ALBERT EINSTEIN (Reading comprehension)

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a genius, as in the phrase, “She’s a real Einstein”. He must have been pretty brainy to discover the Theory of Relativity and the equation E=mc2.

In 1999, ‘Time’ magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would happen when he was at school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning by heart. He said it destroyed learning and creativity. He had already done many experiments, but failed the entrance exams to a technical college.

He didn’t let this setback stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 1900, with a degree in physics. Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. He went on to publish over 300 scientific papers.

Einstein is the only scientist to become a cult figure, a household name, and part of everyday culture. He once joked that when people stopped him in the street, he always replied: "Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to change our world.

245 words

Match the words from the article on the left with their synonyms on the right. Are your answers the same as other students’?

Paragraphs 1 and 2
1.	Probably	a.	mastermind
2	Genius	b.	Very
3.	Brainy	c.	predicted
4.	guessed	d.	most likely
5.	extremely	e.	ruined
6.	destroyed	f.	intelligent
Paragraphs 3 and 4
7.	setback	g.	forgetful
8.	alongside	h.	answered
9.	Papers	i.	next to
10.	Figure	j.	problem
11	replied	k	personality
12	absent-minded	l	reports

Match the following phrases from the article:

1.	the most intelligent person	a.	this would happen
2	He must have been pretty	b.	name
3.	No one could have guessed	c.	brainy
4.	the system of learning	d.	stop him
5.	failed the entrance exams	e.	who ever lived
6.	He didn’t let this setback	f.	over 300 scientific papers
7.	traveling alongside a beam	g.	by heart
8.	He went on to publish	h.	to a technical college
9.	a household	i.	absent-minded professor
10.	the typical mad,	j.	of light

The underlined, jumbled words are from the text. Spell them correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	most people yboprlba know him
2.	someone is a esnugi
3.	He must have been pretty aniryb
4.	the oqnuatie E=mc2
Paragraph 2
5.	No one could have sdugese
6.	He was extremely interested in cincsee
7.	learning and tvtarceyii
8.	failed the aeennrtc exams to a technical college
Paragraph 3
9.	He didn’t let this katecsb stop him
10.	traveling iealnsogd a beam of light
11.	He eventually egaudrtad from university
12.	He went on to lsibpuh over 300 scientific papers
Paragraph 4
13.	become a cult rugfei
14.	a usohdleho name
15.	part of everyday ceutrul
16.	mad, absent-dindem professo

Put the words back into the correct order.

1.	German-born   a   was   Einstein   Albert   physicist
2.	He   brainy   pretty   been   have   must
3.	named   Einstein   as  the   Person   of   the  Century  ‘Time’  magazine
4.	interested   extremely   was   He   science   in
5.	creativity   said   destroyed   and   He   it   learning
6.	this   stop   He   let   setback   him   didn’t
7.	a   alongside   traveling   light   of   beam
8.	over   went   300   on   scientific   to   papers   publish   He
9.	the   to   cult   is   scientist   a   Einstein   only   become   figure
10.	mad   typical   the   professor   minded-absent
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