Весь мир знает их. Томас Эдисон.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was born in 1847. He first went to school at the age of eight and a half. But after only three months his teacher called him «stupid» and he came home crying.

 From that time his mother taught him at home and he read science books by himself. He got a job sending telegraph messages. Then he started inventing things. At the age of 12 he had a job selling newspapers. He made money in a clever but simple way.

 He checked the news stories first. When the news was interesting he took a lot of papers; when it was boring he took only few.

 In 1877 he made a «phonograph» — the first ever sound recorder. The following year he invented the light bulb.

In 1882 New York was the first city in the world with electric lights. In 1889 he made a «kinetoscope». He also made films for his new machine.

In 1903 he made the world's longest film (It was ten minutes long!) After more than one thousand inventions, Edison died at the age of eighty-four. In his honour they switched off the lights all over America.

(http://www.english-lessons-online.ru/chitalka/topics/znamenitosti-43)

2. From the following statements, choose true or false option:

1. Thomas Edison first went to school at the age of eight and a half.

a.True b.False

2. After only three months his teacher called him «the smartest pupil in the class».

a.True b.False

3. His mother taught him at home and he read science books by himself.

a.True b.False

4. He made the world's longest film.

a.True b.False

3. Find the equivalents of the following words and expressions in the text:

фонограф

в его честь

лампочка

выключили

4. Answer the questions:

1. Thomas Edison was born in 1847, wasn't he?
2. Why did mother teach him at home?
3. What were his inventions?
4. When did Edison die?
5. What did Americans do in his honour?