单选题
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton. Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn't been born yet, or is a baby now. That's because the quest for a unified theory that would account for all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved. But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein emerging anytime soon. For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein's day, there were only a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theoreticians who could intellectually rival Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to share. Education is different, too. One crucial aspect of Einstein's training that is overlooked is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager — Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently and abstractly about space and time, and it wasn't long before he became a philosopher himself. " The independence created by philosophical insight is — in my opinion — the mark of distinction between a mere artisan(工匠)or specialist and a real seeker after truth," Einstein wrote in 1944. And he was an accomplished musician. The interplay between music and math is well-known. Einstein would furiously play his violin as a way to think through a knotty physics problem. Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren't many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills to more practical — and rewarding — efforts. " Maybe there is an Einstein out there today," said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, "but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard. " Especially considering what Einstein was proposing. "The actual fabric of space and time curving? My God, what an idea!" Greene said at a recent gathering at the Aspen Institute. " It takes a certain type of person who will bang his head against the wall because you believe you'll find the solution. " Perhaps the best examples are the five scientific papers Einstein wrote in his "miracle year" of 1905. These "thought experiments" were pages of calculations signed and submitted to the prestigious journal Annalen der Physik by a virtual unknown. There were no footnotes or citations. What might happen to such a submission today? "We all get papers like those in the mail," Greene said. "We put them in the junk file. "
单选题
What do scientists seem to agree upon, judging from the first two paragraghs?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：信息推断题。选项A说爱因斯坦把数学推到了一个极限，选项C说在将来的两百年都不会有物理学家超过爱因斯坦，这两个明显都不合文章大意。选项B说需要一个爱因斯坦才能建立一种统一理论，属于过度推理。选项D中提及新的爱因斯坦的出现需要一段时间，这与文章首段“Anew Einstein will emerge，scientists say．But it may take a long time。”信息一致。故答案为D。
单选题
What was critical to Einstein's success?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：细节推理题。文章第五段提及爱因斯坦青少年时代所阅读的哲学书籍教会了他如何对空间、时间进行独立和抽象的思考“It taught him how to think independently and abstractly about space and time。”由此可推知，爱因斯坦的independent and abstract thinking是其成功的重要因素。故答案为B。
单选题
What does the author tell us about physicists today?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：细节推理题。文章第八段提及今天的物理学家们都去了华尔街和硅谷，把自己的分析能力应用到实践中，并为获得收益而付出努力(to apply their analytical skills to more practical—andrewarding—efforts)。选项D提及数量众多的物理学家进人了更有经济利益的领域与文章信息一致。故答案为D。
单选题
What does Brian Greene imply by saying "... It would be a lot harder for him to be heard"(Para. 9)?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：信息推断题。文章末段提及当现代人收到像爱因斯坦那样满纸只有演算公式，既没有脚注，也没有参考文献的科学论文时，会把它们直接放到垃圾邮件里(put them in the junk file)。由此可推知，Brian Greene在暗示当今的学术环境，人们不会接受看似荒谬的观点，这与选项D内容一致。故答案为D。
单选题
When he submitted his papers in 1905, Einstein______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：事实细节题。文中倒数第二段提及“by a virtual unknown”，意指当时的爱因斯坦还无人知晓，这与选项B中was little known in academic circles意义一致。故答案为B。