1. His gift for revealing the mysteries of the universe in a style that nonscientists can enjoy made Hawking an instant celebrity and his book a bestseller in both Britain and America. (Para.1) 霍金擅长于用一种非科学工作者乐于接受的文体揭示宇宙的奥秘，这种天赋使他声誉鹊起，也 使他的书在英国和美国都成了畅销书。 2. How has a man who is almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak except through a computer overcome these incredible obstacles and achieved far more than most people ever dream of ? (Para.2) 一个几乎全身瘫痪，只能通过电脑说话的人又是如何克服这些难以置信的障碍，获得了大多数 人做梦都没有想到过的成就的呢？ 3. Hawking has always been fascinated by his birth date: January 8, 1942. It was the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo,
the Italian mathematician and astronomer who revolutionized astronomy by maintaining that the Sun is the centre of the Solar System -- not the Earth, as ancient astronomers believed. (Para.4) 霍金一直对他的生日：1942年1月8日迷恋不已。那是意大利数学家和天文学家伽利略逝世300 周年的纪念日。伽利略坚信太阳系的中心是太阳，而非古代天文学家所认为的地球，从而使天 文学发生了革命性的变革。 4. The doctor’s grim prognosis made Hawking determined to get the most from a life he had previously taken for granted. (Para.12) 医生无情的病情预测使他决心要从他过去视为当然的生活中获取最多的东西。 5. Hawking specializes in theoretical cosmology, a branch of science that seeks ultimate answers to big questions: Why has the universe happened, and what are the laws that govern it? (Para.13) 霍金专门研究理论宇宙学，一个寻找重大问题的终极答案的科学分支：宇宙为什么产生，主宰 它的规律是什么？