Unit 20: Albert Einstein

Word List

accomplish

accomplish [əˈkʌmplɪʃ] v. accomplish

To accomplish something means to finish it.

→ He accomplished his goal of running ten miles.

approve

approve [əˈpruːv] v. approve

To approve of something means you like it or are happy about it.

→ Her co-workers approved her new plan.

approximate

approximate [əˈprɒksəmɪt] adj. approximate

Approximate means to be close to an exact amount, number or time.

→ My approximate height is two meters.

barrier

barrier [ˈbærɪər] n. barrier

A barrier is something that is in your way.

→ The Great Wall was a barrier between China and its enemies.

detect

detect [dɪˈtekt] v. detect

To detect something means to notice or find something.

→ The boy ran to the kitchen when he detected the smell of cookies.

duty

duty [ˈdjuːtɪ] n. duty

A duty is something that a person has to do.

→ It is parents’ duty to take care of their children.

elementary

elementary [ˌəlɪˈmentərɪ] adj. elementary

When something is elementary, it is the first or most simple thing.

→ Children go to elementary school before high school.

failure

failure [ˈfeɪljər] n. failure

A failure happens when you do not do something right.

→ My cooking ended in failure because I burned the food.

gradual

gradual [ˈgrædjʊəl] adj. gradual

When something is gradual, it happens slowly.

→ Children learn to read at a gradual pace. They do not learn right away.

immigrant

immigrant [ˈɪmɪgrənt] n. immigrant

An immigrant is a person who moves to a different country.

→ My parents were immigrants. They came from Poland.

insert

insert [inˈsəːrt] v. insert

To insert something means to put it in something else.

→ The mailman inserted the letter into the mailbox.

instant

instant [ˈɪnstənt] n. instant

An instant is a very short amount of time.

→ A microwave oven cooks food in an instant.

poverty

poverty [ˈpɒvətɪ] n. poverty

Poverty is the state of being poor.

→ Poverty is a problem in many countries around the world.

pretend

pretend [prɪˈtend] v. pretend

To pretend means to make believe something is real.

→ The boy liked to pretend he was a king.

rank

rank [ræŋk] n. rank

A person’s rank is their place in an order of people.

→ The man got to the rank of captain in the navy.

recognition

recognition [ˌrekəgˈnɪʃən] n. recognition

Recognition is getting praise from other people.

→ The hero got recognition for his brave deed.

refrigerate

refrigerate [rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪt] v. refrigerate

To refrigerate something means to make it cold.

→ Grocery stores refrigerate fruit to make it last long.

rent

rent [rent] n. rent

Rent is the money people pay to someone to live in a certain place.

→ To live in this house, I have to pay rent at the start of each month.

retire
retire [rɪˈtaɪər] v. retire

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.

statistic

statistic [stəˈtɪstɪk] n. statistic

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 1

Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

I need to make cold the warm soda.

refri

The numbers that tells a fact show it is more dangerous to ride in a car than an airplane.

stat

His father would agree with and like his plans to go to college.

app
It makes me sad that so many people suffer having no money.

pov

I could not get past the thing that was in my way.

bar

She does not have a dog, but she likes to make believe that she does.

pre

Watering the plants is my thing I have to do.

du

The loud noise made her wake up in a very short amount of time.

an in
To open the lock, put in the key.

He will have to leave if he does not pay the money to live here.

EXERCISE 2

Check (V) the sentence with the bolded word that makes better sense.

____ a. Learning Spanish was a gradual process for me.

____ b. The boy retired his mother.

____ a. The bottle fell and broke in an instant.

____ b. I accomplish sleeping before I go to bed.

____ a. Four is the approximate number of forty.

____ b. The old man retired from his job.

____ a. It is not always easy to accomplish hard goals.

____ b. The race car won by going at a gradual speed.

____ a. Peanuts are an instant to grow and eat.

____ b. His approximate height is two meters.

EXERCISE 3
Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

WORD BLANK

barrierrecognitionfailureelementaryimmigrant

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.

Answer Key

Albert Einstein

ALBERT EINSTEIN Albert Einstein

My name is Albert Einstein. Many people know about the great things I’ve accomplished. But I had many
barriers 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
movement of very small things, like atoms. And for fun, I made a machine that could refrigerate food by
inserting heat. I never retired. It was my duty to keep working. I overcame many hard times, and I will be
remembered for my important works.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

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

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.

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.

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 as a power source

c. he had a duty to retire

d. he detected the movement of atoms

Why did Albert’s family live in poverty?

Answer Key

accomplishExerciseUnit 21: From the Earth to the Stars