In the span of 18 months, Isaac Newton invented calculus, constructed a theory of optics, explained how gravity works and discovered his laws of motion. As a result, 1665 and the early months of 1666 are termed his annus mirabilis. (46) It was a sustained sprint of intellectual achievement that no one thought could ever be equaled. But in a span of a few years just before 1900, it all began to unravel. One phenomenon after another was discovered which could not be explained by the laws of classical physics. (47) The theories of Newton, and of James Clerk Maxwell who followed him in the mid-19th century by crafting a more comprehensive account of electromagnetism, were in trouble.Then, in 1905, a young patent clerk named Albert Einstein found the way forward. In five remarkable papers, he showed that atoms are real (it was still controversial at the time), presented his special theory of relativity, and put quantum theory on its feet. It was a different achievement from Newton’s year, but Einstein’s annus mirabilis was no less remarkable. He did not, like Newton, have to invent entirely new forms of mathematics. However, he had to revise notions of space and time fundamentally. (48) And unlike Newton, who did not publish his results for nearly 20 years, so obsessed was he with secrecy and working out the details, Einstein released his papers one after another, as a fusillade of ideas.For Einstein, it was just a beginning--he would go on to create the general theory of relativity and to pioneer quantum mechanics. While Newton came up with one system for explaining the world, Einstein thus came up with two. Unfortunately, his discoveries-- relativity and quantum theory contradict one another. Both cannot be true everywhere, although both are remarkably accurate .in their respective domains of the very large and the very small. Einstein would spend the last years of his life attempting to reconcile the two theories, and failing. (49) But then, no one else has succeeded in fixing the problems either, and Einstein was perhaps the one who saw them most clearly.When Einstein was awarded a Nobel prize, in 1921, it was for the first of his papers of 1905, which proved the existence of photons--particles of light. (50) Up until that paper, completed on March 17th and published in Annalen der Physik (as were the other 1905 papers), light had been supposed to be a wave, since this explains the interference patterns created when it passes through a grating. Einstein, however, began from a different premise, by considering the so called "black-body experiment". Up until that paper, completed on March 17th and published in Annalen der Physik (as were the other 1905 papers), light had been supposed to be a wave, since this explains the interference patterns created when it passes through a grating
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The last-minute victory of the Texas Longhorns in this year’s Rose Bowl--America’s college football championship--was the kind of thing that stays with fans forever. Just as well, because many had paid vast sums to see the game. Rose Bowl tickets officially sold for$175 each. On the internet, resellers were hawking them for as much as $ 3,000 a pop. "Nobody knows how to control [this]," observed Mitch Dorger, the tournament’s chief executive.Re-selling tickets for a profit, known less politely as scalping in America or touting in Britain, is booming. In America alone, the "secondary market" for tickets to sought-after events is worth over $10 billion, reckons Jeffrey Fluhr, the boss of StubHub, an online ticket market. Scalping used to be about burly men lurking outside stadiums with fistfuls of tickets. Cries of "Tickets here, tickets here" still ring out before kick off. But the internet has created a larger and more efficient market. Some internet-based ticket agencies, such as tickco, com and dynamiteticketz, com act as traditional scalpers, buying up tickets and selling them on for a substantial mark-up. But others like StubHub have a new business mode — bring together buyers and sellers, and then take a cut. For each transaction, StubHub takes a juicy 25%.Despite its substantial commission—far higher than those charged by other online intermediaries including eBay or Craigslist—StubHub is flourishing. The firm was set up in 2000 and this year’s Rose Bowl was its biggest event ever. The Super Bowl in early February will bring another nice haul, as have U2 and Rolling Stones concerts. Unlike eBay, which is the largest online trader in tickets, StubHub guarantees each transaction, so buyers need not worry about fraud. The company’s revenues, now around $ 200m, are tripling annually (despite its start in the dotcom bust). And there is plenty more room to grow. Mr. Fluhr notes that the market remains "highly fragmented", with tiny operations still flourishing and newspaper classifieds not yet dead.But there are risks. Some events are boosting prices to cut the resale margins; others are using special measures to crack down. This summer, tickets to the soccer World Cup in Germany will include the name and passport number of the original purchaser and embedded chips that match the buyer to the tickets.Then there are legal worries. In America, more than a dozen states have anti-scalping laws of various kinds. New Mexico forbids the reselling of tickets for college games; Mississippi does so for all events on government-owned property. Such laws are often ignored, but can still bite. In Massachusetts, where reselling a ticket for more than $ 2 above face value is unlawful, one fan brought a lawsuit last autumn against 16 companies (including StubHub) over his pricey Red Sox tickets. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ()
A. More than a dozen states in US have anti-scalping laws of various kinds
B. There are still legal worries about the American re-selling tickets for a profit
C. Most states in US have yet to show positive response in crackdown on ticket touting
D. 16 companies were taken to court by one fan for reselling a ticket for more than $ 2 above face value
The Californian coastline north and south of Silicon Valley is a trend-setting sort of place. Increasingly, the home interiors of the well-heeled there tend toward one of two (1) . Houses are (2) light flooded, sparse and vaguely Asian in (3) , with perhaps a Zen fountain in one corner, a Yoga area in another. Or they resemble electronic control rooms with all sorts of (4) , computers, routers, antennae, screens and remote controls. Occasionally, both elements are (5) . "She" may have the living room and’public areas, (6) "he" is banished with his toys up or down the stairs.Currently, the gadget lovers have powerful allies. Many of the largest companies in the consumer-electronics, computer, telecoms and internet industries have made a strategic decision to (7) visions of a "digital home", "eHome", or "connected home". Doubting that (8) from corporate customers will ever (9) to the boom levels of the late 1990s, Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Verizon, Comcast, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and others see the consumer (10) their best chance for growth and will be throwing a bewildering (11) of home "solutions" at (12) in the coming months and years.To understand what the (13) ultimately have in (14) it is best to visit the (15) homes that most have built on their campuses or at trade shows. (16) cosy and often intimidating, these feature flat screens almost everywhere, (17) electronic picture frames in the bedroom from the large TV-substitute in the living room. Every (18) has a microchip and can be (19) to, typed into or clicked onto. Everything is (20) to a central computer through wireless links. Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.7()
A. laud
B. quench
C. dampen
D. hawk
The Californian coastline north and south of Silicon Valley is a trend-setting sort of place. Increasingly, the home interiors of the well-heeled there tend toward one of two (1) . Houses are (2) light flooded, sparse and vaguely Asian in (3) , with perhaps a Zen fountain in one corner, a Yoga area in another. Or they resemble electronic control rooms with all sorts of (4) , computers, routers, antennae, screens and remote controls. Occasionally, both elements are (5) . "She" may have the living room and’public areas, (6) "he" is banished with his toys up or down the stairs.Currently, the gadget lovers have powerful allies. Many of the largest companies in the consumer-electronics, computer, telecoms and internet industries have made a strategic decision to (7) visions of a "digital home", "eHome", or "connected home". Doubting that (8) from corporate customers will ever (9) to the boom levels of the late 1990s, Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Verizon, Comcast, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and others see the consumer (10) their best chance for growth and will be throwing a bewildering (11) of home "solutions" at (12) in the coming months and years.To understand what the (13) ultimately have in (14) it is best to visit the (15) homes that most have built on their campuses or at trade shows. (16) cosy and often intimidating, these feature flat screens almost everywhere, (17) electronic picture frames in the bedroom from the large TV-substitute in the living room. Every (18) has a microchip and can be (19) to, typed into or clicked onto. Everything is (20) to a central computer through wireless links. Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.5()
A. detrimental
B. imaginative
C. present
D. illusive
Back when we were kids, the hours spent with friends were too numerous to count. There were marathon telephone conversations; all-night studying and giggling sessions. Even after boyfriends entered the pictured our best friends remained irreplaceable. And time was the means by Which we nurtured those friendships. Now as adult women we never seem to have enough time for anything. Husbands, kids, careers and avocations--all require attention; too often, making time for our friends comes last on the list of priorities. And yet, ironically, we need our friends as much as ever in adulthood. A friendship network is absolutely crucial for our well being as adults. We have to do the hard work of building and sustaining the network. Here are some important ways for accomplishing this.Let go of your less central friendships.Many of our friendships were never meant to last a lifetime. It’s natural that some friendships have time limits. Furthermore, now everyone has a busy social calendar, so pull back from some people that you don’t really want to draw close to and give the most promising friendship a fair chance to grow.(41) Be willing to "drop everything" when you’re truly needed.You may get a call from a friend who is really depressed over a certain problem when you are just sitting down to enjoy a romantic dinner with your husband. This is just one of those instances when a friend’s needs mattered more.(42) Take advantage of the mails.Nearly all of us have pals living far away--friends we miss very much. Given the limited time available for visits and the high price of phone calls, writing is a fine way to keep in touch and makes both sender and receiver feel good.(43) Risk expressing negative feelings.When time together is tough to come by, it’s natural to want the mood during that time to be upbeat. And many people fear that others will think less of you if you express the negative feelings like anger and hurt.(44) Don’t make your friends’ problems your own.Sharing your friend’s grief is the way you show deep friendship.Never underestimate the value of loyalty.Loyalty has always been rated as one of the most desired qualities in friends. True loyalty can be a fairly subtle thing. Some people feel it means that, no matter what, your friend will always take you side. But real loyalty is being accepting the person, not necessarily of certain actions your friend might take.(45) Give the gift of time as often as time allows.Time is what we don’t have nearly enough of--and yet, armed with a little ingenuity, we can make it to give it to our friends.The last but not the least thing to keep a friendship alive is to say to your friends "I miss you and love you." Saying that at the end of a phone conversation, or a visit, or writing it on a birthday card, can sustain your friendship for the times you aren’t together.[A] But taking on your friend’s pain doesn’t make that pain go away. There’s a big difference between empathy or recognizing a friend’s pain, and over identification, which makes the sufferer feel even weaker-- "I must be in worse pain than I even thought, because the person I’m confiding in is suffering so much!" Remember troubled people just need their friends to stay grounded in their own feelings.[B] Remember honesty is the key to keeping a friendship real. Sharing your pain will actually deepen a friendship.[C] Besides, letters, cards and postcards have the virtue of being tangible--friends can keep them and reread them for years to come.[D] The trick is remembering that a little is better than none and that you can do two things at Once. For instance, if you both go for a weekly aerobics, go on the same day. If you both want to go on vocation, schedule the same destination.[E] Careful listening, clear writing, close reading, plain speaking, and accurate description- will be invaluable. In tomorrow’s fast-paced business environment there will be precious little time to correct any misunderstandings. Communications breakdown may well become a fatal corporate disease.[F] Sometimes, because of our unbreakable commitments or other circumstances, we simply can’t give a needy friend the time we’d like. If you can’t be there at that given moment, say something like, "I wish I could be with you I can hear that you’re in pain. May I call you tomorrow" Be sure your friend knows she’s cared about. 43