henceforth

1

ThelifeandworkofMarieCurie

MariaSklodowskainPolandin1867,sheisfamousforherworkonradioactivity,and

rhusband,PierreCurie,andHenri

Becquerel,shewasawardedthe1903NobelPrizeforPhysics,andwasthensole

thefirstwomantowina

NobelPrize.

Fromchildhood,Mariewasremarkableforherprodigiousmemory,andattheageof

eherfather

losthissavingsthroughbadinvestment,

herearningsshewasabletofinancehersisterBronia’smedicalstudiesinParis,on

theunderstandingthatBroniawould,inturn,laterhelphertogetaneducation.

In1891thispromiwasfulfilledandMariewenttoPairsandbegantostudyatthe

Sorbonne(theUniversityofParis).Sheoftenworkedforintothenightandlivedon

efirstintheexaminationin

otuntilthespringofthatyearthatshewasintroduced

toPierreCurie.

Theirmarriagein1895markedthestartofapartnershipthatwassoontoachieve

ingHenriBecquerel’sdiscoveryin1896ofanew

phenomenon,whichMarielatercalled‘radioactivity’,MarieCuriedecidedtofindout

i

discoveredthatthiswastrueforthorium.

Turningherattentiontominerals,shefoundherinterestdrawntopitchblende,a

mineralwhoradioactivity,superiortothatofpureuranium,couldbeexplainedonly

bytheprenceintheoreofsmallquantitiesofanunknownsubstanceofveryhigh

Curiejoinedherintheworkthatshehadundertakentoresolvethis

problem,andthatledtothediscoveryofthenewelements,poloniumandradium.

WhilePierreCuriedevotedhimlfchieflytothephysicalstudyofthenewradiations,

sachieved

withthehelpofthechemistAndre-LouisDebierne,oneofPierreCurie’spupils.

Badontheresultsofthisrearch,MarieCuriereceivedherDoctorateofScience,

andin1903MarieandPierresharedwithBecquereltheNobelPrizeforPhysicsfor

thediscoveryofradioactivity.

ThebirthsofMarie’stwodaughters,IreneandEve,in1897and1904failedto

appointedlecturerinphysicsattheEcole

NormaleSuperieureforgirlsinSevres,France(1900),andintroducedamethodof

mber1904shewasappointed

2

chiefassistantinthelaboratorydirectedbyPierreCurie.

Thesuddendeathofherhusbandin1906wasabitterblowtoMarieCurie,butwas

alsoaturningpointinhercareer:henceforthshewastodevoteallherenergyto

13,1906,she

wasappointedtotheprofessorshipthathadbeenleftvacantonherhusband’sdeath,

1911shewasawardedthe

NobelPrizeforChemistryfortheisolationofapureformofradium.

DuringWorldWarI,MarieCurie,withthehelpofherdaughterIrene,devotedherlf

tothedevelopmentoftheuofX-radiography,includingthemobileunitswhich

cametobeknownas‘LittleCuries’,

1918theRadiumInstitute,whostuffIrenehadjoined,begantooperateinearnest,

urie,nowatthe

highestpointofherfameand,from1922,amemberoftheAcademyofMedicine,

rearchedthechemistryofradioactivesubstancesandtheirmedicalapplications.

In1921,accompaniedbyhertwodaughter,MarieCuriemadeatriumphantjourneyto

hereprentedher

lsogavelecturesinBelgium,Brazil,

SpainandCzechoslovakiaand,inaddition,hadthesatisfactionofeingthe

developmentoftheCurieFoundationinParis,andtheinaugurationin1932in

WarsawoftheRadiumInstitute,wherehersisterBroniabecamedirector.

OneofMarieCurie’soutstandingachievementswastohaveunderstoodtheneedto

accumulateintenradioactivesources,notonlytotreatillnessbutalsotomaintainan

stenceinParisattheRadiumInstituteofastock

of1.5gramsofradiummadeadecisivecontributiontothesuccessoftheexperiments

rkpreparedthewayforthediscoveryof

theneutronbySirJamesChadwickand,aboveall,forthediscoveryin1934byIrene

nthsafterthisdiscovery,

oftencarriedtesttubescontainingradioactiveisotopesinherpocket,remarkingonthe

prettyblue-greenlighttheygaveoff.

Hercontributiontophysicshadbeenimmen,notonlyinherownwork,the

importanceofwhichhadbeendemonstratedbyhertwoNobelPrize,butbecauof

herinfluenceonsubquentgenerationsofnuclearphysicistsandchemists.

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Questions1-6

Trueifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

Falifthestatementcontradictstheinformation

NotGivenifthereisnoinformationonthis

urie'shusbandwasajointwinnerofbothMaire'sNobelPrizes.

ecameinterestedinsciencewhenshewasachild.

asabletoattendtheSorbonnebecauofhersister'sfinancialcontribution.

toppeddoingrearchforveralyearswhenherchilrenwereborn.

ookovertheteachingpositionherhusbandhadheld.

'ssisterBroniastudiedthemedicalusofradioactivity.

Questions7-13

Completethenotesbelow.

ChooONEWORDfromthepassageforeachanswer.

Whenuraniumwasdiscoveredtoberadioactive,MarieCuriefoundthatthe

sameproperty.

MarieandPierreCurie'srearchintotheradioactivityofthemineralknownas

iscoveryoftwonewelements.

In1911,MarieCuriereceivedrecognitionforherworkontheelement

9..

MarieandIreneCuriedevelopedX-radiographywhichwasudasamedical

techniquefor10..

MarieCuriesawtheimportanceofcollectingradioactivematerialbothfor

rearchandforcasof11..

TheradioactivematerialstockedinPariscontributedtothediscoveriesinthe

hatwasknownasartificicalradioactivity.

Mariewaxpodtoradiationandasaresultshesufferedfrom

13..