Marie Curie

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on 7^th of November 1867. her father was a teacher of science and mathematics at school in town, and from him little Marya Sklodovska ― which was her Polish name ― learned her first lessons in science. Marya’s wish was to study at the Sorbonne in Paris and after many years of waiting she finally left her native land in 1891.

Once in Paris Marya began a course of hard study and simple living. She decided to work for two Master’s degrees ― one in Physics, the other in Mathematics. Thus she had to work twice as hard as the ordinary student. Yet she had not enough money to live on. She lived in a bare attic in the poorest quarter of Paris. Night after night, after her hard day’s works at the University, she would climb to her poorly furnished room and work at her books for hours. Her meals were poor, sometimes no more than a bag of cherries, which she ate as she studied. Though she was often weak and ill under this hard mode of life, she worked in this way for four years. She chose her course and nothing could turn her from it.

Among many scientists Marya met and worked with in Paris was Pierre Curie. Pierre Cutie, born in 1859 in Paris, was the son of doctor, and from childhood he liked science. At sixteen he was a Bachelor of Science and he took his Master’s degree in Physics when he was eighteen. When he met Marya Sklodovska he was thirty five years old and was famous throughout Europe for his discoveries in magnetism. But in spite of the honour he brought to France by his discoveries, the French Government could only spare him a very meagre salary as a reward, and the University of Paris refused him a laboratory of him own for his researches.

Pierre Curie and Marya Sklodovska , both of whom loved science more than anything else, very soon became the closest friends. They worked together constantly and discussed many problems of their researches. After little more than a year they fell in love with each other, and in 1895 Marya Sklodovska became Mme Curie. Their marriage was not only to be a very happy one but also one of the greatest scientific partnerships.

Notes

a teacher of science ― преподаватель естественных наук (химия физика биология)

master’s degree ― учебная степень магистра

under this hard mode of life ― при такой тяжелой жизни

a Bachelor of Science ― бакалавр естественных наук (звание присваиваемое после окончания университета

spare him a very meager salary ― (зд.) платило ему мизерное жалованье

A)Read the text and find our how the British like to spend their free at home Recreations

TV Viewing. It has been estimated that the average British person spends 75 hours every week with television, radio, newspapers and magazines. All these sources of information, ideas and entertainments, together with film, video, and advertisements have become a part of daily life.

Watching television is a very popular leisure pastime in Britain. A typical day’s viewing includes film. Plays, current affairs, light entertainments, sport and politics. Nature documentaries are very popular. Television is a great information source which offers news and current affairs programmes, and it is used regularly to give information on everything from weather conditions to wildlife.

Lost of people enjoy “soap operas”. Coronation Street, Crossroads East Enders, and Neighbours are among the most popular TV series. They have been running for many years (Coronation street are been broadcast since 1960, Crossroads ― since 1964, East Enders since 1985) and they all have a large viewing audience.

The growth in use of videocassette recorders and equipment (including home computers) for playing television games has for many people increased the choice of entertainment available in the home.

Listening to music. Another favourite activity is listening to music on radio, records, cassette tapes, and CDs. This has become increasingly popular in recent years. Enthusiasts of pop music spend millions of pounds a year on records and stereo music systems. They also but the various music papers and magazines that publish the ‘charts’ ― list of the current best-selling records ―as well as details of pop singers and musicians.

There is, too, a considerable audience for classical music. Much of it is listened to at home. Radio devotes a lot of its broadcasting time to serious music.

Gardening. Britain is famous for its gardens and most people like gardening. This is probably one reason why so many people prefer to live in houses rather than in flats.

There are more private gardens in Britain than in any other country and they are looked after with love and enthusiasm. The British are keen gardeners. Every newspaper carries a regular gardening feature, radio and TV broadcast gardening programmes and most towns and villages have gardening clubs. Even in cities most people prefer to live in a house ― no matter how small ― gardens, rent a piece of land from their local council where they can cultivate flowers and vegetables. Almost every village and town holds an annual flower show in summer at which local gardeners exhibit fruit, flowers and vegetables and compete with each for prizes.

Do-It-Yourself. A popular British hobby is to make improvements and additions to houses without the help of professional or skilled workers such as painters, builder and carpenters. This activity of making or repairing things ready made of paying a workman to do the work for your, is called, DIY (do –it-yourself).

People with to keep their houses looking smart, and do-it-yourself repair and improvement work is widely practiced. There are now many handbooks and magazines devoted to DIY enthusiasts, telling them to go about repairs and improvements. There are also shops in every town selling or renting equipment and materials for DIY work.

1. What is a ‘soap opera? Can you explain why soar operas are popular though they are often naïve, silly and primitive?

2. How do you and your family prefer to listen to music ― on radio, records, cassette tapes, CDs, or at concerts?

3. What do the letters DIY mean?

4. Is do-it-yourself repair widely practiced in the families of your friends and acquaintances? Are there shops in your city similar to DIY shops?

Read the text about the popular pastimes and find out British people’s preferences for certain types of leisure and entertainments.