Famous People

Albert Einstein
In this lesson, you will read about a world-famous
physicist. You will learn and practise some related
vocabulary and discuss the relationship between
school grades and career success.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. How many different sciences can you name?

2. Do you know what Albert Einstein is famous for?

3. What is the science of physics?

4. Do you know which subjects

the Nobel Prize is awarded for?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. famous a)  the study of something

2. grow up b)  a talk for the purpose of teaching

3. graduate c)  an idea given to explain something

4. patent d)  known by many people

5. research e)  to make someone believe or think, to persuade

6. article f)  to become an adult

7. theory g)  a connection

8. relativity h)  to finish school with a diploma or degree

9. lecture i)  a piece of writing

10. convince j)  the exclusive right to make or sell a new invention

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 Albert Einstein
Famous People

Reading
1. Albert Einstein was a world-famous physicist. “Imagination is
2. Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, but he grew up in Munich. more important
As a young boy, he did not do well in school. He liked to study math, than knowledge.”
science, and philosophy at home by himself.
—Albert Einstein
3. In 1895, Einstein’s family moved to Milan, Italy. He stayed behind to go
to school, but he soon left to join his family. Again, he studied at home
on his own. But, in 1896, on his second try, he became a student at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He studied math and physics,
and he graduated in 1900.

4. In 1901, Einstein got a job in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland.

When he wasn’t at work, he did research on physics. In 1903, he
married Mileva Maric.

5. In 1905, the University of Zurich gave him a PhD for an article he wrote
on molecular physics. He wrote four other scientific papers that year.
The most important one explained his theory of relativity.

6. Einstein became a professor of physics. He worked at universities in

Prague, Zurich, and Berlin. His wife did not like Berlin, so she and their
sons went back to Switzerland. Einstein and his wife divorced in 1919.
Later that year, he married again.

7. In 1915, Einstein finished his theory of relativity. In 1919, the scientists

in the Royal Society of London said they agreed with his theory. This
made Einstein very famous. He gave lectures on relativity around
the world. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He worked
on theories of physics for the rest of his life.

8. Einstein did not believe in war. When the Nazis gained power in
Germany in 1933, he gave up his German citizenship and moved to
the United States. Einstein was very upset when the United States
used an atomic bomb to end the Second World War. After that, he
spent much of his time trying to convince people that an atomic
bomb should never be used again.

9. Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1955.

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 Albert Einstein
Famous People

Comprehension
A. True or False?

Read the statements below.

If the statement is true, write T beside the sentence.
If it is false, write F and correct the information in your notebook.

1. Albert Einstein was an excellent student when he was in school.

2. Einstein preferred to study by himself.

3. Einstein studied mathematics.

4. Einstein was a professor of philosophy.

5. Einstein did not believe in war.

B. Ask & Answer

Practise asking and answering the following questions with your partner.
Then write your answers in complete sentences in your notebook.

1. Where was Einstein from?

2. What did Einstein like to study?

3. When did Einstein graduate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology?

4. What did Einstein like to do when he wasn’t working at his job?

5. What was Einstein’s most important theory?

6. From which university did Einstein receive his Ph.D. degree?

7. Why did Einstein move to United States?

8. How did Einstein spend much of his time after the Second World War?

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 Albert Einstein
Famous People

Vocabulary Review
A. Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.

You may need to change the word forms.

1. The professor gave a very interesting                in class today.

2. She was born in England, but she                in Canada.

3. Today many scientists are doing                to try to find a cure for cancer.

4. She doesn’t want to move to a new city, but her husband is trying to                her.

5. He wrote a very interesting                for the school newspaper.

B. Matching

Match the subjects on the left to the correct meanings on the right.

1. mathematics a)  the study of what substances are made of

2. physics b)  the study of plants and animals

3. biology c)  the study of numbers

4. chemistry d)  the study of problems concerning the nature of man

5. geography e)  the study of matter and energy, such as heat, light, and sound

6. philosophy f)  the study of the earth’s surface, climate, and population

Discussion
1. Have you ever studied physics?

2. What subjects do you like to study?

3. Do you think Einstein’s parents were

upset when he did not do well in school?

4. Do you think it is necessary to do well

in school in order to succeed in life?

5. Why do you think Einstein spent the last years of his life
trying to convince people not to use the atomic bomb?

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 Albert Einstein
Famous People

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int

In this lesson, students read a basic biography about this world- TIME: 1–2 hours
famous physicist. They learn and practise new vocabulary and
TAGS:  Albert Einstein, famous people, science,
discuss the relationship between school grades and career success.
theory of relativity, Nobel Prize

Pre-Reading 8. After the Second World War, Einstein spent much

of his time fighting the use of the atomic bomb.

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS
Vocabulary Review
1–3. Answers will vary.
4. The Nobel Prize is an international award given
A. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES
every year for achievements in physics, chemistry,
medicine, economic sciences, literature, and peace. 1. lecture 3. research 5. article
2. grew up 4. convince
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
B. MATCHING
1. d 3. h 5. a 7. c 9. b
2. f 4. j 6. i 8. g 10. e 1. c 2. e 3. b 4. a 5. f 6. d

Comprehension Discussion

A. TRUE OR FALSE? Discuss as a class, in groups, or in pairs. Answers will vary.

1. F – Einstein was a poor student when he was in school.

2. T
3. T
4. F – Einstein was a professor of physics.
5. T

B. ASK & ANSWER

1. He was born in Germany.

2. He liked to study math, science, and philosophy.
3. He graduated from the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in 1900.
4. When he wasn’t working, he liked to do research on physics.
5. His most important theory was the theory of relativity.
6. Einstein received his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich.
7. He moved to the United States because
the Nazis had come to power in Germany.

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