7.2
A BRIEF HISTORY OF STEPHEN HAWKING
SPEAKING
1
Discuss these questions with a partner.
1
Which scientists do you know? Are there any famous
scientists from your country?
2
What have they discovered or done?
3
Look at the photos on the webpage below. Do you
know anything about this man?
READING
2
a
Look at the webpage about Stephen Hawking.
Why is he famous?
2
b
Complete this summary of Hawking’s life. Write one
word in each gap. (The words you need are in the text.)
Stephen Hawking was
1
in Oxford, in 1942. He
studied at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
He was still a young man when he
2
that he
had a serious disease. However, he finished his PhD
and got a
3
at Cambridge University. From 1979
to 2009, he was Professor of
4
there. In 1985,
after an operation, he started to use special equipment
to help him
5
. Three years later, he wrote his
famous book, which sold millions of
6
. Hawking
rewrote the
7
in 2005. In
8
, he was part
of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.
Surprisingly, Hawking believes that he is not an
9
person. He is proud of his family and his work,
and grateful for the
10
that many different people
have given him.
3
Justifying selections
Read the webpage again. What
are the two most interesting facts in the text? Tell your
partner why you have chosen them.
VOCABULARY
NOUNS, ADJECTIVES AND VERBS WITH
PREPOSITIONS
4
a
Complete these sentences with a preposition (e.g.
to, of
). Find the highlighted words in the text to check
your answers.
1
The lab is separate
the main building.
2
He’s writing a history
crime in the US.
3
She became very successful
business.
4
Communicating is much easier now, thanks
the internet.
5
They have received the report
the police
officers.
4
b
Look at the prepositions above. What other ones
do you know?
4
c
7.3
Complete these questions with a
preposition. Listen and check your answers.
1
What are you interested
?
2
In your family, who do you have a good
relationship
?
3
What are you afraid
?
4
What are you proud
?
5
What’s the best thing that’s ever happened
you?
6
What do you spend your money
?
7
Which clubs or organisations do you belong
?
4
d
Work with a partner. Ask and answer the
questions above. Give reasons for your answers.
I’m interested in science because I want to know how
things work. I’m also interested in …
Born
8 January 1942, in Oxford
Education
St Albans School
(20 miles north of London)
University College,
Oxford (1959–62),
studied Physics
PhD, University of
Cambridge (1966)
Career
Institute of Astronomy,
Cambridge (1968–73)
Professor of Mathematics,
Cambridge (1979–2009)
Director of Research, Centre
for Theoretical Cosmology,
Cambridge (2009–)
56
StephenWilliamHawking
Stephen Hawking is one of the world’s most famous scientists.
He is well-known for his work on black holes, and has developed
a number of new ideas about them. Hawking believes that
the birth of the universe (the ‘Big Bang’) created many small
black holes. Hawking also thinks that there is a sort of hole in
the centre of a black hole. This hole leads to another universe,
completely separate from our own.
Hawking’s 1988 book, sold one copy for every 750 people on
Earth. However, many people could not really understand the
book and they had to give up reading it. As a result, Hawking
decided to write an easier version of his book (2005).
In a futher book with Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking argued
that we should look for a different way to discover the deepest
mysteries of the universe. Instead of trying to find one big new
explanation for these mysteries, scientists should put together
all the ideas that they already have.
At the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics,
Hawking said to a TV audience of 900 million people: ‘Look up
at the stars and not down at your feet … be curious.’
Ideas and books
