牛顿说物体下落是因为万有引力，爱因斯坦觉不对。为什么地球会绕着太阳转？因为太阳的引力在拉着地球围着太阳旋转。不，实际上并没有什么引力作用，地球绕着太阳旋转是因为太阳改变了地球周围的空间，是空间在推着地球向太阳运动。
▲ 高清视频点击最底部 “阅读原文”
It's 1907 and the 28-year-old Albert Einstein is still a patent office bureaucrat. It has been two years since he published his Special Theory of Relativity and the ambitious Einstein decides to advance even more radical interpretation of the universe - a General Theory of Relativity, doing this will require him to take on his scientific hero - Sir Isaac Newton.
那是1907年，28岁的阿尔伯特•爱因斯坦仍然是专利局的小官员，他的狭义相对论已经发表两年了，踌躇满志的爱因斯坦决定要对宇宙进行更为激进的诠释 -- 广义相对论。要这么做就得挑战他的科学泰斗，艾萨克•牛顿爵士。
★★ patent n.专利
★★★ bureaucrat n.官员
★★ Special Theory of Relativity 狭义相对论
★★ radical a.激进的
★ interpretation n.解释，理解
★★ General Theory of Relativity 广义相对论
In Einstein's time, Isaac Newton was god. Newton was the founder of modern science. This is the actually first edition of Newton's Principia Mathematica of 1687. This priceless artifact is the very, very famous book which became the foundation of the universal physics for centuries until Einstein upset the applecart.
在爱因斯坦时代，艾萨克•牛顿就是神。牛顿是现代科学的奠基人，这是1687年牛顿《自然哲学之数学原理》的第一版，这份无价的作品是非常著名的书，这成了后几个世纪宇宙物理的基础，直到爱因斯坦将其推翻。
★★★ artifact n.人工制品
★ upset vt.推翻
★★★ upset the applecart 打乱计划
It's been almost 250 years since the apple fell from the legendary tree on Isaac Newton's estate giving Newton the inspiration to formulate his law of gravity.
从传奇中艾萨克•牛顿庄园那棵树上的苹果落下已经250年了，这启发了牛顿想出万有引力定律。
★ legendary a.传奇的
★★ estate n.庄园
★ inspiration n.灵感
★★ formulate vt.制定，构想
★★ law of gravity 万有引力定律
There is no such thing as gravitational pull. The earth has curved the space around me and space is pushing me into this chair. Space itself can be curved.
实际上没有什么引力作用，是地球把我周围的空间弯曲了，而空间在把我推向这把椅子，空间本身可以被弯曲。
★★ gravitational pull 引力
★ curve v.使弯曲
That's crazy sounding. Space is adjustable. It's actually malleable. Space and time are malleable. It is this flexible thing that can be twisted. You bring an object into space and it distorts the space around it.
这听起来很疯狂，空间是可调整的，它实际上是可塑的，时空是可塑的，它是有弹性的，可以被扭曲。当空间中有物体时，其周围的空间就会变形。
★ adjustable a.可调整的
★★★ malleable a.柔软的，可塑的
★ twist v.扭曲
★★ distort v.扭曲，使变形
Why does the earth go around the sun? Most people would say: "Well, the sun's gravity is yanking the earth towards the sun in a circle." Wrong. The earth is going around the sun because the sun has warped the space around the earth and space is pushing, pushing the earth towards the sun.
为什么地球会绕着太阳转？很多人会说：“太阳的引力在拉着地球围着太阳旋转”。不对，地球绕着太阳旋转是因为太阳改变了地球周围的空间，而空间在推着地球向太阳运动。
★★★ yank v.猛拉，猛拽
★★★ warp vt.使弯曲
注：一星词汇为四级难度，二星词汇为六级、考研难度，三星词汇为雅思、托福及以上难度，大家根据自己的考试要求选择性学习
