Biography of Someone

Albert Einstein

           

Albert Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich, where he later on began his schooling at the Luitpold Gymnasium. Later, they moved to Italy and Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland and in 1896 he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he gained his diploma, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, as he was unable to find a teaching post, he accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor's degree.

During his stay at the Patent Office, and in his spare time, he produced much of his remarkable work and in 1908 he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945.

After World War II, Einstein was a leading figure in the World Government Movement, he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

            Einstein always appeared to have a clear view of the problems of physics and the determination to solve them. He had a strategy of his own and was able to visualize the main stages on the way to his goal. He regarded his major achievements as mere stepping-stones for the next advance.

(From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901-1921, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1967)

            Questions:

1.      What is the text mainly about?

2.      How was his childhood?

3.      How old was he when his family moved to Munich?

4.      When did he earn his doctorate degree?

5.      What does ‘a similar post’ in the second paragraph refer to?

6.      Why did he move to the United States?

7.      Did he accept the position in State Presidency of Israel?

8.      What does the word ‘them’ in “… determination to solve them” refer to?

9.      Find the meanings of these words:

·         schooling

·         post

·         spare time

·         renounce

·         retire

·         decline

·         determination




Recount is a text which has social function to retell events for the purpose of informing.
 Read the following text carefully.
           Last summer, the writer went to Italy. He visited museums. He sat in a public garden, and a friendly waiter taught him a few Italian words. He thought about postcards yesterday. His holiday passed quickly. On the last day, he got up early and bought 37 cards. He was in his room all day, but he did not write a single card.

(Modified from Alexander, 1990)

 

When you tell about what happened in the past, it means that you make a recount text. A recount text has the following text structure:

Orientation: provides the setting and introduces participants

                        The writer went to Italy.

        

         Events: tell what happened, in what sequence

                   He visited museums.

                        He sat in a public garden.

                        He thought about postcards yesterday.

                        His holiday passed quickly.

                        He got up early and bought 37 cards.

        Re-orientation: presents optional-closure of events

He was in his room all day, but he did not write a single card.