TEXT 1.
History Jokes
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor
Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming
from a nearby boy. He dropped his tools and
ran to the boy. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and
struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the boy from what could have been a
slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage
pulled up to the Scotsman's place. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced
himself as the father of the boy farmer Fleming
had saved.
"I want to repay you", said the nobleman. "You saved my
son's life". "No, I can't accept payment for what I did", the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son
came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?"
the nobleman asked. "Yes", the farmer replied proudly. "I'll make you
a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the fellow is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you
can be proud of.
And that he did. In time, farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's
Hospital Medical School in
London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming,
the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman's son was close
to death from pneumonia. What saved him?
Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph
Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston
Churchill
Task 1. For each of the questions 1-10 decide which of the statements are true (T) or false (F)
1.
The text tells about an important event in history of medicine. '
2.
At the beginning of the story, the farmer was bathing in a river.
3.
There must have been an accident with a little boy.
4.
The action takes place nowadays.
5.
The farmer's children were all girls.
6.
The little boy's father wanted to give the farmer a sum of money.
7.
The farmer seemed to know the importance of knowledge.
8.
The nobleman's prediction did not come true.
9.
The boy glorified his family name.
10. Sometimes wonderful coincidences happen in life.
Task 2. For each of the questions 11 —20 decide which of the answers (a,
b, c or d) best complete the statements
11. It may be inferred from the text that the
Fleming family lived:
a) in the south of Great Britain;
b) in the north of Great Britain;
c) in the centre of Great Britain;
d) outside Great Britain.
12. The farmer must have been:
a) kind and wealthy;
b) noble and proud;
c) hardly able to make ends meet;
d) idle and suspicious.
13. One can make a conclusion that the saved boy's
father was:
a) a successful farmer;
b) a good hunter;
c) an aristocrat;
d) a beggar.'
14. The farmer's son must have been:
a) worth pride;
b) a clever kid;
c) a nobleman;
d) from Ireland.
15. The nobleman's offer was:
a) rather stupid; .
b) just and generous;
c) not worth considering;
d) never accepted.
16. After receiving his education, young Fleming
was supposed to:
a) work with customers;
b) sell medicines;
c) look for criminals;
d) treat patients.
17.
Alexander
Fleming discovered:
a) a penny ceiling;
b) a pan sealing;
c) penicillin;
d) pennies while pealing.
18.
Fleming's discovery made him:
a) cruel and dangerous;
b) famous worldwide;
c) thrilling and exciting;
d) quite boring.
19. One can infer from the text that:
a) the Flemings and the Churchills were close friends;
b) Alexander Fleming may not necessarily have seen Winston Churchill after the childhood accident;
c) Winston Churchill almost died from the medicines given by Fleming;
d) Alexander Fleming was Winston Churchill's personal doctor
TEXT 2.
Elizabeth Blackwell was
born in England in
1821, and emigrated to New
York City when she
was ten. One day
she decided that
she wanted to
become a doctor. That
was nearly impossible
for a woman
in the middle
of the 19th century. After writing
many letters asking
for admission to medical
schools, she was finally accepted
in Philadelphia.
In 1849, after
graduating from medical
school, she decided to
continue her education
in Paris. She wanted
to be a
surgeon, but a serious
eye infection crashed her
plans.
Returning
to the USA
she found it
difficult to start
her own practice
because she was a woman. By
1857 Elizabeth and
her sister, also a doctor, along with
another female doctor, could
open a new hospital, the first
for women and children. Besides being
the first female
physician and founding
her own hospital, she
also founded the
first medical school
for women.
Task 2. Answer the questions
1.
Where had Elizabeth
lived till she
was ten?
A)
in New York
B)
in England
C)
in Philadelphia
D)
in Paris
2.
What did she do
in Philadelphia?
A)
she worked as a doctor
B) she
studied at a medical school
C) she wrote letters
D) she taught medicine at
school
3.
What country did
she continue her
education?
A) in England
B) in the
USA
C) in France
D) on the
Philippines
4.
Why couldn’t she
become a surgeon?
A) she couldn’t get to
medical school
B) she decided to continue
her education in Paris
C) because of a serious eye
infection
D) it was difficult for her
to start practice
5.
What was the
main problem for
her as a
doctor?
A) she was a woman
B) she wrote
too many letters
C) she couldn’t
graduate from medical
school
D) she couldn’t open her
hospital