Lesson 3

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

I. Match the words and their suitable definitions given below:

Invention, to explode, dynamite, powerful, closet, iron, bulb, fortune, phonograph, discovery, genius, to carry out, research:

something that someone has made, designed or created, that did not exist before;

subsidiary room in an apartment house;

the lighting or heating device;

the first device for mechanical record and reproduction of a sound;

outstanding abilities, talent,

to do a particular piece of work;

the detailed study of something in order to discover new facts;

something that is found, or something new that is learned;

a large sum of money; good luck;

a hard heavy metal that is used for making steel;

with a lot of physical strength or force;

a substance that is used for causing explosions;

to burst with a lot of force and a loud noise, usually in a way that causes a lot of damage

II. Give synonyms or close meanings to the following words and word combinations:

I ndustrialist, bankrupt, to manage, idealist, cheerful, sad, mankind, native land, explosive, explosion, peacetime, weapon, landmine, plenty, skill, imaginative, luck will, outstanding, promotion.

Reading

Look at the photo and answer the questions:

Who is this man?

Where is he from?

What is he famous for?

What Fund did he establish?

What do you know about Nobel Prize Winners

this year?

Read the following text and try to understand it:

Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist, was a man of many contrasts. He was the son of a bankrupt, but became a millionaire, a scientist who cared for literature, an industrialist, who managed to remain an idealist. He made a fortune but lived a simple life, and although cheerful in company he was often sad remained alone. A lover of mankind, he never had a wife or family to love him; a patriot of his native land, he died alone in a foreign country. He invented a new explosive, dynamite, to improve the peacetime industries of mining and road building, but saw it used as a weapon of war to kill and to injure people.

He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 and moved to Russia with his parents in 1842. His father was an inventor, he invented the landmine and got plenty of money for it but then, quite suddenly went bankrupt. Most of the family went back to Sweden in 1859. Four years later Alfred came there too, beginning his own study of explosives in father’s laboratory. He never studied at University, but studied privately and by the time he was twenty was a skilful chemist and excellent linguist having mastered Swedish, Russian, German, French and English. He was imaginative and inventive, but he had better luck in business and showed more financial sense. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries.

His greatest wish was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations; and he spent much time and money working for the cause until his death in Italy in 1896. His famous will, in which he left to provide prizes for outstanding work in physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, economics, literature and promotion of world peace is a memorial to his interests and ideals. Nobel’s ideals which he expressed long before the threat of nuclear war have become the ideals of all progressive people of the world.

According to Nobel’s will the capital was to be safely invested to form a fund. The interest of this fund is to be distributed annually in the form of the prizes to those who, during the previous year, did the work of the greatest use to mankind within the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, economics, literature and to the person who has done the most for brotherhood between nations, for the abolition or reduction of permanent armies and for the organisation and encouragement of peace conferences.

Since Nobel’s death in 1896 many outstanding scientists, writers and public figures from different countries have become Nobel Prize winners.

T. Polyakova, E. Sinyavskaya, English for Engineers, Moscow,2006.

Reading comprehension

I. True or False?

1. Alfred Nobel had deep knowledge in different fields of science.

2. He studied at the University where he learned languages.

3. He got interested in chemistry and by the time he was twenty became a skillful chemist.

4. His father was a very successful businessman and died very rich.

5. Alfred Nobel was a man of imagination and at the same time showed great financial and business sense.

6. Nobel was very happy in his private life.

7. He was always cheerful and lived a life of a very rich man.

8. He spent much time and money for the cause of peace and brotherhood between nations.

9. His famous will in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding work in Science and Peace is a memorial to his ideals.

II. Form sentences matching word groups on the left and on the right with but and make the necessary changes. You will see that Nobel’s life was really full of contrasts.

Example:

To be a millionaire /but/ to live a simple life

He was a millionaire but lived a simple life.

to be an industrialist to live more than 20 years in Russia

to be cheerful in company to be sad in private

to love all mankind to be a skillful chemist and an excellent

linguist

to invent a dynamite to BUT to show great business and financial science

improve peacetime industries

to be a Swede not to have a wife or a family to love him

to be a patriot of his native country to die alone in a foreign land

never to study at school or University to see it is used as a weapon to kill people

to be a man of imagination to remain an idealist

III. Choose the information from the text about:

1. Alfred Nobel’s father;

2. Nobel’s interests and activity;

3. The contrasts in his life;

4. Alfred Nobel as a scientist;

5. Alfred Nobel’s will;

6. Nobel prize winners

and make a brief retelling in oral or written form.

LISTENING

We were talking about scientists and inventors, about their achievements and inventions at last lessons. Today we are listening to the text about a scientist and an inventor. Before listening try to guess the meaning of the following words and word combinations from the text:

To carry out, discovery, nephew, quarrel, fortune, iron, powerful, dynamite, to explode.

Listen to the story "Uncle Philip" and be ready to answer the following questions.

1. Who was uncle Philip? What did uncle Philip do for a living?

2. What was he famous for?

3. Who did he send for when he was dying?

4. What did he say to Tom?

5. What was written in the letter?

6. Why did uncle Philip decide to act in this way?

7. Can you think of any plan for opening the box?

Retell the story.

You are Tom. Tell us what you know about your uncle and his decision to leave his fortune to you.

On/offline activity

Speaking practice

Work in groups

Now we know many interesting facts from Alfred Nobel’s life. And you can have a great opportunity to find out: how his Fund works nowadays.

Find the information from the Internet Resources about:

The foundation of the Nobel Prize Fund (the date, the place, some other facts);

The facts about the first Nobel Prize Winners (the name of the winners, the nationality, the year, and the fields of their activity);

About our compatriots (Jhores Alferov, Boris Pasternak, Lev Landau, Joseph Brodsky) and other Nobel Prize Winners in physics, literature, etc.(the name, the year, fields of activity, their family, some extraordinary facts from their life);

About the Nobel Prize Winners in 2007 in different fields of sciences (the name of the winners, the nationality, and the fields of their activity) and retell this interesting information to your groupmates.

Recommended resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhores_Alferov

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2007/index.html

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2007/evans-lecture.html

http://nobelprize.org/

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2007/index.html

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2007/

http://nobelprize.org/prize_announcements/economics/eco_questions_07.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Brodsky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Landau

Homework

Write an interesting story about one of the Nobel Prize Winners and send the story to the teacher by e-mail.

Do revision test and also send it to the teacher.

Put the verb into the Past Continuous (I was doing) or Past Simple:

When we went (go) out, it was raining (rain);

I wasn't hungry last night. I didn’t eat (not/eat) anything/.

Were you watching (you/watch) television when I phoned (phone) you?

1. Jane wasn't at home when I went to see her. She ........(work).

2. I ........ (get) up early this morning. I .....(wash), ........ (dress) and then I .... (have) breakfast.

3. The postman ........(come) while I...........(have) breakfast.

4. We ........ (meet) Joan at the party. She........(wear) a red dress.

5. The boys.........(break) a window when they ........(play) football.

6. I was late but my friends........(wait) for me when I........(arrive).

7. I ........(get) up at 7 o'clock. The sun .......(shine), so I....... (go) for a walk.

8. He....... (not/drive) fast when the accident ........(happen).

9. Margaret ......... (not/go) to work yesterday. She was ill.

10. What ........(.you/do) on Saturday evening? ”I went to the cinema”

11. What ........(.you/do)at 9.30 on Saturday evening? “I ......... (watch) a film in the cinema.