美文阅读Overcoming disability.docVIP

Overcoming disability 一个瘦的出奇、全身瘫痪的天才，他的身体无力地蜷缩在轮椅里，思想却在宇宙的最深处飞扬 —— 这就是史蒂芬·霍金，被称为“当今爱因斯坦”的思想家、物理学家。 tephen Hawking had a fairly normal childhood. He had poor handwriting and was never good at ball games at school, but this just meant that he did not enjoy sports. When he went to Oxford University he noticed that he sometimes fell over for no reason. The next year when he was doing research at Cambridge University, his father suggested he go to the hospital for a check-up. The result of this visit to a specialist was very bad. The specialist said that he had a disease which modern medicine could not cure. The disease was motor neurone disease or ALS and it was likely to kill him within a few years. Before Stephen knew about his illness, he was not very interested in his work or his social life. Afterwards he suddenly realized how much there was to live for, including his girlfriend who was his future wife. He also saw a young friend die of leukemia 白血病 in a bed near him in the hospital. Suddenly he realized that he was lucky and should not feel sorry for himself. Stephen continued his research into the laws which govern the universe and has become very well known. He has advanced Einstein’s theories and written many publications. Amongst these are two bestsellers, one of which is called A Brief History of Time. As predicted by the specialist so many years ago, Stephen’s physical condition has deteriorated. He can no longer speak and he is well known for using the computer to speak and to write the papers and books. He can communicate at approximately 15 words a minute by clicking a switch for every letter he needs. The computer speaks the words for him. He can also use the computer to dial people on the telephone and to answer calls made to him. He travels a great deal, giving lectures about his ground-breaking research. He is determined to lead a normal life as far as he can and has three children and one grandchild. He does not think about his condition