Unit 20: Albert Einstein

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • v. To accomplish something means to finish it.
    He accomplished his goal of running ten miles.
  • v. To approve of something means you like or agree with that thing.
    Her co-workers approved her new plan.
  • adj. Approximate means close to an exact amount, number, or time.
    My approximate height is two meters.
  • n. A barrier is something that blocks a path or way.
    The Great Wall was a barrier between China and its enemies.
  • v. To detect means to notice or find something.
    The boy ran to the kitchen when he detected the smell of cookies.
  • n. A duty is something that a person has to do.
    It is parents' duty to take care of their children.
  • adj. An elementary thing is the first or most simple thing.
    Children go to elementary school before high school.
  • n. A failure happens when something is not done right.
    My cooking ended in failure because I burned the food.
  • adj. Something gradual happens slowly.
    Children learn to read at a gradual pace. They do not learn right away.
  • n. An immigrant is a person who moves to a different country.
    My parents were immigrants. They came from Poland.
  • v. To insert something means to put it in something else.
    He inserted an extra sentence into the story.
  • n. An instant is a very short amount of time.
    A microwave oven cooks food in an instant.
  • n. Poverty is the state of being poor.
    Poverty is a problem in many countries around the world.
  • v. To pretend means to make believe something is real.
    The boy liked to pretend he was a king.
  • n. A rank is a person's place in an order of people.
    The man got to the rank of captain in the navy.
  • n. Recognition is the act of getting praise from other people.
    The hero got recognition for his brave deed.
  • v. To refrigerate something means to make it cold.
    Supermarkets refrigerate fruit to make it last long.
  • n. Rent is the money people pay to live in a certain place.
    To live in this house, I have to pay rent at the start of each month.
  • v. To retire is to leave a job, usually because of old age.
    My father is sixty-five years old. He is about to retire from work.
  • n. A statistic is a number that tells a fact about something.
    The statistics showed that we did just as well this year as last year.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Complete the puzzle with the word that is similar in meaning to the bolded part.

DOWN
  1. The loud noise made her wake up in a very short amount of time. _____
  2. His father would agree with and like his plans to go to college. _____
  3. It makes me sad that so many people suffer having no money. _____
  4. Watering the plants is my thing I have to do. _____
  5. The numbers that tell a fact show it is more dangerous to ride in a car than in an airplane. _____

 

ACROSS
  1. She does not have a dog, but she likes to make believe that she does. _____
  1. He will have to leave if he does not pay the money to live here. _____
  2. I need to make cold the warm soda. _____
  3. I could not get past the thing that was in my way. _____
  4. To open the lock, put in the key. _____

 

B ‣ Fill each blank with another form of a word from the same sentence.

  1. When you gradually get better you improve in a _____ way.
  2. If you get something instantly, you get it in an _____ .
  3. This is an approximation: it is only an _____ number.
  4. An accomplishment is something you _____ .
  5. When you give your approval, you _____ of it.
  6. A detective is a person who _____ who did a crime.
  7. An insertion is _____ into a document.
  8. The police chief outranks that officer because his _____ is only constable.
  9. A retiree is a person who has _____ .
  10. A rental property is a house that people pay _____ to live in.

 

C ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

WORD BANK
  • barrier
  • recognition
  • failure
  • elementary
  • immigrant

My new friend is an 1_____ who came from Italy. He goes to the same 2_____ school that I do. He does not know many English words. Having to learn new words is a hard 3_____ for him to get past. When he says things wrong, he feels like a 4_____. I tell him not to worry. Soon he will know English very well. When I help him learn, he is happy and gives me 5_____ for my good deed.

 

Albert Einstein

My name is Albert Einstein. Many people know about the great things I've accomplished. But I had many barriers to get through before I became famous.

I was born in Germany. When I was in elementary school, I already knew about math and statistics. When I was a boy, I pretended to be a great scientist. I loved school, but my life at home was hard. My father lost his job, so my family lived in poverty. We could not pay the rent in Germany. We became immigrants and went to Italy. I finished high school and went to college in Switzerland.

After college, I began writing about science. I did not reach success in an instant, though. At first, other scientists did not approve of my work. They thought I was a failure. Rising to the rank of an admired scientist was a gradual process. Soon, people started to notice that I was right. At last, I began to get some recognition.

I showed how to find the approximate size of very big things, like stars. I also detected and explained the motion of very small things, like atoms. And for fun, I made a machine that could refrigerate food by inserting heat. I never retired. I felt it was my duty to keep working.

 

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. How Einstein got instant recognition
    • b. Why Einstein was a failure at first
    • c. How Einstein got past barriers to accomplish many great things
    • d. Why Einstein pretended to be sick while in elementary school
  2. Why did Einstein's family become immigrants?
    • a. They were unhappy about new developments in math and statistics.
    • b. They couldn't pay their rent in Germany and had to leave.
    • c. His parents didn't want him to stay in school.
    • d. They wanted Einstein to go to college in Switzerland.
  3. Why was Einstein's rise in the ranks of scientists gradual?
    • a. Einstein did not write down his ideas.
    • b. Einstein's ideas could not be proven.
    • c. Other scientists already knew about his ideas.
    • d. Other scientists didn't approve of his ideas at first.
  4. According to the passage, all the following are true about Einstein EXCEPT _____.
    • a. he found the approximate size of stars
    • b. he refrigerated food by inserting heat
    • c. he had a duty to retire
    • d. he detected the movement of atoms
  5. Why did Albert's family live in poverty?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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