Listen&Learn: Marie Curie

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

Learn about one of history’s most well-known female scientists.

Pre-listening vocabulary

physicist: a type of scientist who studies physics
admit: to allow someone to enter a place
mineral: a solid natural substance
property: an attribute or quality that something has
radioactivity: the emission of radiation from certain elements
exposure: the state of coming into contact with something, especially something dangerous

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41 — 1.5MB)

Gapfill exercise

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist, known for her of radioactive chemicals. She was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of five children in her family. Growing up, Curie was smart and , and dreamed of getting a university degree. However, the University of Warsaw only admitted male students at the time. In order to get her degree, Curie moved to Paris. She studied physics at Sorbonne University, and later received another degree in math. After her , Curie went on to become a scientist. While working with a mineral known as pitchblende, Curie discovered a new chemical property, which we now know as radioactivity. She also discovered two new elements, which she called polonium and radium. Because of these scientific discoveries, Curie became the first person to ever win two Nobel Prizes. Curie died in 1934 from an caused by her exposure to radiation. However, her research has helped modern develop treatments for cancer, and she is still seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19445″]

Discussion/essay questions

While Marie Curie’s research did help scientists develop cancer treatments, her research was also important for the invention of the atomic bomb during World War II. The atomic bomb is still a controversial subject because of the amount of deaths it caused. Do you think Curie’s discoveries had a positive impact on the world, or a negative one?

Transcript

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist, known for her research of radioactive chemicals. She was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867, the youngest of five children in her family. Growing up, Curie was smart and curious, and dreamed of getting a university degree. However, the University of Warsaw only admitted male students at the time. In order to get her degree, Curie moved to Paris. She studied physics at Sorbonne University, and later received another degree in math. After her education, Curie went on to become a scientist. While working with a mineral known as pitchblende, Curie discovered a new chemical property, which we now know as radioactivity. She also discovered two new elements, which she called polonium and radium. Because of these scientific discoveries, Curie became the first person to ever win two Nobel Prizes. Curie died in 1934 from an illness caused by her exposure to radiation. However, her research has helped modern scientists develop treatments for cancer, and she is still seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

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11 comments

Mel says:

When nature created something, those in power used it to have a negative impact. When women scientists created something, leaders used it for a negative impact.
The better question is why do people leave their lives to leaders?
Asma Tanveer says:

I am also as curious as marie and want to become a scientist
Maulena Risqi Handayani says:

I think that curie was given an positif effect, cause she found the ways to solving cancer, but the next people utilizing it to another ways. In my oppinion this is not same thinking..
Jocelyne says:

The Discovery of Marie Curie had alone a positive impact on the world especially as a cancer. She is not responsible for the use made by others. The human mind is perverses whatever these discoveries it will add a negative point.
Mohamed Ahmed says:

I think Marie Corie had a negative and a positive effect on the world. She developed treatments for cancer but people used her discoveries in making an atomic bomb that lead to a lot of deaths. In my opinion, if people had used her discoveries for good cause she wouldn’t have a negative effect on the world. I wish people could use her discoveries in peaceful ways.
Vanessa says:

I think she was a dedicated researcher, as a woman she had to fight to persuit her goals and worked hard to accomplish her dreams. She had a positive impact on the world but maybe people just don´t get how to use that radioactiv energy for a better purpose.
masoud says:

each innoviation in word has two main way one way is good use for humen and oter way is badly for humen i think this innoviation was good for usefull way
Manh says:

I think her discoveries had a negative on the world beacause everything she found want to help people
Tu Tran says:

I think Marie Curie is scientist very well. Because she found elements, two of them elements, they are polorium and radium, and she is the first women recognized with two Nobel Frizes. She has fairly large comtribution for science and medicine. Because the elements that she found, they were could treatments for cancer. So she was a person positive impact on the world. And negative on the world, that is peoples the impose on elements polorium and radium invention atomic bomb during World War II.
Sang Phan says:

Helping scientists to develop cancer treatments or to invent an atomic bomb killing a massive number of people, all of this, in my opinon completely belongs to the will of human.
Hope that Curie’s research is only used for developing the peace and happiness of our world.
Onee says:

I took physics at institute. It was my dream that I wanted to be like Marie and Curie. I didn’t study well so it goes so far to become a discoverer. lol

It’s an irony that she died by radiation exposure. Thanks for her contribution.