The next morning he announced, "I had thought about that bird for a long time before I went to bed and it must work this way…" He began a long explanation. Then he stopped, realizing a flaw in his reasoning. "No, I guess that's not it," he said. He pursued various theories for several days until I suggested we take the toy apart to see how it did work. His quick expression of disapproval told me he did not agree with this practical approach. He never did work out the solution.

Another puzzle that Einstein could never understand was his own fame. He had developed theories that were profound and capable of exciting relatively few scientists. Yet his name was a household word across the civilized world. "I've had good ideas, and so have other men," he once said. "But it's been my good fortune that my ideas have been accepted." He was bewildered by his fame: people wanted to meet him; strangers stared at him on the street; scientists, statesmen, students, and housewives wrote him letters. He never could understand why he received this attention, why he was singled out as something special.

flaw
n. fault 缺点,瑕疵
reasoning reasoning power推理能力
n. process of reaching conclusions by using one's reason 推理
pursue
vt. work at, be busy with, go on with 从事;忙于;继续
apart
ad. separate(ly) 分离,分开
approach
n. method of doing sth. 方式,方法 v.接近
solution
n. sth. that one cannot understand or explain
puzzle 谜
fame
n. (condition of) being famous
profound
a. needing much thought or study to understand; deep 深奥的;深刻的
capable
a. able
capability
n.
household
n. all the people living in a house
a. familiar and common
household word
n. word or name known and spoken of by almost everyone 家喻户晓的词或名字
civilized
a. 文明的
civilize
vt.
civilization
n.
fortune
n. luck
bewilder
vt. confuse; puzzle 把...弄糊涂;使迷惑
statesman 褒义 =politician中性或贬义
n. political or government leader, esp. one who is wise and fair-minded 政治家
housewife
n. married woman who manages a household