纵观现代历史，或许还没有哪一位科学家能成为像史蒂芬·霍金这样的标志性人物。
Whether he was educating the world with his knowledge of the universe, or making fun of himself in TV shows like The Simpsons, it’s hard to imagine what the world will be like now Hawking is no longer in it.
不论是他向世界普及关于宇宙的知识，还是在《辛普森一家》等电视节目中打趣自己，都令人很难想象没有霍金的世界会是什么样子。
On March 14, the British physicist passed away at his home in Cambridge, England. Since then, many people have expressed their condolences on social media, including British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web. “We have lost a colossal (伟大的) mind and a wonderful spirit,” Berners-Lee wrote.
3月14日，这位英国物理学家在英国剑桥的家中去世。随后许多人都在社交媒体上表达了自己的哀思，其中就包括了万维网之父、英国计算机科学家蒂姆·伯纳斯·李。“我们失去了一个伟大的思想和奇妙的灵魂，”伯纳斯·李写道。
Hawking was an icon for many reasons, but he will be best remembered for his work in the field of science.
霍金成为标志性人物的原因不胜枚举，但他最令世人铭记的则是在科学领域的成就。
Building on German scientist Albert Einstein’s work, Hawking explained his belief that space started with the Big Bang, and will end with black holes. This proposal kicked off a series of investigations (科学研究), including into the origin of the universe itself.
在德国科学家阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦的研究基础上，霍金阐述了自己关于宇宙起源于大爆炸并将终结于黑洞的理论。这一理论的提出开启了宇宙起源等一系列科学研究。
“This complete set of laws can give us the answers to questions like how did the universe begin,” Hawking wrote in his 2010 work The Grand Design. “Where is it going and will it have an end? If so, how will it end?”
“这套完备的定律能解答诸如宇宙如何起源的问题，”霍金在他2010年的作品《大设计》中写道。“它将走向何方，并且会迎来终结吗？果真如此的话，又会如何终结呢？”
His work in science aside, he also managed to overcome many difficulties in his personal life. While studying for a postgraduate degree in cosmology at Cambridge University, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21. His illness left him paralyzed and he was told he only had a short time to live. However, as we all know, he went on to become one of the greatest minds the world has ever known.
除了科学领域之外，他在个人生活中也战胜了重重困难。他21岁那年在剑桥大学攻读宇宙学研究生学位期间，被诊断患有运动神经元病。疾病令他全身瘫痪，医生预言他命不久矣。然而，正如我们所知的那样，他后来成为了世界上有史以来最伟大的人之一。
“I felt it was very unfair – why should this happen to me,” he wrote in his 2013 memoir. “At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life.”
“我觉得十分不公 —— 为什么这一切要发生在我身上，”他在2013年的回忆录中写道。“当时，我觉得我的人生完了，再也不能发挥出我所拥有的潜能了。但如今，50年过去了，我可以平静地感恩自己的人生。”
Hawking leaves behind a great legacy. His signature book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, published in 1988, became one of the world’s best-selling science publications. And in 2014, UK actor Eddie Redmayne played Hawking in the movie The Theory of Everything, which tells the tale of the physicist’s life.
霍金留下了大量的遗产。他的经典著作《时间简史：从大爆炸到黑洞》于1988年出版，成为了全球最畅销的科学读物之一。2014年，英国演员埃迪·雷德梅恩在电影《万物理论》中出演霍金，呈现了这位物理学家的一生。
He may no longer be with us, but Hawking will continue to inspire the world for generations to come. As he once said himself, “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet.”
斯人已逝，但霍金将会继续激励着全世界一代又一代的人。正如先前他自己所说的那样，“记住要仰望星空，不要低头看脚下。”
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