully performed: 笨拙地或不熟练地表演的： The opera was marred by an awkward aria. 整部歌剧毁在咏叹调部分的不够熟练 2) Difficult to handle or manage: 不顺手的：难处理或管理的： an awkward bundle to carry. 携带不便的包裹,3)Difficult to effect; uncomfortable: 难以实施的；不舒服的： an awkward pose. 不舒服的姿势 4) Marked by
32、 or causing embarrassment or discomfort: 尴尬的：以造成窘迫和不舒服为特征的： an awkward remark; an awkward silence. 令人窘迫的评论；令人尴尬的沉默,5) Requiring great tact, ingenuity, skill, and discretion: 棘手的，难处理的：要求非常老练、机智、熟练和谨慎的： An awkward situation arose during the peace talks. 在和平谈判中出现了棘手的情况,6) Not graceful; ungainly. 不优雅的；难
33、看的7) Not dexterous; clumsy.,Language points (part three),Para 20 gauche: Lacking social polish; tactless.He is tongue-tied and gauche. 他纳于言辞，不擅社交。,Para 20 fad: (一时流行的)风尚; 狂热一时的爱好 奇想; 怪念头 癖好, 嗜好, 兴趣; 业余消遣Collecting stamps is a good fad. 集邮是一种好的业余消遣。,Para 23: elude: 1) To evade or escape from, as by d
34、aring, cleverness, or skill: 躲避：如以胆量、机智或技巧而从躲避或逃跑： The suspect continues to elude the police. 嫌疑犯继续躲避着警察,2) To escape the understanding or grasp of: 理解不了或抓不到： a name that has always eluded me; a metaphor that eluded them. 我一直想不起来的名字；他们理解不了的隐喻,more examples:elude pursuit 逃避追捕 elude observation 避人耳目 e
35、lude ones understanding 使人不解,Briefly, von Neumann only had a good theory for pure rivalries in which one sides gain was the others loss. Mr. Nash focused on rivalries in which mutual gain was also possible.,Translate the sentence into Chinese.简言之，冯诺伊曼仅仅有关于纯粹竞争行为的很好理论，认为彼输即是我赢。纳什先生着重论述了也有双赢可能的竞争行为。,c
36、ome alive v. 活跃起来, 觉悟起来, 看起来像真的一样 She is a writer who really knows how to make characters come alive.She made history come alive with tales from her own memories.,Para 25: itch: 1) A restless desire or craving for something: 渴望，热望，欲望：无休止的欲望和想要得到某物： an itch to travel. 渴望旅行 have an itch for knowledge
37、渴望知识,2) An irritating skin sensation causing a desire to scratch. 痒：让人想去搔的一种烦人的皮肤感觉 suffer from the itch 发痒; 长疥疮,V. 1) To have a persistent, restless craving. 渴望：有持久的、永不停止的渴望 By four oclock I was itching for the meeting to end. He was itching to hear the results.,2) To cause to itch. 使发痒 I itch all
38、over. 我浑身发痒。 Mosquito bites itch. 蚊叮处发痒。 This wool shirt itches my back. 这件羊毛衫使我背上发痒,3) 使烦扰, 使不悦 His remarks itched me. 他的话使我不痛快。,expressions: have an itch for sth. 渴望得到某物; 非常想做某事, 手痒 have an itching for sth. 渴望得到某物; 非常想做某事, 手痒 itch for 渴望,Para 25 circulate: To spread widely among persons or places;
39、 disseminate; move in or flow through a circle or circuit. 散布，传播：在人们或地区之间广泛传播；散布; 流动 Gossip tends to circulate quickly. Hot water circulates through the heating system.,Para 26 wind up: end up, put oneself ( in a certain sate or place) (used in the patterns: wind up + prep/adv; wind up + ing); final
40、ly do (sth.), finish If he carries on like this, he will going to wind up in prison. when the meeting wound up; wind up a project. 当会议结束时；结束一个项目,Part four : Language points Para 29 It was a little a bit of a hero worship thing:Alicia looked up to Nash as someone outstanding and this played its part
41、in attracting her towards him.,Part five: language pointsabyss: 1) An unfathomable chasm; a yawning gulf. 深渊，无底洞：深不可测的裂缝；张开的深壑 2) An immeasurably profound depth or void: 深渊，深处：深不可测的深度或空间： “lost in the vast abysses of space and time”(Loren Eiseley) an abyss of disgrace 丢脸已极,Para 37 know by sight: Rec
42、ognize someone without knowing him personally or without knowing his name: 面熟，会过面 I knew him by sight but had never spoken with him. Some of the assistants came to know me by sight as I visited the store so often.,Part six: language points,The story of his prize is itself testament not only to his survival but to the fierce loyalty and admiration he inspired in others.,Whats the use of the prize towards Nash?It serves as the evidence both of his strong vitality and of respect and faithfulness from others.,
