UNIT 1: LOUIS PASTEUR

Louis Pasteur was one of the greatest scientists of all time. Pasteur made very important
discoveries in biology and chemistry, and the techniques he developed helped greatly to
develop medical science and the agricultural and food industries.
Pasteur was born in a small town in France during the year 1822. When he was a young,
Pasteur studied science at a university in the city of Paris. He soon did some excellent work in
chemistry, and later began his famous study of germs.
Pasteur was one of the first scientists to understand that many diseases could be caused by
extremely small, invisible organisms. Only a few other scientists had believed this before
Pasteur. He advised doctors to wash their hands thoroughly before treating patients.
Pasteur also demonstrated that life forms did not arise spontaneously. His research
confirmed the idea, developed by previous scientists, that a living organism would not appear
unless other individuals of its kind were present.
One of Pasteur’s most important contributions was a technique that has been named after
him: pasteurization. Pasteurization kills the germs that are found in drinks such as milk or beer.
Because of Pasteur’s technique, people are no longer infected with diseases by drinking these
liquids.
Just as important as pasteurization was a techinique called immunization. Pasteur found that
a person or animal could be made safe, or immune, from a disease, by injecting the person with
some weakened germs that cause the disease. The body can resist the disease after being
immunized in this way. Today, many diseases are prevented by the use of this techinique.
Pasteur’s discoveries also helped to save people who had already been infected with
diseases. One such disease is rabies. Rabies is a disease that sometimes occurs in animals. This
disease usually kills the animal, but before dying, the animal becomes very aggressive, and may
spread the disease by biting a person or another animal.
One day, the parents of a yound boy came to Pasteur. Their son had been bitten by a dog
that had the rabies disease. The parents knew that their son would be die from the disease,
unless something could done to save him. Pasteur agreed to help the boy, and the immunization
technique saved the boy’s life.
Pasteur died in 1895. He as greatly admired around the world for his achievements, which
have helped all of humankind. Todaym Pasteur is considered to be th greatest figure in the
history of medicine.
Comprehension Test
A. Pasteur was born in Paris in 1822. False
B. Pasteurisation is a process that prevents disease by injecting a person with some weakened
germs that cause that disease. False
C. Pasteur used immunization to help a young boy with rabies. True
D. Pasteur’s work affects few people today. False
Vocabulary:
a living organism: một thực thể sống (động/ thực vật)
achievement (n): thành tựu
admire (v): ngưỡng mộ
aggressive (a): hung hãn, hung hăng
arise spontaneously: phát sinh một cách tự phát
be considered to be: được coi như là
biology (n): sinh vật học
bite (v): cắn, (côn trùng) chích
confirm (v): khẳng định
demonstrate (v): chúng minh cụ thể, giải thích (bằng thí nghiệm)
disease (n): bệnh tật
figure (n): nhân vật (nổi tiếng)
food industry (np): công nghiệp thực phẩm
greatest scientist (np): khoa học gia vĩ đại nhất
human kind (n): loài người
immunization (n): sự miễn nhiễm (căn bệnh)
individual (n): cá thể, cá nhân
infect (v): gây nhiễm bệnh (with)
inject (v): tiêm, chích thuốc
invisible (a): không thể thấy được, vô hình
life forms: các dạng đời sống
liquid (n): chất lỏng
medical science (np): y khoa
of all time (idm): của mọi thời đại
pasteurization (n): sự làm tiệt trùng
rabies (n): bệnh chó dại
resist (v): kháng lại
save (v): cứu sống
spread (v): lan rộng
study of germs: ngành nghiên cứu về vi trùng (mầm bệnh)
technique (n): kĩ thuật
thoroughly (adv): hoàn toàn
treat (v): điều trị