EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• composer: someone who writes musical pieces
• prodigy: someone who is unusually skilled, especially at a young age
• tour: to travel to different places to perform a show
• talented: having impressive abilities
• struggle: to have problems or difficulties
• financial: relating to money

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer. He was born in Salzburg in 1756. His father, Leopold, was a violinist, and he taught Mozart to play and write from a very young age. Mozart was a child prodigy. He began composing when he was only five years old. When he was seven, he began touring Europe with his older , who was also very talented. He composed over 600 pieces in his lifetime. Even though he was famous for his work, Mozart struggled financially later in his life. He also became while writing Requiem in D Minor, his final piece. He died when he was only 35, and Requiem in D Minor was left .

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Mozart was born in
   a. Salzburg
   b. Vienna
   c. Linz
   
2. Mozart’s father was a professional
   a. conductor
   b. violinist
   c. pianist
   
3. When Mozart was seven,
   a. he learned to play the piano
   b. he composed his first pieces
   c. he started touring Europe

Discussion/essay questions

1. Why do you think so many great artists fail to make money?
2. Wolfgang’s sister, Nannerl, was also a musical prodigy. However, because she was a woman, she had to give up her career once she was old enough to get married. Do you think the world would look very different today if women’s work was valued in history? Why or why not?

Transcript

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer. He was born in Salzburg in 1756. His father, Leopold, was a professional violinist, and he taught Mozart to play and write music from a very young age. Mozart was a child prodigy. He began composing when he was only five years old. When he was seven, he began touring Europe with his older sister, who was also very talented. He composed over 600 pieces in his lifetime. Even though he was famous for his work, Mozart struggled financially later in his life. He also became ill while writing Requiem in D Minor, his final piece. He died when he was only 35, and Requiem in D Minor was left unfinished.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2b 3c

Pre-listening vocabulary

• inventor: someone who creates new things or ideas
• divorce: to end a marriage
• manufacturer: someone who builds or assembles a product
• overlook: to not notice something
• military: a country’s defence forces
• war bond: an investment given to the government to help pay for a war

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American and inventor. She was born in 1914 in Vienna, Austria. She began acting in European when she was a teenager, but later moved to the United States after divorcing her first , a weapons manufacturer who sold to the Nazis. Lamarr became famous in Hollywood for her , but her intelligence was often overlooked. During World War II, she invented a device to help the Allies with radio communications. At first, the U.S. military did not use the device, and Lamarr was told that she could do more to help by advertising war bonds. However, her invention formed a starting point for the we use today, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Lamarr died in 2000, at age 85.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20889″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Women’s contributions to math and science have often been overlooked. Do you know about any female inventors from history? What are their stories?

Transcript

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor. She was born in 1914 in Vienna, Austria. She began acting in European films when she was a teenager, but later moved to the United States after divorcing her first husband, a weapons manufacturer who sold to the Nazis. Lamarr became famous in Hollywood for her beauty, but her intelligence was often overlooked. During World War II, she invented a device to help the Allies with radio communications. At first, the U.S. military did not use the device, and Lamarr was told that she could do more to help by advertising war bonds. However, her invention formed a starting point for the technology we use today, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Lamarr died in 2000, at age 85.