Albert Einstein, one of the most well-known scientist in the world. Biography and comprehension exercises.

1. Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was born in Germany on the 14th March 1879. Einstein was slow in
learning how to speak. His parents even consulted a doctor. He didn’t really talk until he was
four years old. In fact, his grandmother thought he was stupid! His slow verbal development
made him curious about ordinary things — such as space and time — that most adults take
for granted.
Einstein showed he had a great mind for maths and science from a young age. When
he was just five years old, his father bought him a compass. His curious mind immediately
started trying to work out just why the needle always pointed north! At the age of ten, he set
up a program of study for himself, reading extensively about science. In primary school, he
was at the top of his class in math. By age 12, his sister recalled, "he already had a
predilection for solving complicated problems in applied arithmetic," and he decided to see if
he could jump ahead by learning geometry and algebra on his own. His parents bought him
the textbooks in advance so that he could master them over summer vacation. Einstein
said, "Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus."
In 1900, Einstein graduated from the prestigious Polytechnic Academy in the Swiss
city of Zurich with a degree in maths and physics. The following year, Einstein gained Swiss
citizenship. He was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Zurich in 1905.
Einstein probably remains most famous for his ‘theory of relativity’ and perhaps the
most famous mathematical equation ever written, E = mc² – which means Energy (e) equals
mass (m) times the speed of light, squared (c²). In 1921, Einstein was awarded the Nobel
Prize for Physics.
In 1933 Einstein moved to America. This was because it was very difficult to be a
Jewish man living in Germany as Hitler and the Nazi Party were very much against Jewish
people. He accepted a position at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton University and
took US citizenship.
Einstein died on April 18, 1955. He was 76 years old. After he died, scientists
decided to study Einstein’s brain. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they found that the part that was

2. responsible for mathematical thought was 15% bigger than average. In 1999, Einstein was
named ‘Person of the Century’ by Time magazine.

3. A. Identify whether the sentences below are true (T) or false (F).
1. Einstein was quick in learning how to speak.
___________
2. When he was just five years old, his father bought him a compass.
___________
3. Einstein’s parents did not buy him any books for him because he could not read.
___________
4. In 1921, Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Mathematic.
___________
5. Einstein was named ‘Person of the Century’ by Time Magazine in 1999.
___________
6. E = mc² is Einstein’s most famous equation.
___________
7. He emigrated to the United States to escape the dangers of Nazi Germany.
___________
8. He took up a position at Harvard University.
___________
9. Einstein had Swiss and US citizenship.
___________
10. After he died, Einstein’s brain was removed and preserved for research purpose.
___________
B. Match the words with their appropriate meaning.
curious very much respected and admired
ordinary hate, dislike
take for granted not special or interesting
prestigious having a desire to learn or know more about something
against fail to appreciate the value of something