LEXICAL EXERCISES
Match the words and their suitable definitions given below:
Prominent - well-known, to be expelled - to be officially forced to leave a place, fortress - a strong building used for defending a place, science - the study and knowledge of the physical world and its behavior, scientist - someone who is trained in science, scientific - relating to science, or based on the methods of science, founder - a person who starts an organization or institution, nuclear - relating to energy that is produced by changing the structure of the central part of an atom, to establish - to make something to start to exist or start to happen, incredible - surprising or difficult to believe, to devote to - to spend a lot of time or effort doing something, defence - protection, entirely - completely, technology - organization, or school, common knowledge - something that everyone knows, device - advanced scientific knowledge, to transmit - to send an electronic signal such as a radio or telephone signal, to prove - to provide evidence that shows that something is true, to disprove - to prove that something is not correct, capable to - able to do something, list - to mention or write things one after another
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
New words
Try to give synonyms or close meanings to the following words:
Invention, inspiration, closet, bulb, nap, wax, phonograph, genius, perspiration.(, , , , , , , , )
Warming up
Today we are going to read about one of the most outstanding American inventors. Before reading look at the photo and answer the questions:
What is the difference between the discovery and the invention?
Who is the man in the picture?
What is he famous for?
Do you know any stories about him?
There are a lot of stories about him. This is one of them:
Reading text
Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was born in 1847. He was sick a lot when he was young. Edisons mother taught him lessons at home and only studied the things he wanted to know. At age ten, he read his first science book. After he read the book, he built a laboratory in his house. Soon, Edison started to invent things. He was interested in the telegraph and electricity. At age twenty-three, he made a special telegraphic machine and sold it for a lot of money. It is said that he planned to ask two or three thousand dollars for his invention. He was invited to the meeting of businessmen who were interested in buying his invention and was very nervous to name a price.
It is no use asking us a big price said one of the businessmen, weve already decided how much we will pay. Forty thousand dollars is our limit. With this money, he was now free to invent all the time.
Edison started his own laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey. He hired mechanics and chemists to help him. He worked day and night. Once, he worked on forty-five inventions at the same time. Edison did not sleep very much, but he took naps. He often fell asleep with his clothes on. One day, he even fell asleep in the closet!
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Did you know Edison invented wax paper, fire alarms, the battery, and motion pictures? All his inventions were the result of hard work. But his favorite invention was the phonograph, or a record player. He invented the phonograph in 1876. His other famous invention was the light bulb. Edison died in 1931, at the age of eighty-four. He had over 1,300 inventions to his name! Many people say that Edison was a genius one of the smartest people in the world! According to him, the idea that a genius works only by inspiration was absurd. Genius is 2 percent inspiration and 98 percent perspiration, he often said.
Milanda Brokal, Introduction the USA A Cultural Reader
Reading comprehension
1. Complete the sentences with one of the following words:
- Edison liked to invent things.
- Edison worked in his laboratory day and night.
- When you take a short sleep, it is a nap.
- A place where you hang your clothes is a closet.
- Edison paid chemists and mechanics to work for him. He hired them.
- When the lamp in your house does not work, you may need to change the light bulb.
II. Choose right answer.
- When Edison was a boy, he ______.
a. made a lot of money
b. built a laboratory in his house
c. invented motion pictures
- In his laboratory at Menlo Park, Edison ______.
A. worked day and night
b. slept most of the time
c. did not work
- Edison invented ______.
a. only a record player
b. his name
C. more than 1,300 things
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Milanda Brokal " "
