EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• construct: to build or create something
• invent: to develop something new
• universal: available to everyone
• phonetic: relating to the way words sound
• succeed: to achieve a goal

Listening activity

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

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Gapfill exercise

Esperanto is a constructed . It was invented in 1887 by a Polish doctor named L. L. Zamenhof. Zamenhof’s goal was to create a universal second language so that people around the world could with each other. Esperanto does not belong to any country or , but like many languages in Europe, it uses the Latin and Latin root words. It was designed to be easy to learn, with simple grammatical rules and phonetic spelling. Although Esperanto did not succeed as a universal language, it is still used today. Over 100,000 people around the world can Esperanto. Some people have even raised children to speak Esperanto as a native language.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20795″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. One problem with Esperanto is that it is more difficult to learn for people whose native languages don’t use the Latin alphabet. Do you think it is possible to create a language that is equally accessible to everyone?

Transcript

Esperanto is a constructed language. It was invented in 1887 by a Polish doctor named L. L. Zamenhof. Zamenhof’s goal was to create a universal second language so that people around the world could communicate with each other. Esperanto does not belong to any country or culture, but like many languages in Europe, it uses the Latin alphabet and Latin root words. It was designed to be easy to learn, with simple grammatical rules and phonetic spelling. Although Esperanto did not succeed as a universal language, it is still used today. Over 100,000 people around the world can speak Esperanto. Some people have even raised children to speak Esperanto as a native language.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• physicist: a type of scientist who studies physics
• admit: to allow someone to enter a place
• mineral: a solid natural substance
• property: an attribute or quality that something has
• radioactivity: the emission of radiation from certain elements
• exposure: the state of coming into contact with something, especially something dangerous

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41 — 1.5MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist, known for her of radioactive chemicals. She was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of five children in her family. Growing up, Curie was smart and , and dreamed of getting a university degree. However, the University of Warsaw only admitted male students at the time. In order to get her degree, Curie moved to Paris. She studied physics at Sorbonne University, and later received another degree in math. After her , Curie went on to become a scientist. While working with a mineral known as pitchblende, Curie discovered a new chemical property, which we now know as radioactivity. She also discovered two new elements, which she called polonium and radium. Because of these scientific discoveries, Curie became the first person to ever win two Nobel Prizes. Curie died in 1934 from an caused by her exposure to radiation. However, her research has helped modern develop treatments for cancer, and she is still seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19445″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. While Marie Curie’s research did help scientists develop cancer treatments, her research was also important for the invention of the atomic bomb during World War II. The atomic bomb is still a controversial subject because of the amount of deaths it caused. Do you think Curie’s discoveries had a positive impact on the world, or a negative one?

Transcript

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist, known for her research of radioactive chemicals. She was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of five children in her family. Growing up, Curie was smart and curious, and dreamed of getting a university degree. However, the University of Warsaw only admitted male students at the time. In order to get her degree, Curie moved to Paris. She studied physics at Sorbonne University, and later received another degree in math. After her education, Curie went on to become a scientist. While working with a mineral known as pitchblende, Curie discovered a new chemical property, which we now know as radioactivity. She also discovered two new elements, which she called polonium and radium. Because of these scientific discoveries, Curie became the first person to ever win two Nobel Prizes. Curie died in 1934 from an illness caused by her exposure to radiation. However, her research has helped modern scientists develop treatments for cancer, and she is still seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time.