来源：英文联播
Stephen Hawking Dies at 76； His Mind Roamed the Cosmos
他琢磨着上帝的想法
可他不是浮士德
墨菲斯托强迫他
做了一场身体和大脑的交易
他却说自己是黑暗的主人
他，斯蒂芬·霍金
译者按
Stephen W。 Hawking， the Cambridge University physicist and best-selling author who roamed the cosmos from a wheelchair， pondering the nature of gravity and the origin of the universe and becoming an emblem of human determination and curiosity， died early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge， England。 He was 76。
His death was confirmed by a spokesman for Cambridge University。
剑桥大学物理学家和畅销书作者、在轮椅上遨游宇宙、思考重力和宇宙起源的本质、成为人类坚毅不拔和好奇心象征的斯蒂芬·霍金周三清晨在英格兰剑桥家中去世，享年76岁，剑桥大学发言人确认了他的死讯。
“Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world，” Michio Kaku，a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York， said in an interview。
“阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦以来，没有那个科学家激发了如此巨大的公众想象，让全世界数以千万人喜爱。”纽约城市大学理论物理学教授加来道雄接受采访时说。
Dr。 Hawking did that largely through his book“A Brief History of Time： From the Big Bang to Black Holes，”published in 1988。 It has sold more than 10 million copies and inspireda documentary film by Errol Morris。 The 2014 film about his life， “The Theory of Everything，” was nominated for several Academy Awards and Eddie Redmayne， who played Dr。 Hawking， won the Oscar for best actor。
霍金博士主要通过1988年出版的《时间简史：从大爆炸到黑洞》实现了这个目标。该书售出超过1000万册，艾洛尔·莫里斯还据此拍了纪录片。2014年传记电影《万物理论》还获得多项奥斯卡提名，饰演霍金的艾迪·雷德梅因获得奥斯卡最佳男演员。
Scientifically， Dr。 Hawking will be best remembered for a discovery so strange that it might be expressed in the form of a Zen koan： When is a black hole not black？ When it explodes。
在科学上，霍金博士的发现如此奇特，用禅宗公案的话说：黑洞什么时候不是黑的？当它爆炸时。
What is equally amazing is that he had a career at all。 As a graduate student in 1963， he learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis， a neuromuscular wasting disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease。 He was given only a few years to live。
The disease reduced his bodily control to the flexing of a finger and voluntary eye movements but left his mental faculties untouched。
同样让人称奇的是他的事业。1963年还是研究生时，他患上肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症，是一种神经肌肉消耗性疾病，也被称为葛雷克氏症。医生说他只有几年寿命。这种病让他降低了他对身体的控制，只能动动手指，转转眼珠，但他的智力未受影响。
He went on to become his generation’s leader in exploring gravity and the properties ofblack holes， the bottomless gravitational pits so deep and dense that not even light can escape them。
他探索重力和黑洞性质，成为他那一代科学家的领袖。黑洞是深不见底的重力坑，如此致密，连光都逃不出来。
That work led to a turning point in modern physics， playing itself out in the closing months of 1973 on the walls of his brain when Dr。 Hawking set out to apply quantum theory， the weird laws that govern subatomic reality， to black holes。 In a long and daunting calculation， Dr。 Hawking discovered to his befuddlement that black holes were not really black at all。 In fact， he found， they would eventually fizzle， leaking radiation and particles， and finally explode and disappear over the eons。
这项工作是现代物理学的转折点，1973年最后几个月在霍金博士的大脑皮层迸发出来，当时他准备将统治亚原子世界的奇异法则量子物理运用到黑洞中去。通过繁琐和令人生畏的计算，霍金博士发现黑洞并不是全黑的，这让他自己也感到困惑。事实上，他发现，他们最终会干瘪，释放辐射和粒子，最终爆炸并永远消失。
Nobody， including Dr。 Hawking， believed it at first — that particles could be coming out of a black hole。 “I wasn’t looking for them at all，” he recalled in an interview in 1978。 “I merely tripped over them。 I was rather annoyed。”
最开始，连霍金自己都不相信，粒子会从黑洞里跑出来。“我开始压根没这么想，”他1978年接受采访时说。“我是被绊倒在那里的，我也很恼火。”
That calculation， in a thesis published in 1974 in the journal Nature under the title“Black Hole Explosions？，”is hailed by scientists as the first great landmark in the struggle to find a single theory of nature — to connect gravity and quantum mechanics， those warring descriptions of the large and the small， to explain a universe that seems stranger than anybody had thought。
那个计算1974年发表在《自然》杂志上，题目是《黑洞爆炸？》。科学家们认为这是发现大统一理论的第一个重要里程碑，将重力和量子力学联系起来，解决宏观与微观不可调和的描述，解释一个比任何人的想象都更加奇怪的宇宙。
The discovery of Hawking radiation， as it is known， turned black holes upside down。 It transformed them from destroyers to creators — or at least to recyclers — and wrenched the dream of a final theory in astrange， new direction。
众所周知，霍金辐射的发现把黑洞颠覆了，黑洞从毁灭者变成了创造者，至少是循环者，将最后理论之梦扳向了一个奇怪的新方向。
“You can ask what will happen to someone who jumps into a black hole，” Dr。 Hawking said in an interview in 1978。 “I certainly don’t think he will survive it。
“On the other hand，” he added， “if we send someone off to jump into a black hole， neither he nor his constituent atoms will come back， but his mass energy will come back。 Maybe that applies to the whole universe。”
“你可以问有人跳进黑洞会发生什么，”霍金1978年接受采访时说。“我当然不认为他还能活。但另一方面，如果我们让谁跳进黑洞，他或组成他的原子都回不来了，但他的质能会回来，可能这对全宇宙来说都适用。”
Dennis W。 Sciama， a cosmologist and Dr。 Hawking’s thesis adviser at Cambridge， called Hawking’s thesis in Nature “the most beautiful paper in the history of physics。”
宇宙学家、霍金在剑桥的论文导师丹尼斯·夏默将霍金在《自然》上发表的论文称为“物理学史上最漂亮的论文”。
Edward Witten， a theorist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton， said： “Trying to understand Hawking’s discovery better has been a source of much fresh thinking for almost 40 years now， and we are probably still far from fully coming to grips with it。 It still feels new。”
普林斯顿高级研究所理论学家爱德华·威腾说：“试图更好理解霍金的发现，这在近40年来激发了很多新思想，我们可能还没有完全把握，现在还觉得是新的。”
In 2002， Dr。 Hawking said he wanted the formula forHawking radiationto be engraved on his tombstone。
2002年，霍金博士说他希望把霍金辐射公式作为自己的墓志铭。
He was a man who pushed the limits — in his intellectual life， to be sure， but also in hisprofessionaland personal lives。 He traveled the globe to scientific meetings， visiting every continent， including Antarctica； wrote best-selling books about his work； married twice； fathered three children； and was not above appearing on“The Simpsons，”“Star Trek： The Next Generation”or“The Big Bang Theory。”
他是拓展边缘的男人，不仅在智识上，而且在事业和生活中。他到全球各处参加科学回忆，造访了每个大洲，包括南极洲。他写了关于自己研究的畅销书，结了两次婚，是三个孩子的父亲，还出演《辛普森一家人》《星际旅行：下一代》和《大爆炸理论》中。
He celebrated his 60th birthday by going up in a hot-air balloon。 The same week， he also crashed his electric-powered wheelchair while speeding around a corner in Cambridge， breaking his leg。
他60岁生日时坐着热气球升空。就在当周，他坐着电动轮椅在剑桥一个街区穿行时摔断了腿。
In April 2007， a few months after his 65th birthday， he took part in a zero-gravity flight aboard a specially equipped Boeing 727， a padded aircraft that flies a roller-coaster trajectory to produce fleeting periods of weightlessness。
2007年4月，65岁生日后几个月，他参加了波音727飞机改装的失重飞行，飞行器在过山车轨道上飞行，产生短暂的失重感。
Asked why he took such risks， Dr。 Hawking said， “I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit。”
被问到为什么冒这个险，霍金博士说：“我想表达人们不要被物理的残疾所限，只要精神上坚毅。”
His own spirit left many in awe。
他的精神让很多人感到震撼。
“What a triumph his life has been，” said Martin Rees， a Cambridge University cosmologist， the astronomer royal of Britain and Dr。 Hawking’s longtime colleague。 “His name will live in the annals of science； millions have had their cosmic horizons widened by his best-selling books； and even more， around the world， have been inspired by a unique example of achievement against all the odds — a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination。”
“他的生命多么成功，”剑桥大学宇宙学家马丁·里斯说，他是霍金的老同事。“他的名字将载入科学史册，他的畅销书让普罗大众拓宽了对宇宙学边界的理解，他克服苦难取得独一无二的成就甚至让全世界都收到鼓舞，体现出惊人的毅力和决心。”
Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford， England， on Jan。 8， 1942 — 300 years to the day， he liked to point out， after the death of Galileo， who had begun the study of gravity。 His mother， the former Isobel Walker， had gone to Oxford to avoid the bombs that fell nightly during the Blitz of London。 His father， Frank Hawking， was a prominent research biologist。
史蒂芬·威廉·霍金1942年1月8日出生在英格兰牛津，他喜欢说，自己生于距开始研究重力的伽利略死后300年。他母亲原名伊索贝尔·沃克，为了躲避伦敦大轰炸来到牛津避难。父亲弗兰克·霍金是出色的生物学家。
The oldest of four children， Stephen was a mediocre student at St。 Albans School in London， though his innate brilliance was recognized by some classmates and teachers。
他是四个孩子的老大，在伦敦圣阿尔班斯学校表现平平，尽管有些同学和老师发现他不一般。
Later， at University College， Oxford， he found his studies in mathematics and physics so easy that he rarely consulted a book or took notes。 He got by with a thousand hours of work in three years， or one hour a day， he estimated。 “Nothing seemed worth making an effort for，” he said。
后来在牛桥大学学院，他发现自己擅长数学和物理学，他很少查书或记笔记。他估计三年里用了一千个小时就搞定了，大概每天一小时。“看起来很容易。”他说。
The only subject he found exciting was cosmology because， he said， it dealt with “the big question： Where did the universe come from？”
他唯一觉得有意思的就是宇宙学，宇宙学处理一个大问题，“宇宙从何而来？”
Upon graduation， he moved to Cambridge。 Before he could begin his research， however， he was stricken by what his research adviser， Dr。 Sciama， came to call “that terrible thing。”
毕业后，他回到剑桥，然而开始研究前，他的导师称有件“糟糕的事”。
The young Hawking had been experiencing occasional weakness and falling spells for several years。 Shortly after his 21st birthday， in 1963， doctors told him that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis。 They gave him less than three years to live。
His first response was severe depression。 He dreamed he was going to be executed， he said。
几年里，年轻的霍金有时会很虚弱，总生病。21岁生日后不久，1963年，医生告诉他患了肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症，寿命只有三年。他的第一反应是很悲伤，他还想过自裁。
Then， against all odds， the disease appeared to stabilize。 Though he was slowly losing control of his muscles， he was still able to walk short distances and perform simple tasks， though laboriously， like dressing and undressing。 He felt a new sense of purpose。
但奇迹的是，病开始稳定下来。尽管他慢慢失去对肌肉的控制，他仍然能在附近走走，做些简单的事，尽管穿衣服脱衣服这样的事都很吃力。他找到了新的使命感。
“When you are faced with the possibility of an early death，” he recalled， “it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are a lot of things you want to do。”
“当你可能很早去世，”他回忆说。“这会让你意识到生命可贵，有许多事情想做。”
In 1965， he married Jane Wilde， a student of linguistics。 Now， by his own account， he not only had “something to live for”； he also had to find a job， which gave him an incentive to work seriously toward his doctorate。
1965年，他与语言学专业的简·王尔德结婚，用他自己的话说，现在他不仅“有生活的目标了”，还找了份工作，让他有动力拿到博士学位。
His illness， however， had robbed him of the ability to write down the long chains of equations that are the tools of the cosmologist’s trade。 Characteristically， he turned this handicap into a strength， gathering his energies for daring leaps of thought， which， in his later years， he often left for others to codify in proper mathematical language。
可他的病剥夺了他写下大公式的能力，可这正是宇宙学家要干的事。但他把身体残疾转化为力量，在思想上大踏步前进，晚年时，他经常让别人用适合的数学语言写公式。
“People have the mistaken impression that mathematics is just equations，” Dr。 Hawking said。 “In fact， equations are just the boring part of mathematics。”
“人们错以为数学只有公式，”霍金博士说。“事实上，公式只是数学最枯燥的部分。”
By necessity， he concentrated on problems that could be attacked through “pictures and diagrams，” adopting geometric techniques that had been devised in the early 1960s by the mathematician Roger Penrose and a fellow Cambridge colleague， Brandon Carter， to study general relativity， Einstein’s theory of gravity。
没有办法，他只能专注于可以用“图画和图表”解决的问题，使用六十年代初彭罗斯和剑桥同事布兰森·卡特设计的几何技巧来研究爱因斯坦的广义相对论。
Black holes are a natural prediction of that theory， which explains how mass and energy “curve” space， the way a sleeping person causes a mattress to sag。 Light rays will bend as they traverse a gravitational field， just as a marble rolling on the sagging mattress will follow an arc around the sleeper。
黑洞是那个理论的自然推导，即质量和能量如何“弯曲”空间，就像睡觉时一个人如何把床垫压塌下去。光线经过重力场时会发生弯曲，正如一个在有人睡觉的床上滚动的弹珠。
Too much mass or energy in one spot could cause space to sag without end； an object that was dense enough， like a massive collapsing star， could wrap space around itself like a magician’s cloak and disappear， shrinking inside to a point of infinite density called a singularity， a cosmic dead end， where the known laws of physics would break down： a black hole。
一个点上的质量或能量太大就会导致空间没有止境的塌缩，一个足够致密的物体，例如巨大的坍缩恒星，会扭曲周围的空间，就像魔术师的袍子，然后就消失了，收缩到无限致密的一个点，被称为奇点，这是宇宙终点，已知的物理学法则都不成立了：黑洞。
Einstein himself thought this was absurd when the possibility was pointed out to him。
爱因斯坦对这种可能性都觉得荒谬。
Using the Hubble Space Telescope and other sophisticated tools of observation and analysis， however， astronomers have identified hundreds of objects that are too massive and dark to be anything but black holes， including a supermassive one at the center of the Milky Way。 According to current theory， the universe should contain billions more。
然而使用哈勃太空望远镜和其他精密的观察和分析工具，天文学家发现数百个天体，巨大而黑暗，只能是黑洞，而且在银河系中心还有一个超大质量黑洞。根据当前理论，宇宙可能有数十亿个黑洞。
As part of his Ph.D。 thesis in 1966， Dr。 Hawking showed that when you ran the film of the expanding universe backward， you would find that such a singularity had to have existed sometime in cosmic history； space and time， that is， must have had a beginning。 He， Dr。 Penrose and a rotating cast of colleagues went on to publish a series of theorems about the behavior of black holes and the dire fate of anything caught in them。
1966年博士论文中，霍金博士表明，当你像看电影一样，把宇宙扩张的进程倒过来放映，你会发现奇点肯定存在于宇宙历史上的某一点，空间和时间肯定有一个起点。他和彭罗斯博士及其他同事发表了关于黑洞行为和进入黑洞物体悲惨命运的一系列理论。
Dr。 Hawking’s signature breakthrough resulted from a feud with the Israeli theoretical physicistJacob Bekenstein， then a Princeton graduate student， about whether black holes could be said to have entropy， a thermodynamic measure of disorder。 Dr。 Bekenstein said they could， pointing out a close analogy between the laws that Dr。 Hawking and his colleagues had derived for black holes and the laws of thermodynamics。
霍金最出名的突破源自他与以色列理论物理学家雅各布·贝肯斯坦的口角，当时贝肯斯坦还是普林斯顿的研究生，他们争论黑洞是否存在熵，熵是混乱的热动力学尺度。贝肯斯坦说可以将霍金和其同事从黑洞得出的法则与热力学法则做近似类比，黑洞存在熵。
Dr。 Hawking said no。 To have entropy， a black hole would have to have a temperature。 But warm objects， from a forehead to a star， radiate a mixture of electromagnetic radiation， depending on their exact temperatures。 Nothing could escape a black hole， and so its temperature had to be zero。 “I was very down on Bekenstein，” Dr。 Hawking recalled。
但霍金博士说没有。如果要有熵，黑洞不得不有温度。但热物体，从你的脑门大到恒星，都会有电磁辐射，根据其精确的温度。没有什么能从黑洞跑出来，因此温度必须是零。“贝肯斯坦让人很不爽。”霍金回忆说。
To settle the question， Dr。 Hawking decided to investigate the properties of atom-size black holes。 This， however， required adding quantum mechanics， the paradoxical rules of the atomic and subatomic world， to gravity， a feat that had never been accomplished。 Friends turned the pages of quantum theory textbooks as Dr。 Hawking sat motionless staring at them for months。 They wondered if he was finally in over his head。
为了解决这个问题，霍金决定调查黑洞的原子尺度特征。然而，这就要在重力中引入量子力学，原子和亚原子世界的矛盾法则，以前从没人尝试过。朋友帮他翻开量子理论教科书，霍金一动不动地盯着看了几个月。他们都想知道他在看什么。
When he eventually succeeded in doing the calculation in his head， it indicated to his surprise that particles and radiation were spewing out of black holes。 Dr。 Hawking became convinced that his calculation was correct when he realized that the outgoing radiation would have a thermal spectrum characteristic of the heat radiated by any warm body， from a star to a fevered forehead。 Dr。 Bekenstein had been right。
当他最终在大脑中成功完成计算时，结果表明粒子和辐射会从黑洞中吐出来，这让他自己感到吃惊。霍金博士相信计算是正确的，他意识到跑出来的辐射具有温度物体辐射热量的热线谱，不管是恒星还是发热的脑门。贝肯斯坦博士说得对。
Dr。 Hawking even figured out a way to explain how particles might escape a black hole。 According to quantum principles， the space near a black hole would be teeming with “virtual” particles that would flash into existence in matched particle-and-antiparticle pairs — like electrons and their evil twin opposites， positrons — out of energy borrowed from the hole’s intense gravitational field。
霍金甚至想出粒子逃离黑洞的方式。根据量子理论，黑洞附近的空间充满了虚粒子，从黑洞巨大的引力场中借来能量，闪现出正反粒子对，例如电子和它邪恶的正电子。
They would then meet and annihilate each other in a flash of energy， repaying the debt for their brief existence。 But if one of the pair fell into the black hole， the other one would be free to wander away and become real。 It would appear to be coming from the black hole and taking energy away from it。
他们会相互湮灭并释放能量，偿还借来的能量。但如果这一对中其中一个掉入黑洞，另外一个就自由了，成了真的粒子。看起来就好像从黑洞中来，从中拿走了一点能量。
But those， he cautioned， were just words。 The truth was in the math。“The most important thing about Hawking radiation is that it shows that the black hole is not cut off from the rest of the universe，” Dr。 Hawking said。
但他警告说，这些只是嘴上一说，真相要到数学中寻找。“霍金辐射最重要的是，它表明黑洞不是和宇宙没有关系的。”
It also meant that black holes had a temperature and had entropy。 In thermodynamics， entropy is a measure of wasted heat。 But it is also a measure of the amount of information — the number of bits — needed to describe what is in a black hole。 Curiously， the number of bits is proportional to the black hole’s surface area， not its volume， meaning that the amount of information you could stuff into a black hole is limited by its area， not， as one might naïvely think， its volume。
黑洞有温度，有熵。在热力学中，熵是余热的尺度，同时也是信息的尺度，即比特数，黑洞中有什么需要用它来描述。令人称奇，比特数与黑洞的表面积成比例，而非其体积，这意味着你塞进黑洞的信息量收面积限制，而非像有人天真得以为，受体积限制。
That result has become a litmus test for string theory and other pretenders to a theory of quantum gravity。 It has also led to speculations that we live in a holographic universe， in which three-dimensional space is some kind of illusion。
这个结果成为弦理论和其他所谓量子重力理论的石蕊实验。这让人猜想我们生活在一个全息宇宙中，三维空间是某种幻象。
Andrew Strominger， a Harvard string theorist， said of the holographic theory， “If it’s really true， it’s a deep and beautiful property of our universe — but not an obvious one。”
哈佛弦理论专家安德鲁·斯托明戈谈到全息理论时说，“如果这是真的，这是我们宇宙最深刻和最美丽的特征，但却很难看出来。”
The discovery of black hole radiation also led to a 30-year controversy over the fate of things that had fallen into a black hole。
黑洞辐射的发现也引发对掉入黑洞命运如何长达三十年的争论。
Dr。 Hawking initially said that detailed information about whatever had fallen in would be lost forever because the particles coming out would be completely random， erasing whatever patterns had been present when they first fell in。
霍金博士开始说，掉入黑洞的具体信息会永远消失，因为吐出来的粒子完全是随机的，消除了掉进去时拥有的秩序。
Paraphrasing Einstein’s complaint about the randomness inherent in quantum mechanics， Dr。 Hawking said， “God not only plays dice with the universe， but sometimes throws them where they can’t be seen。”
借用爱因斯坦对量子理论随机性表达不满时的比喻，霍金说：“上帝不仅在宇宙里掷骰子，有时还以你看不见的方式掷。”
Many particle physicists protested that this violated a tenet of quantum physics， which says that knowledge is always preserved and can be retrieved。 Leonard Susskind， a Stanford physicist who carried on the argument for decades， said， “Stephen correctly understood that if this was true， it would lead to the downfall of much of 20th-century physics。”
许多粒子学家反对说，这违反了量子物理的规定，后者说信息总能得以保存并取回。参与争论几十年的斯坦福物理学家利奥纳德·苏斯坎德说：“斯蒂芬正确理解到，如果这是真的，将会导致20世纪大多数物理学的崩塌。”
On another occasion， he characterized Dr。 Hawking to his face as “one of the most obstinate people in the world； no， he is the most infuriating person in the universe。” Dr。 Hawking grinned。
在另一个场合，他当面说霍金博士是“世界上最固执的人之一，不，他是宇宙里最让人恼火的人。”霍金博士咧嘴笑了。
Dr。 Hawking admitted defeat in 2004。 Whatever information goes into a black hole will come back out when it explodes。 One consequence， he noted sadly， was that one could not use black holes to escape to another universe。 “I’m sorry to disappoint science fiction fans，” he said。
2014年，霍金承认失败。不论什么信息进入黑洞，在黑洞爆炸时都吐出来，他悲伤地说，一个后果是人们没法利用黑洞逃到另一个宇宙去。“我很遗憾让科幻迷们失望了。”
Despite his concession， however， the information paradox， as it is known， has become one of the hottest and deepest topics in theoretical physics。 Physicists say they still do not know how information gets in or out of black holes。
然而，虽然做出了让步，众所周知的信息悖论成为理论物理学最热门和最深刻的话题。物理学家说，他们不知道信息怎么进出黑洞的。
In 1974， Dr。 Hawking was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society， the world’s oldest scientific organization； in 1982， he was appointed to the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge， a post once held by Isaac Newton。 “They say it’s Newton’s chair， but obviously it’s been changed，” he liked to quip。
1974年，霍金博士当选皇家学会会员，这是世界上最古老的科学组织。1982年，他被任命为剑桥卢卡斯数学教席，该教席曾经由艾萨克·牛顿执掌。“他们说那是牛顿的位子，但显然现在不是了，”他喜欢打趣说。
Dr。 Hawking also made yearly visits to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena， which became like a second home。 In 2008， he joined the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo， Ontario， as a visiting researcher。
霍金每年都去加州理工，那里成了他的第二故乡。2008年，他加入安大略滑铁卢理论物理圆周研究所，成为一名访问学者。
Having conquered black holes， Dr。 Hawking set his sights on the origin of the universe and on eliminating that pesky singularity at the beginning of time from models of cosmology。 If the laws of physics could break down there， they could break down everywhere。
研究完黑洞后，霍金博士盯上了宇宙起源，并在宇宙模型的时间之初消除讨厌的奇点。如果物理法则在那里不适用，它在哪里都可能不适用。
In a meeting at the Vatican in 1982， he suggested that in the final theory there should be no place or time when the laws broke down， even at the beginning。 He called the notion the “no boundary” proposal。
1982年在梵蒂冈开会，他提出终极理论中无所谓时空，即便在宇宙之初。他把这个概念成为“无边界”提议。
With James Hartle of the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara， Calif。， Dr。 Hawking envisioned the history of the universe as a sphere like the Earth。 Cosmic time corresponds to latitude， starting with zero at the North Pole and progressing southward。
加州圣塔巴拉拉理论物理学研究所詹姆斯·哈特尔想想宇宙的历史就像地球一样的球体。宇宙时间和纬度对应，从北极的零纬度开始，逐渐向南。
Although time started there， the North Pole was nothing special； the same laws applied there as everywhere else。 Asking what happened before the Big Bang， Dr。 Hawking said， was like asking what was a mile north of the North Pole — it was not any place， or any time。
尽管时间在那里开始，北极却没什么特别，那里和其他地方一样有同样的法则。被问到大爆炸以前发生了什么，霍金说，就像问北极向北一英里有什么一样，没有那个地方，没有那个时间。
By then string theory， which claimed finally to explain both gravity and the other forces and particles of nature as tiny microscopically vibrating strings， like notes on a violin， was the leading candidate for a “theory of everything。”
当时的弦理论，宣称最终解释了重力和其他力以及粒子，它们都是微小的震动的弦，就像小提琴上的乐音，当时是“万物理论”的主要候选者。
In “A Brief History of Time，” Dr。 Hawking concluded that “if we do discover a complete theory” of the universe， “it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone， not just a few scientists。”
在《时间简史》中，霍金总结到：“如果我们发现了宇宙的所有理论”，“所有人都应该理解，而非只有几个科学家理解。”
He added， “Then we shall all， philosophers， scientists and just ordinary people， be able to take part in the discussion of why it is that we and the universe exist。”
他还说：“到那时，所有哲学家、科学家和普通人都可以参与我们和宇宙何以存在的讨论。”
“If we find the answer to that，” he continued， “it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God。” “如果我们回答了那个问题，这是人类理性的最后胜利，那我们就知道上帝的想法了。” Until 1974， Dr。 Hawking was still able to feed himself and to get in and out of bed。 At Jane’s insistence， he would drag himself， hand over hand， up the stairs to the bedroom in his Cambridge home every night， in an effort to preserve his remaining muscle tone。 After 1980， care was supplemented by nurses。 到1974年，霍金博士还能自己吃饭，上下床。在妻子的坚持下，他每晚在剑桥的家中拖着自己，举起手上楼到卧室中去，目的是保留剩下肌肉力。1980年后，他只能又护士帮忙了。
Dr。 Hawking retained some control over his speech up to 1985。 But on a trip to Switzerland， he came down with pneumonia。 The doctors asked Jane if she wanted his life support turned off， but she said no。 To save his life， doctors inserted a breathing tube。 He survived， but his voice was permanently silenced。
到1985年，霍金还能说话。但去瑞士的途中，他得了肺炎。医生问妻子是不是要结束生命支持，妻子说不。为了拯救他的生命，医生上了呼吸机，他活了下来，但永远不能说话了。
It appeared for a time that he would be able to communicate only by pointing at individual letters on an alphabet board。 But when a computer expert， Walter Woltosz， heard about Dr。 Hawking’s condition， he offered him a program he had written called Equalizer。 By clicking a switch with his still-functioning fingers， Dr。 Hawking was able to browse through menus that contained all the letters and more than 2，500 words。
他一度只能通过在字母表上指字母进行交流。但电脑专家沃尔特·沃尔托茨听说霍金博士的情况后，写了一个程序。通过用还可以活动的手指点击，霍金博士能够查看菜单，菜单中有所有字母和超过2500个单词。
Word by word — and when necessary， letter by letter — he could build up sentences on the computer screen and send them to a speech synthesizer that vocalized for him。 The entire apparatus was fitted to his motorized wheelchair。
他逐字在电脑屏幕上打字，并通过语音合成器发声。整个设备都按在马达轮椅上。
Even when too weak to move a finger， he communicated through the computer by way of an infrared beam， which he activated by twitching his right cheek or blinking his eye。 The system was expanded to allow him to open and close the doors in his office and to use the telephone and internet without aid。
他虚弱地动不了手指时，通过红外光束与计算机交流，他抽动右脸或眨眼来操控。这一系统升级让他可以不让人帮助就在办公室开门关门，用电话和上网。
Although he averaged fewer than 15 words per minute， Dr。 Hawking found he could speak through the computer better than he had before losing his voice。 His only complaint， he confided， was that the speech synthesizer， manufactured in California， had given him an American accent。
尽管他每分钟说不了15个词，霍金发现他用计算机说话比以前还顺畅。他承认，唯一的问题是加州生产的语音合成器，让他带有美国腔。
His decision to write “A Brief History of Time” was prompted， he said， by a desire to share his excitement about “the discoveries that have been made about the universe” with “the public that paid for the research。” He wanted to make the ideas so accessible that the book would be sold in airports。
他说，决定写《时间简史》因为他欣喜地想向“付钱支持研究的公众”分享“关于宇宙的各种发现”。他想让让这些想法人人都能知道，以至于机场都卖他的书。
He also hoped to earn enough money to pay for his children’s education。 He did。 The book’s extraordinary success made him wealthy， a hero to disabled people everywhere and even more famous。
他还希望赚足够的钱支付孩子的学费。他确实赚了不少。这本书取得非同凡响的成功，他变得很富有，成为所有残疾人的英雄。
Asked by New Scientist magazine what he thought about most， Dr。 Hawking answered： “Women。 They are a complete mystery。”
《新科学家》杂志问他思考什么最多时，他说，“女人，她们绝对是个谜。”
In 1990， Dr。 Hawking and his wife separated after 25 years of marriage； Jane Hawking wrote about their years together in two books， “Music to Move the Stars： A Life With Stephen Hawking” and “Traveling to Infinity： My Life With Stephen。” The latter became the basis of the 2014 movie“The Theory of Everything。”
1990年，霍金和妻子结婚25年后离婚；简·霍金写了两本书《移动星辰的音乐：与斯蒂芬·霍金生活》和《奔向无限：我与斯蒂芬的生活》。2014年电影《万物理论》以后一本书为蓝本改写。
In 1995， he married Elaine Mason， a nurse who had cared for him since his bout of pneumonia。 She had been married to David Mason， the engineer who had attached Dr。 Hawking’s speech synthesizer to his wheelchair。
他1995年娶了爱莲·梅森，自从患肺炎以来就照顾她的护士。她前夫是戴维·梅森，给霍金博士轮椅上安声音合成器的工程师。
In 2004，British newspapers reported that the Cambridge police were investigating allegations that Elaine had abused Dr。 Hawking， but no charges were filed， and Dr。 Hawking denied the accusations.They agreed to divorce in 2006。
2004年，英国报纸报道，剑桥警察调查爱莲虐待霍金，但并未提起诉讼，霍金否认了指控。他们2006年协议离婚。
A complete list of survivors was not immediately available， but on Wednesday morning， his children， Robert， Lucy and Tim， released the following statement：
“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today。 He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years。 His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world。 He once said， ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love。’ We will miss him forever。”
霍金身后的家人究竟有多少还不清楚，但周三清晨，子女罗伯特、露西和蒂姆发表了声明：我们深感悲痛，我们亲爱的父亲今天去世。他是伟大的科学家和了不起的人，他的工作和遗产将传承多年。他的勇气和坚持，聪明和幽默，激励了全世界的人。他曾说：“如果宇宙不是我们所爱的人的家园，那它根本没什么了不起的。”我们永远想念他。
Among his many honors， Dr。 Hawking was named a commander of the British Empire in 1982。 In the summer of 2012， he had a star role in the opening of the Paralympics Games in London。 The only thing lacking was the Nobel Prize， and his explanation for this was characteristically pithy： “The Nobel is given only for theoretical work that has been confirmed by observation。 It is very， very difficult to observe the things I have worked on。”
霍金获得众多荣誉中，其中包括1982年被任命为英帝国司令官。2012年夏天，伦敦残奥会开幕式，他担当重要角色。他唯一的缺憾是没有获得诺贝尔奖，他对此的解释很简洁：“诺贝尔只针对那些被观察确认了的理论工作，我们干的事非常难观察到。”
Dr。 Hawking was a strong advocate of space exploration， saying it was essential to the long-term survival of the human race。 “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster， such as sudden global nuclear war， a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of，” he told an audience in Hong Kong in 2007。
霍金坚决支持星际探索，表示这是人类长期生存的关键。“在地球上生活，被一场灾难扫清的风险与日俱增，例如突然发生全球核战争，基因编辑病毒或我们想象不到的其他危险，”他2007年在香港说。
Nothing raised as much furor， however， as his increasingly scathing remarks about religion。 One attraction of the no-boundary proposal for Dr。 Hawking was that there was no need to appeal to anything outside the universe， like God， to explain how it began。
然而，他对宗教日益刻薄引发了众多争议。霍金无边界建议的吸引力之一就在于无需求助于宇宙之外的上帝就可以解释宇宙是如何开始的。
In “A Brief History of Time，” he had referred to the “mind of God，” but in “The Grand Design，” a 2011 book he wrote with Leonard Mlodinow， he was more bleak about religion。 “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper，” he wrote， referring to the British term for a firecracker fuse， “and set the universe going。”
在《时间简史》中，他提到了“上帝的想法”，但2011年月伦纳德·姆沃迪瑙合著的《大设计》一书中，他对宗教更尖刻。“没必要请上帝来点燃蓝色导火纸，启动宇宙，”他写道，这是英国对火捻的说法。
He went furtherin an interview that year in The Guardian， saying： “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail。 There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers； that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark。”
当年接受《卫报》采访时，他进一步说：“我认为大脑是一台计算机，零件不动了就不工作了，坏了的计算机没有天堂和来世，这是给害怕黑暗的人们讲的童话故事。”
Having spent the best part of his life grappling with black holes and cosmic doom， Dr。 Hawking had no fear of the dark。
他几乎一生都在研究黑洞和宇宙毁灭，霍金博士不惧怕黑暗。
“They’re named black holes because they are related to human fears of being destroyed or gobbled up，” he once told an interviewer。 “I don’t have fears of being thrown into them。 I understand them。 I feel in a sense that I am their master。”
“他们命名黑洞，因为这有关人类害怕被毁灭或吞噬，”他曾对采访者说。“我不怕，我理解它们，在某种意义上，我感觉我是它们的主人。”
本文作者系新浪国际旗下“地球日报”自媒体联盟成员，授权稿件，转载需获原作者许可。文章言论不代表新浪观点。
