Albert Einstein, the most famous physicist of the century, the father of relativity, changed forever people’s old scientific certitudes and our perception of the universe. He devoted his life to prove that the laws that move the smallest unseen electrons must also govern the macrocosmos of intergalactic space. Scientists idolise him, for Einstein was the most eminent among them in this century, and for some, the greatest scientist of all time. But for all his scientific wisdom, Einstein charmed everyone with his simplicity. He loved to play his violin and sail on the sea. He also loved children in whose company he lost his shyness and was very funny. He was so opposed to posthumous veneration that he ordered his ashes to be scattered in some unknown place. And during his life he used to say that “With fame I became more and more stupid... a very common phenomenon”.

In his earliest years in Germany, Einstein showed no obvious sign of genius; he did not begin talking until the age of three. When his father’s business failed and the family moved to northern Italy, Einstein dropped out of school. He spent a year travelling, then he applied to the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich. But he failed the entrance exam and was admitted only after a year of further study. At university he cut lectures and read what he pleased; one teacher called him a “lazy dog”. But in 1905 he revolutionised modern physics with his theories on the relationship between energy, time, mass and the velocity of light.

Shortly after Hitler came to power in Germany, Einstein accepted a post at the American University of Princeton and became a U.S. citizen in 1940. He would never return to Germany. Observing the effects of the atomic bombs which devastated Japan, Einstein expressed deep regret. In many ways his own theories had been crucial in producing atomic power. In his last public act before his death in 1955, he joined other scientists in a desperate plea to stop warfare in our world.

PART ONE: READING COMPREHENSION

1. Answer the following questions according to the information in the text.

1. Mention two activities Einstein enjoyed doing in his free time.

2. What did Einstein think about the effect of fame on people?

3. Why wasn’t Einstein totally happy with his scientific discoveries?

4. Which of the following paragraphs (a, b, or c) summarises the text best?

a. Einstein was an eminent scientist. His discoveries revolutionised the study of physics. Everybody knew he was going to be a genius since he was three years old.

b. Einstein was an eminent scientist. His discoveries were crucial in the development of modern physics. Although he was a genius and immensely popular he always behaved like a simple man.

c. Einstein was an eminent scientist. His discoveries opened the way for the production of atomic bombs. Because he didn’t like Hitler he only returned to Germany after the war.

  PART TWO: WRITING
Choose ONE. Write about either 1 or 2.

Option A: Imagine you were one of Einstein teachers while he was at university. Years later you hear about his great discoveries in physics and you decide to write him a letter to congratulate him for his success and to evoke the time when he was your student. Write that letter. Do not use your real name.

Option B: Before dying in 1955 Einstein decided to write a personal message called “From a scientist of the 20th century to the people of the 21st century”. Imagine what it would probably say and write that message.

3. Vocabulary

Explain next words in English, write the phonetics and also an example: to devote, to fail, wisdom, plea.