2015-08-21
824
After inventing dynamite, Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after first award’s ceremony.
Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $30,000 to $125,000.
Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decisions. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.
No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.
- When did the first award ceremony take place?
a) 1895 b) 1901 c) 1962 d) 1968
2. Why was the Nobel Prize established?
a) to recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity
b) to resolve political differences
c) to honor the inventor of dynamite
d) to spend money
3. In which area have Americans received the most awards?
a) literature b)peace c) economics d) science
4. Which of the following statements is not true?
a) awards vary in monetary value
b) ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention
c) politics can play an important role in selecting the winners.
d) a few individuals have won two awards.
5. In how many fields are prizes bestowed?
a) 2 b) 5 c) 6 d) 10
Read and translate the text
Franclin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, was from a wealthy, well-known family. As a child, he attended private school, had private tutors, and traveled with his parents to Europe. He attended Harvard University, and afterward studied law. At age 39 Roosevelt suddenly developed polio, a disease that left him without the full use of his legs for the rest of his life. Even though the worst of his illness, however, he continued his life in politics. In 1924 he appeared at the Democratic National Convention to nominate Al Smith for president, and eight years after that he himself was nominated for the same office.
Roosevelt was elected to the presidency during the Great Depression of the 1930s, at a time when more than 5,000 banks had failed and thousands of people were out of work. Roosevelt took action. First he declared a bank holiday that closed all the banks so no more could fail; then he reopened the banks little by little with government support. Roosevelt believed in using the full power of government to help what he called the “forgotten people”. And it was these workers, the wage earners, who felt the strongest affection toward Roosevelt. There were others, however, who felt that Roosevelt’s policies were destroying the American system of government, and they opposed him in the same intense way that others admired him.
In 1940 the Democrats nominated Roosevelt for an unprecedented third term. No president in American history had ever served three terms, but Roosevelt felt an obligation not to quit while the United States’ entry into World War II was looming in the future. He accepted the nomination and went on to an easy victory.
