bbc20世纪最伟大的科学家是什么（20世纪最伟大科学家）

还记得上个月我们了解到的屠呦呦入围BBC“20世纪最伟大科学家”的报道吗？近日，评选结果出炉，计算机科学之父艾伦·图灵（Alan Turing）最终胜出。科学家领域的候选人除了屠呦呦、图灵，还有居里夫人（Maria Curie）和爱因斯坦（Albert Einstein）。

图灵是谁你可能不太清楚，而对于计算机专业的人来说，图灵可谓无人不知无人不晓。他被视为计算机科学与人工智能之父，而以他名字命名的图灵奖，则被喻为“计算机界的诺贝尔奖”。

Who was Alan Turing?

Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. It is thought that Turing and his fellow code-breakers shortened the war by several years.

crack

除了破裂，破碎的意思，还可以指“破解（难题、密码）”，英文解释位“If you crack a problem or a code, you solve it, especially after a lot of thought.”

此外，在计算机领域也可以表示“破解（软件）”，英文解释为“to illegally copy computer software or change free software which may lack certain features of the full version , so that the free software works in the same way as the full version”举个：

You can find out how to crack any kind of software on the web.

你在网上可以找到破解任何软件的办法。

He worked for the British Government's Code and Cypher School before the Second World War broke out.

背景知识

二次世界大战期间，图灵在从事密码破译工作。他在破译截获的编码信息方面发挥了关键作用，使盟军能够在包括大西洋战役在内的许多重要交战中击败纳粹，并因此帮助赢得了战争。（Wikipedia）

In 1939, he began working at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire - where top secret work was carried out to crack Germany's military codes.

Turing's main job at Bletchley was to crack something called the 'Enigma' code. The Enigma was a type of machine used by the German army to send secret messages.

Turing and another code-breaker called Gordon Welchman invented a machine known as the Bombe. This device helped to significantly reduce the work of the code-breakers.

During his life, he worked almost entirely in secret, and it wasn't until long after his death that the legacy of his life and work came to light. His war-time efforts had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing died on June 7 1954.

come to light

表示“（真相）为人所知，被披露”，英文解释为“If facts come to light, they become known publicly.”举个：

Fresh evidence has recently come to light that suggests that he didn't in fact commit the murder.

新近发现的证据表明那起凶杀案并不是他干的。

“ Today he is the most celebrated figure of the 20th century, a father of computing, war hero and genius.Nick Robinson, Presenter - Icons: The Greatest Person Of The 20th Century, BBC Two”

While a number of women were included in the longlist, precisely zero women made the BBC's 20th century icon shortlist.

Instead, they were cast aside for an all-male line-up. World War II codebreaker Alan Turing was voted the overall winner, beating Martin Luther King, Ernest Shackleton, David Bowie, Nelson Mandela, Pablo Picasso, and Muhammad Ali.

cast sb/sth aside/away/off

表示“抛弃；摆脱；把…丢在一旁”，英文解释为“to get rid of someone or something”举个：

You must cast aside all thoughts of revenge.

你必须打消所有报复的念头。

Turing did of course deserve to be celebrated. His wartime efforts likely saved a number of lives and the story of how society viewed his sexuality at the time should never be forgotten. But neither should the achievements of 20th century women be forgotten either. With feminism being such a "hot topic" right now, I can't be the only one to think it's odd that the UK public dismissed so many notable women.

dismiss

表示“拒绝考虑，否定”，英文解释为“to refuse to consider someone’s idea, opinion etc, because you think it is not serious, true, or important”举个：

It’s an idea that shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand (= dismissed immediately and completely ) .

这个想法不该马上被全盘否定。

来源：BBC & Bustle

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