Marie Curie was one of the most famous scientists in the world. She was the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice. She is remembered for her discovery of radioactive elements polonium and radium. Her findings paved the way for effective cancer treatment.
  Early life and education
Marie was born in Poland in 1867. Her parents were teachers. She had three sisters and a brother. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was 11. Marie was clever and hard-working. She had excellent performance in school. She finished high school at the age of 15.
Marie was determined to further her studies. However, her family did not have much money. She worked as a private tutor to help with family finances. She made an agreement with her sister, Bronya, that she would send some of her wages to support Bronya’s study of medicine in Paris in return for similar help later.
In 1891, Marie left Poland for France. She studied mathematics and physics at the University of Paris. In 1893, she was awarded a degree in physics and began to work in a laboratory. The next year, she gained her mathematics degree. At the age of 27, Marie met Pierre Curie, a senior worker at a laboratory, at the home of a Polish physicist. Soon they fell in love because they had much in common, including a great passion for scientific research. They got married in 1895. Their two daughters, Irene and Eve, were born in 1897 and 1904 respectively.
  Career path and achievements
Marie continued her scientific research after marriage. Marie was inspired by Henri Becquerel’s findings about an element, uranium, and she decided to study radiation. Pierre quit his own research to join his wife’s study. In 1898, Marie and Pierre discovered two new elements which were more radioactive than uranium. The first one, polonium, was named after Marie’s birth country. The second one, radium, was even more radioactive than polonium. The couple also discovered that radium could be used to treat cancer.
In 1903, Marie gained her Doctor of Science degree. In the same year, the Curies shared a Nobel prize in physics with Henri Becquerel for their discovery of polonium and radium. Marie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Unfortunately, with little knowledge of the health risks of exposure to radiation, both Marie and Pierre conducted their scientific research without appropriate protection. As a result, they constantly suffered from radiation sickness.
In 1906, Pierre had a road accident. He was run over by a carriage and killed. Marie was heart-broken. Later, she took her late husband’s place as Professor of General Physics at the University of Paris. She was the first female professor at the university. In 1911, she won another Nobel Prize in chemistry for successfully obtaining radium as a pure metal as well as the study of the nature of the element and its compounds. She was the first person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. Marie also won a lot of honours and awards for her outstanding achievements.
At the end of World War I, Marie was appointed Director of Curie Laboratory at the Radium Institute of the University of Paris in 1919 where she continued to conduct her scientific research. In 1934, Marie died of aplastic anaemia, a blood disease.
     Other information
Apart from conducting scientific research, Marie was devoted to humanitarian work. In 1914, World War I started. Marie saw the need to set up radiology centres near the front lines as she realised that X-rays could save soldiers’ lives by allowing doctors to locate bullets and broken bones. She sought donations from manufacturers and wealthy people to transform ordinary vehicles into radiology vehicles. Also, she served as the director of the Red Cross Radiology Service to supervise the installation of the mobile X-ray units, provide training to helpers and so on. She made a great contribution to saving soldiers’ lives.

Suggested answers

We must follow the safety measures strictly when conducting experiments with radioactive elements. (para 1)

Tuberculosis is spread through the air. Its symptoms include low-grade fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss and a persistent cough. To prevent the disease, we should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. (para 2)

My brother is determined to be a professional cyclist and practises hard every day. (para 3)

A laboratory is a room or a building with scientific equipment for conducting experiments. (para 4)

John was inspired by the creative work of the poet. He started to write his own poems to express his feelings on a variety of topics. (para 5)

Unfortunately, the picnic was cancelled because of the heavy rain. (para 6)

Mary is a competent speaker. She always has an outstanding performance in debating competitions. (para 7)

The charity often provides humanitarian aid to people who are suffering. ("Other information")

Suggested answers

Suggested answers

Marie is known for her discovery of ___.
radioactive elements
When did Marie’s mother die?
1878
Marie’s sister, Bronya, agreed to ___ later.
support Marie’s study
Marie and Pierre ___.
all of the above
Arrange uranium, polonium and radium in the order of their radioactivity, e.g. the most radioactive one on the left.
radium > polonium > uranium
Which of the following element(s) could be used to treat cancer?
radium
Why did Marie and Curie suffer from radiation sickness? It was because they ___.
did not have appropriate protection when conducting experiments
In paragraph 7, "the element" refers to ___.
radium
In paragraph 7, "two different scientific fields" refer to ___.
physics and chemistry
Why could mobile X-ray units help save soldiers’ lives? Mobile X-ray units helped battlefield doctors ___.
all of the above

Part A

Read the biography of Marie Curie. Arrange the events in chronological order by clicking each text box and choosing the correct event.