1. perpetual
adj.
a.continueing for a long period of time without interruption
e.g. the perpetual noise of traffic
b. frequently repeated, in a way that is annoying
2. compelling
adj.
a. that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting
3.simultaneously
adv. 同时
4.apparatus
n.
a. the tools or other pieces of equipment that are needed for a particular activity or task.
5.electron
n.
a. a small piece of matter with a negative electric charge, found in all atoms
6. vacuum
n.
a. a space that is completely empt of all substances, including all air or other gas
7. crater
n.
a large hole in the top of a volcano
8. fourfold
adj.
four times as great or as numerous
9.immortal
adj.
that lives or lasts for ever
n.
a person who is so famous that they will be remembered for ever
10.irregular
adj.
a. not arranged in an even way; not having an even, smooth pattern or shape
b. not normal
c. not formed in the normal way
n.
a soldier sho is not a memeber of a country's official army
11.magnificent
adj.
very impressive and beautiful, good, or skillful
12. caliphate
n.
a. the territory over which a caliph's ruleextends, or the time for which it lasts
b. the position of a caliph
13. ingenious
adj.
a. an ingenious plan, piece of equipment,etc. uses new and clever ideas
b. sb. who is ingenious is good at
inventing things and solving problems in new ways
14. astrolabe
n.
an early instrument used to observe the position and determine the altitude of the Sun or other astronomical object.
15. exquisite
adj.
a. very beautiful and delicate or intricate
b. perfect and delightful
c. sensitive and capable of detectingsubtle differences
d. felt with a sharp intensity
e. showing excellent judgment
f. felt in an extreme way
16. firmly
adv.
in a strong or definite way
17. overturning
adj.
a. to turn somebody or something upsidedown, or be turned upside down
b. to remove a person or a group of peoplefrom a position of power
c. to reverse a previous decision, ruling,or law by using legal or legislative procedures
d. to say officially that something such as a decision or law is wrong and change it
18. thereby
adv.
a. by means of or because of that
b. in connection with or with reference to that
19. distinct
adj.
a. clearly different and separate fromothers
b. easy to hear, see, smell, or understand
c. definite or undeniable
d. strong enough, large enough, or definite enough to be noticed
20. infinity
n.
a. limitless time, space, or distance
b. an amount or number so great that itcannot be counted
c. the state or quality of being infinite
d.
the concept of being unlimited by always being larger than any imposed
value or boundary. For some purposes this may be considered as being the
same as one divided by zero.
在花了不少于两小时，连读三、四遍的情况下，我终于把这篇有关于科学的文章搞定了。这篇文章通篇是关于科学方面的介绍，有什么是科学、研究科学的方法、现代科学等等……文章不算长，所以有些例子并没有详细的去讲解，去介绍，在profession of ideas一段中，列举了很多科学家的例子，只为了说明科学研究并不是一蹴而就的，而是一个慢慢建立在前人基础上发展的学科，所谓站在巨人的肩膀上看世界。
其实文章并不难，只是我还没能够适应看这种学科类文章。没一段都有一个明确的中心主题，有的是写在第一句，有的在文中，但并不难找，所以作者的思路是很容易捕捉的。我想唯一的难点就是那些难理解的单词，那些有关科学历史事件，科学名词的单词。纵然很难记住，很难理解，但这也是一个很好的机会可以拓展自己的单词量和视野。