Sunday7

Love of Numbers

As an academician, I think Mathematics is an intriguing and absorbing science. How ever, many of my students consider it an abstract science and they hate it because the equations are too difficult to absorb and to remember. I think my students would laugh if they knew how I became so interest in Math.

When I was a freshman in college, I also believe Math was a mere abstraction. Study it was like falling into a spinning abyss of numbers and symbols. Just thinking about it seems like an abuse of my brain. However, my entire tuition was financed by an academic scholarship, so I have to maintain high marks in all of my classes, including Math.

My most abstruse class was Advanced Calculus Mathematics. It was taught in a large lecture hall which abutted the North access gate of the University. Unlike many absentees in my class who often abstained from attending the boring lectures, I dare not absolve myself from this responsibility. Any degree of absenteeism would cause me to fail Math and to lose my scholarship. I was so afraid of failing that I even pledged abstinence from my abundant supply of alcohol.

It wasn't until the fourth week of Math class when I met the wonderful person who would accelerate my interest and understanding of this absurd subject. She was a foreign exchange student from Beijing. She was also a brilliant mathematician. She would come to the class everday in a coulorful silk scraf that accentuated her lovelt smile.

It was so nice to meet someone from my home country. She inspired me to love Math. Although we now live and teach in different countries, I still see her smiling face between every number I write!

作为一名学者，我认为数学是一门既有趣又引人入胜的科学。然而，我的许多学生却认为这是一门抽象科学，他们憎恨数学，因为数学公式太难理解又太难记住。我想如果我的学生知道我是如何对数学产生兴趣的，一定会哄堂大笑。

上大一时，我也觉得数学无非就是一种抽象，学数学就好像掉进了数字和符号那令人眩晕的深渊。仅仅是思考数学问题似乎都在浪费大脑。但由于我的学费全靠学习奖学金，因此我不得不每门功课都拿高分，这自然也包括数学。

最深奥难懂的课非微积分莫属。当时在一个大讲堂上课，这个课堂紧靠学习北门的入口。班里诸多缺席者常常是刻意回避那些无聊的讲座，我却不敢自作主张的免除听课的责任。旷课次数无论多少都可能导致我数学的不及格，甚至还发誓要对自己充裕的酒类供应加以节制。

数学课上到第四周，我才遇到那位促使为对这门荒谬的学科产生兴趣继而理解它的好人。她是从北京来的交换生，也是一位卓越的数学家。每天她都会系着一条色彩鲜艳的围巾来上课，那条围巾更衬托出她的笑脸。

能遇到同胞真是太好了。她激起了我对数学的热爱。尽管我们现在在不同的国家生活和教学，我仍能在我写下的各个数字间看到她微笑的脸庞！

Words:

absenteeism     n.  旷课，旷工

absentee           n.   缺席者

absolve              v.    宽恕；赦免（罪行、过失等），解除（责任等）

absorb                vt.    吸引（液体、知识等）；理解，掌握

absorbing           adj.   吸引人的，引人入胜的

abstain                 v.      自制，自动放弃；戒绝，有意回避

abstinence           n.       自制，节制（禁欲、戒酒等）

abstract                 adj.    抽象的；难解的  ，深奥的

abstraction            n.        抽象概念

abstruse                 adj.     难懂的，深奥的

absurd                    adj.     荒谬的，可笑的

abundant                 adj.     丰富的，充裕的；大量的

abuse                       n.       （权利等的）滥用；（物品等的）不精心使用

abut                          vi.         邻接，毗邻

abyss                        n.          深渊，深坑

academic                 adj.       学术的；学院的；理论的

academician            n.          学会会员；院士；学者

accelerate                 v.          加快，加速；促进，促进。。。早日发生

accentuate                v.          突出，强调

access                       n.          接触，接近（的机会）；入口，通道