Has playing a physicist on television changed how you regard science？ 在电视上饰演物理学家是否改变了你对科学的看法？

—Wen Zhang， Athens， Ohio

张文（俄亥俄州阿森斯市）

I was very fascinated with meteorology1） at a young age. I lived on the Gulf Coast， and hurricanes blew through there. That is the class I failed in college： meteorology. I didn't have an interest in the particulars—but what a wonderful basis for a show. I think it's one of the greatest things we have going for us [on The Big Bang Theory]. But I'm not watching more nova2）.

我小时候对气象学非常着迷。那时我住在墨西哥湾沿岸，常有飓风从那里吹过。而我在大学挂掉的课程就是气象学。虽然我对该课程的细节内容不感兴趣，但这对一部剧来说是多好的基础啊。我认为这是我们[在《生活大爆炸》中]所拥有的对我们有利的事情中最了不起的一件。不过我现在没有再观察新星了。

How do you manage to make an easily unlikable character a likable one？ 你是怎么设法把一个很容易不讨人喜欢的角色演得讨人喜欢的呢？

—Julia Hall， Madera， Calif.

朱莉娅·霍尔（加利福尼亚州马德拉市）

[The writers] are careful to soften the edges3） of the harsher words. The other thing is the way the characters are reacting to him—with exasperation4） and a resignation5） that they're going to put up with it. That translates to the audience as， "Oh， well， they're saying it's OK." I don't try to soften it. Frankly， a lot of times the point is to irritate6）.

[编剧们]很小心地把那些有些刺耳的话变得不那么尖刻。另外就是其他角色对他的反应——发怒之余夹杂着打算容忍他的无奈。而这到观众那里就变成了“哦，好吧，他们是在说这没关系”。我并没有试图软化尖刻之处。说实话，很多时候要的就是惹恼别人。

Do you find yourself inadvertently7） mimicking8） Sheldon's odd qualities？ 你有没有发现自己会在无意间模仿谢耳朵的怪癖？

—Michelle Lacy， Brick Township， N.J.

米歇尔·莱西（新泽西州布里克镇）

I have a tendency to rattle9） like he does. There's a musicality10） to the way he talks. That will sometimes carry over into my own speech. But which came first？ Was I doing that before I did this part？ I'm not entirely sure.

我跟他一样有讲起话来喋喋不休的倾向。他说话有种乐感。有时这种乐感会出现在我自己说的话里面。不过是哪个先出现的？在饰演这个角色之前我说话就这样吗？我不是完全肯定。

Although it hasn't been addressed on the show， Sheldon clearly has some degree of Asperger's11） or autism12）. How did you prepare to play such a character？ 尽管电视剧里没有明确提到，但是谢耳朵明显患有一定程度的阿斯伯格综合征或自闭症。你当时为饰演这个角色是如何准备的？

—Michelle Shea， Falls Church， Va.

米歇尔·谢伊（弗吉尼亚州福尔斯彻奇市）

I didn't. We had already shot and aired several episodes before I was ever asked the Asperger's-or-autism question. I asked the writers， and they were like， "No， he doesn't have it." It's been useful to us to utilize some of those "Aspergian" traits， but we need to be able to move away from it if we want to.

我没准备过。当时我们已经拍完并播出好几集了，我才被问及阿斯伯格综合征或自闭症这个问题。……