The Life and Work of Marie Curie IELTS Reading Passage with Answers
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
The Life and Work of Marie Curie
Marie Curie is probably the most famous woman scientist who has ever lived. Born Maria Sklodowska in Poland in 1867, she is famous for her work on radioactivity, and was twice a winner of the Nobel Prize. With her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel, she was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, and was then sole winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
From childhood, Marie was remarkable for her prodigious memory, and at the age of 16 won a gold medal on completion of her secondary education. Because her father lost his savings through bad investment, she then had to take work as a teacher. From her earnings she was able to finance her sister Bronia’s medical studies in Paris, on the understanding that Bronia would, in turn, later help her to get an education.
In 1891 this promise was fulfilled and Marie went to Paris and began to study at the Sorbonne (the University of Paris). She often worked far into the night and lived on little more than bread and butter and tea. She came first in the examination in the physical sciences in 1893, and in 1894 was placed second in the examination in mathematical sciences. It was not until the spring of that year that she was introduced to Pierre Curie.
Their marriage in 1895 marked the start of a partnership that was soon to achieve results of world significance. Following Henri Becquerel’s discovery in 1896 of a new phenomenon, which Marie later called ‘radioactivity’, Marie Curie decided to find out if the radioactivity discovered in uranium was to be found in other elements. She discovered that this was true for thorium.
Turning her attention to minerals, she found her interest drawn to pitchblende, a mineral whose radioactivity, superior to that of pure uranium, could be explained only by the presence in the ore of small quantities of an unknown substance of very high activity. Pierre Curie joined her in the work that she had undertaken to resolve this problem, and that led to the discovery of the new elements, polonium and radium. While Pierre Curie devoted himself chiefly to the physical study of the new radiations, Marie Curie struggled to obtain pure radium in the metallic state. This was achieved with the help of the chemist André-Louis Debierne, one of Pierre Curie’s pupils. Based on the results of this research, Marie Curie received her Doctorate of Science, and in 1903 Marie and Pierre shared with Becquerel the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of radioactivity.
The births of Marie’s two daughters, Irène and Eve, in 1897 and 1904 failed to interrupt her scientific work. She was appointed lecturer in physics at the École Normale Supérieure for girls in Sèvres, France (1900), and introduced a method of teaching based on experimental demonstrations. In December 1904 she was appointed chief assistant in the laboratory directed by Pierre Curie.
The sudden death of her husband in 1906 was a bitter blow to Marie Curie, but was also a turning point in her career: henceforth she was to devote all her energy to completing alone the scientific work that they had undertaken. On May 13, 1906, she was appointed to the professorship that had been left vacant on her husband’s death, becoming the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne. In 1911 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the isolation of a pure form of radium.
During World War I, Marie Curie, with the help of her daughter Irène, devoted herself to the development of the use of X-radiography, including the mobile units which came to be known as ‘Little Curies’, used for the treatment of wounded soldiers. In 1918 the Radium Institute, whose staff Irène had joined, began to operate in earnest, and became a centre for nuclear physics and chemistry. Marie Curie, now at the highest point of her fame and, from 1922, a member of the Academy of Medicine, researched the chemistry of radioactive substances and their medical applications.
In 1921, accompanied by her two daughters, Marie Curie made a triumphant journey to the United States to raise funds for research on radium. Women there presented her with a gram of radium for her campaign. Marie also gave lectures in Belgium, Brazil, Spain and Czechoslovakia and, in addition, had the satisfaction of seeing the development of the Curie Foundation in Paris, and the inauguration in 1932 in Warsaw of the Radium Institute, where her sister Bronia became director.
One of Marie Curie’s outstanding achievements was to have understood the need to accumulate intense radioactive sources, not only to treat illness but also to maintain an abundant supply for research. The existence in Paris at the Radium Institute of a stock of 1.5 grams of radium made a decisive contribution to the success of the experiments undertaken in the years around 1930. This work prepared the way for the discovery of the neutron by Sir James Chadwick and, above all, for the discovery in 1934 by Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie of artificial radioactivity. A few months after this discovery, Marie Curie died as a result of leukaemia caused by exposure to radiation. She had often carried test tubes containing radioactive isotopes in her pocket, remarking on the pretty blue-green light they gave off.
Her contribution to physics had been immense, not only in her own work, the importance of which had been demonstrated by her two Nobel Prizes, but because of her influence on subsequent generations of nuclear physicists and chemists.
Questions 1 – 3
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. Marie Curie’s husband was a joint winner of both Marla‘s Nobel Prizes.
2. Marie became interested in science when she was a child.
3. Marie was able to attend the Sorbonne because of her sister’s financial contribution.
4. Marie stopped doing research for several years when her children were born.
5. Marie took over the teaching position her husband had held.
6. Marie‘s sister Bronia studied the medical uses of radioactivity.
Question 7-13
Complete the notes below
Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet.
Marie Curie’s research on radioactivity
When uranium was discovered to be radioactive. Marie Curie found that the element called 7_______. had the same property.
Marie and Pierre Curie‘s research into the radioactivity of the mineral known as 8_______ led to the discovery of two new elements.
In 1911, Marie Curie received recognition for her work on the element 9_______
Marie and Irene Curie developed X-radiography which was used as a medical technique for 10 _______
Marie Curie saw the importance of collecting radioactive material both for research and for cases of 11 _______
The radioactive material stocked in Paris contributed to the discoveries in the 1930s of the 12_______and of what was known as artificial radioactivity.
During her research. Marie Curio was exposed to radiation and as a result, she suffered from 13 _______
The Life and Work of Marie Curie IELTS Reading Passage Answers
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1. FALSE
2. NOT GIVEN
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. TRUE
6. NOT GIVEN
7 thorium
8. pitchblende
9. radium
10. soldiers
11. illness
12. neutron
13. leukaemia/leukemia
The Life and Work of Marie Curie IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation
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Q1. Marie Curie’s husband was a joint winner of both Marie’s Nobel Prizes.
Answer: False: Paragraph 5 and 7
Supporting Sentence: “Based on the results of this research, Marie Curie received her Doctorate of Science, and in 1903 Marie and Pierre shared with Becquerel the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of radioactivity” and “On May 13, 1906, she was appointed to the professorship that had been left vacant on her husband’s death, becoming the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne. In 1911 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the isolation of a pure form of radium.”
Keywords: Husband, joint winner, 1903, 1911
Explanation: It was Marie Curie who received the Doctorate of Science and the Nobel Prize for Physics was shared by both Marie and Pierre. After the demise of her husband, Marie focused completely on her work and was later awarded Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Therefore, In 1903 Marie Curie and Pierre Curie shared the Nobel Prize for Physics with Becquerel. But Pierre Curie died in 1906. And Marie Curie got her 2nd Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911
Q2. Marie became interested in science when she was a child.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Q3. Marie was able to attend the Sorbonne because of her sister’s financial contribution.
Answer: True: Paragraph 2
Supporting Sentence: “Because her father lost his savings through bad investment, she then had to take work as a teacher. From her earnings, she was able to finance her sister Bronia’s medical studies in Paris, on the understanding that Bronia would, in turn, later help her to get an education.”
Keywords: Finance, Bronia, 1891, Sorbonne
Explanation: Marie’s father lost his savings because of bad investments and that resulted in their loss of money. Marie worked to finance her sister’s medical studies and later on Bronia also helped her to run her education.
Q4. Marie stopped doing research for several years when her children were born.
Answer: False: Paragraph: 6
Supporting Sentence: “The births of Marie’s two daughters, Irène and Eve, in 1897 and 1904 failed to interrupt her scientific work.”
Keywords: Birth, daughters, failed, interrupt, work
Explanation: : Marie didn’t pause her work even after her daughter’s birth. In fact, she was appointed as a lecturer in École Normale Supérieure for girls in Sèvres, France (1900). Therefore, Marie Curie did not stop any of her research work but she just lost her continuity in her scientific works when she gave birth to her children.
Q5. Marie took over the teaching position her husband had held.
Answer: True: Paragraph 7
Supporting Sentence: “On May 13, 1906, she was appointed to the professorship that had been left vacant on her husband’s death, becoming the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne.”
Keywords: May 13, 1906, professorship, vacant, husband’s death
Explanation: In 1906, Marie got the professorship job of her husband after he passed away. She then became the first woman to teach in Sorbonne. She went on to receive Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Q6. Marie’s sister Bronia studied the medical uses of radioactivity.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Q7. When uranium was discovered to be radioactive, Marie Curie found that the element called _____ had the same property.
Answer: Thorium: Paragraph 4
Supporting Sentence: “Following Henri Becquerel’s discovery in 1896 of a new phenomenon, which Marie later called ‘radioactivity’, Marie Curie decided to find out if the radioactivity discovered in uranium was to be found in other elements. She discovered that this was true for thorium.”
Keywords: Radioactivity, uranium, other elements, thorium
Explanation: Marie Curie considered Henri’s discovery as ‘radioactivity’. Later on, she proceeded with the aim to find out if the radioactivity that was found in uranium was also found in any other element. She discovered that it was found in thorium.
Q8. Marie and Pierre Curie’s research into the radioactivity of the mineral known as _____ led to the discovery of two new elements.
Answer: Pitchblende: Paragraph 5
Supporting Sentence: “Turning her attention to minerals, she found her interest drawn to pitchblende, a mineral whose radioactivity, superior to that of pure uranium, could be explained only by the presence in the ore of small quantities of an unknown substance of very high activity”
Keywords: Attention, minerals, interest, pitchblende, superior, uranium
Explanation: Since Marie Curie had attention in minerals and she found interest in pitchblende. Pitchblende is a mineral whose radioactivity is superior to that of pure uranium. Later Pierre Curie joined with Marie Curie and discovered two new elements called Radium and Polonium
Q9. In 1911, Marie Curie received recognition for her work on the element ______.
Answer: Radium: Paragraph 7
Supporting Sentence: “In 1911 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the isolation of a pure form of radium.”
Keywords: 1911, Nobel Prize, chemistry
Explanation: After the demise of her husband, Marie completely broke down but that was the turning point for her career. She went on to complete the scientific work and later also obtained the job left behind by her husband.
Q10. Marie and Irene Curie developed X-radiography which was used as a medical technique for _________.
Answer: Soldiers: Paragraph 8
Supporting Sentence: ” During World War I, Marie Curie, with the help of her daughter Irène, devoted herself to the development of the use of X-radiography, including the mobile units which came to be known as ‘Little Curies’, used for the treatment of wounded soldiers”
Keywords: World War 1, X-radiography, Little Curies
Explanation: Marie Curie which the help of her daughter Irene Curie developed X-radiography during World War 1. This development also included mobile units of X-radiography which was known as Little Curie. These mobile units were used in the treatment of wounded Soldiers
Q11. Marie Curie saw the importance of collecting radioactive material both for research and for cases of _______.
Answer: Illness: Paragraph 10
Supporting Sentence: “One of Marie Curie’s outstanding achievements was to have understood the need to accumulate intense radioactive sources, not only to treat illness but also to maintain an abundant supply for research.”
Keywords: Outstanding achievements, radioactive sources, illness
Explanation: Marie Curie had understood the importance of collecting the radioactive materials both for research and also to treat illness. The supporting sentence supports the answer.
Q12. The radioactive material stocked in Paris contributed to the discoveries in the 1930s of the _________ and of what was known as artificial radioactivity.
Answer: Neutron: Paragraph 10
Supporting Sentence: “This work prepared the way for the discovery of the neutron by Sir James Chadwick and, above all, for the discovery in 1934 by Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie of artificial radioactivity”
Keywords: Paris, Radium institute, James Chadwick
Explanation: The radioactive materials which had a stock of 1.5 grams of radium in Paris contributed to the discovery of Neutron in 1930 by Sir James Chadwick.
Q13. During her research, Marie Curie was exposed to radiation and as a result she suffered from _________.
Answer: Leukaemia: Paragraph 10
Supporting Sentence: “A few months after this discovery, Marie Curie died as a result of leukaemia caused by exposure to radiation.”
Keywords: Few months, discovery, leukaemia, exposure
Explanation: A few months after the discovery of artificial radioactivity in1934 Marie Curie died from Leukaemia due to exposure to radiations.
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