Unit 3. People''''s background

Welcome to class 10A13!


Choose the correct answer to complete
each of the following sentences.


1. Marie Curie was born _______.
A. In 1867 in France
B. B. In 1877 in Warsaw
C. In 1867 in Warsaw


2. She received some scientific training
____________.
A. in local schools
B. from her father
C. both in local schools and from her father.


3. She had to work as__________to save money
for a study tour abroad.
A. a student
B. a scientist
C. a private tutor


4. In 1891, Marie went to the Sorbonne to
harbour the dream of becoming a ________.
A. a student
B. a scientist

C. a private tutor


5. She earned two degrees at the Sorbonne with
flying colours, one in ________and one
in________.
A. Maths/ Chemistry
B. Physics/ Chemistry
C. Physics/ Maths


6. She married Pierre Curie _______, only a
year after they met.
A. in 1894
B. in 1895
C. in 1906


7. In 1903, she became the first woman to
receive a _________ from the Sorbonne.
A. PhD
B. scholarship
C. degree



VOCABULARY
1. tragic (a)

/’trædʒɪk/

Titanic is a tragic love story film.

: bi thảm, bi kịch

2. take up (vp) /teɪk ʌp /
: tiếp nhận, đảm nhận
= to continue sth that sb hasn’t finished
: nhận được, giành được
3. obtain (v)
/əb’teɪn/
4. award (v,n)
/ə’wɔːd/
: trao giải
= give prize to sb
5. determine (v) /dɪˈtə:mɪn/
: xác định
= find out exactly by making calculations
6. atomic (a)
/ə’tɒmɪk/
: thuộc nguyên tử
: trọng lượng nguyên tử
atomic weight
7. ease (v)
/i:z/ make less severe : làm dịu đi, giảm
bớt
: nhân đạo
8. humanitarian (a) /hjʊˌmænɪˈteərɪən/
: nhân từ, nhân đức
humane (a)

/hju:’meɪn/


Vocabulary check: Match the words or phrases in A with
their meanings in B

A
1. ease
2. tragic
3. determine
4. humanitarian
5. award
6. take up

B
a. find out exactly by making calculations
b. give something as an official payment, or
prize to (someone)
c. make less severe
d. continue sth that sb hasn’t finished
e. Making you feel very sad, usually because sb
has died or suffered a lot
f. concerned with reducing suffering and
improving the conditions that people live
in


Reading: Read paragraph 4 and do the following tasks t

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on November 7 th, 1867. She received general

education in local schools and some scientific training from her father.

As a brilliant and mature student, Marie Curie harboured the dream of
scientific career, which was impossible for a woman at that time. To save money for a
study tour abroad, she had to work as a private tutor, and her studies were interrupted. *

Finally, in 1891, Marie, with very little money to live on , went to Paris to
*
realise her dream at the Sorbonne. On spite of her difficult living conditions, she worked
extremely hard. She earned a degree in Physics with flying colours , and went on to take*
another degree in Mathematics. She met Pierre Curie in the school of Physics in 1894
and a year later they got married. From then on, they work together on their research. In *
1903, Marie became the first woman to receive a PhD from the Sorbonne.

After the tragic death of Pierre Curie in 1906, she took up the position which
her husband had obtained at the Sorbonne. Thus, she was the first woman in France to
be at a university professor. Soon after, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
determining the atomic weight of radium. But her real joy was “easing human
suffering”. The founding of the Radium Institute in 1914 made her humanitarian wish
come true.
T/F

15

17

18

19




Task 1: Read the passage and decide whether
the statements are True (T) or False (F). T F
the false
1.Correct
Marie’s husband
diedinformation.
in 1906.


2. She didn’t
tooktake up the position which her husband



had obtained at the Sorbonne after his death.
3. She was the first woman professor at the Sorbonne.



Chemistry
4. She was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics
5. Her real joy was “easing human suffering”.




Task 2: Answer the questions
1.

What did she do after her husband’s death?

2.

For what service was she awarded a Nobel Prize in
Chemistry?

3.

Was the prize her real joy? Why /Why not?

4.

When was the Radium Institute founded?

5.

What was made to come true by the founding of the
Radium Institute?


1

2

6

3
5

4


Lucky star


2. For what service was she awarded a Nobel
Prize in Chemistry ?
- She was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry
for determining the atomic weight of radium.


3. Was the prize her real joy? Why /Why not?

- No, it wasn’t. Because her real joy
was “easing human suffering”.


1.What did she do after her husband’s death?

- After her husband’s death, she took up the
position which her husband had obtained at
the Sorbonne.


4. When was the Radium Institute founded ?

- It was founded in 1914.


5. What was made to come true by the
founding of the Radium Institute?

- Marie’s humanitarian wish was made
come true (by the founding of the Radium
Institute).


After you read: 1. Work in groups. Below are five adjectives
we may use to describe Marie Curie. Find the evidence
from the passage to prove each of them.
- strong-willed
- ambitious
- hard-working
- Intelligent
- humane


After you read: 1. Work in groups. Below are five adjectives
we may use to describe Marie Curie. Find the evidence
from the passage to prove each of them.
Adjectives

strongwilled
ambitious

hardworking

Evidence
She harboured the dream of a scientific career,
which was impossible for a woman at that time. Finally
in 1891,Marie, with very little money to live on,
went to Paris to realize her dream at the Sorbonne.
She harboured the dream of a scientific career,
which was impossible for a woman at that time.
She earned a degree in Physics with flying colors,
and went on to take another degree in Mathematics.
In spite of her difficult living conditions,
she worked extremely hard.


After you read: 1. Work in groups. Below are five adjectives
we may use to describe Marie Curie. Find the evidence
from the passage to prove each of them.
intelligent

humane

She earned a degree in Physics with flying colors,
and went on to take another degree in Mathematics.
Soon after, she was awarded a Nobel Prize in
Chemistry for determining the atomic weight of radium.
Her real joy was “easing human sufferring”