Listening test: Famous Hungarian Inventors

Listen to a report on seven famous Hungarian inventors and choose the heading A to I which goes with each extract. There are two headings you do not need to use.


A - An existing object was made safer
B - Some arts have greatly benefited from this invention
C - The inventor came up with his invention accidentally
D - The inventor contributed to the construction of a lethal weapon
E - The inventor was a religious person
F - The inventor was an immigrant
G - The inventor was attributed the invention after his death
H - The inventor was helped by a relative
I - The inventor won a very important award

Extract 1
The computer was invented by János Neumann in 1944. Today’s modern computers are based on his work. In 1943, Neumann, a mathematician, began working on the Manhattan Project, where he tackled the immense calculations required for construction of an atomic bomb. As he was faced with such a daunting task, he became interested in using machines for the calculation and the resolution of specific mathematical problems. During and after the war, his interest in computers grew, and he contributed extensively to the construction of the first modern computers.

Extract 2
The soda water and the dynamo were both invented by Ányos Jedlik, in 1826 and 1861 respectively. Ányos Jedlik was a Hungarian inventor, engineer, physicist and Benedictine priest and also a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Extract 3
The modern ballpoint pen (also called biro or ballpen) was invented by László Bíró in 1931. Bíró was born in 1899. While working as a journalist, he noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper smudge-free. First, he tried to use the same ink in a fountain pen, but it didn’t work. Later a new tip was developed by Bíró and his brother György, a chemist. This new tip consisted of a ball that was free to turn in a socket and pick up ink from the cartridge and then roll to place it on the paper. The first ballpoint pen was presented at the Budapest International Fair in 1931.

Extract 4
The Ford Model T was designed by József Galamb, a mechanical engineer in 1908. The Model T, whose production continued until 1927, was wildly popular in the United States and is considered the first mass-produced automobile. In 1902 Galamb sailed to the United States to attend the World’s Fair in St. Louis, and joined the Westinghouse Corporation as a toolmaker. In 1905 he travelled to Detroit for a short visit, where he met Henry Ford, who convinced him to work for Ford Motor Company as a draftsman.

Extract 5
Binoculars were invented in 1840 by József Petzvál, a mathematician, inventor, and physicist best known for his work in optics. Petzval is considered to be one of the main founders of geometrical optics, modern photography and cinematography. Among Petzval's other works are the invention of opera glasses, work that led to the perfection of the telescope and microscope (1843) and efficient binoculars, and the construction of new floodlights (1847).

Extract 6
Vitamin C was discovered in 1932 by Albert Szent-Györgyi, a physiologist, who also won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1937. The Budapest-born researcher first isolated the crucial vitamin, which boosts the immune system and is an antioxidant, from paprika. He is one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. He worked at some of the world's leading academic research centers, including the University of Groningen, Cambridge University, and the Mayo Clinic. In 1930 Szent-Györgyi returned to Hungary as a professor of medicinal chemistry. He joined the anti-Nazi resistance movement in Hungary during World War II and his life was in constant danger. He left Hungary in 1947 to join the staff of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Extract 7
The safety match was invented in 1836 by János Irinyi, a chemist. In the 19th century, scientists discovered that matches could be made to light reliably by adding potassium chlorate. When a match is struck, heat is produced due to friction. But these matches were still dangerous, as potassium chlorate tends to be explosive. In 1836, Janos Irinyi replaced potassium chlorate with another substance, lead dioxide, which works in the same way, but is less explosive. Irinyi sold the invention to Istvan Romer, who set up the first commercial match factories, and these were a great success.

KEY: 
1D 2E 3H 4F 5B 6I 7A

Who invented writing

In this Ted-ed lesson, Matthew Winkler shows us the evolution of Sumerian cuneiform and explains the difference between writing those first symbols and simply drawing meaning.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the sentences below are true or false. You can also drop by Ted-ed and do the listening and speaking activities you can find there around Matthew's video lesson.



1 The writing system we use today can be traced back to 5,000 years ago. 
2 Before the invention of writing, humans were unable to record information.
3 The Sumerians discovered that it is easy to represent meanings with words.
4 Drawing what you mean is art.
5 At some stage symbols for sounds became more important than symbols for meaning.
6 The Chinese writing system resulted from the Sumerian writing system.
7 The Mayan culture started writing in 300 BC.
8 We don't know everything about the invention of writing.

Human beings have probably been speaking to each other for tens of thousands of years, but we've only been writing our words down for about 5,000 years. Before then, we recorded information using pictures and diagrams on pottery and cave walls or woven into fabric. Those artistic impulses led us down the path to writing. The writing system that we use in English actually started with the Sumerian culture sometime between 4500 B.C. and 1750 B.C. in lower Mesopotamia, which is modern-day Iraq and Syria. The Sumerians kept records of business deals using tiny, clay sculptures of goats, donkeys, and oxen. They then discovered that two-dimensional engravings on clay tablets were even simpler. For example, this symbol meant, "mountains," this one meant, "head". If the mouth area of head was emphasized, that could mean, "mouth". Mouth combined with water meant, "drink," and mouth joined to bread meant, "eat." Add the symbol for ox, and you have "eat an ox". Voila - the invention of writing! But some words have meanings that are hard to represent with symbols. How would you draw, "ox in the mountains"?

Remember, if you just draw what you mean, that's art, not writing. In order for this to be writing, the symbol has to stand for the word. Can you read this? It's a famous quote from Hamlet by William Shakespeare.  Right, "To be or not to be." That's how the Sumerians solved the problem too. Ox plus water plus mountain. What does water have to do with anything? Well, the Sumerian word for water sounded just like their word for "in," so "ox in mountains". Linguists call this rebus writing.

The Sumerians already knew how to represent meaning through written symbols and by representing sounds as well, the Sumerians expanded their written vocabulary. Gradually the symbols for sounds were used more often and the symbols for meaning were used less. The writing system became streamlined into a phonetic alphabet that we know as cuneiform. Many cultures, like the Acadians and the Syrians, adapted this Sumerian invention to create their own writing systems. The "Epic of Gilgamesh" and the "Code of Hammurabi" were written in variants of cuneiform.

As this technology spread, these symbols found their way to Greece and into the most widely used alphabet in the world today. But Sumeria wasn't the only place on Earth where writing was invented. Ancient Egyptians developed their hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts at about the same time, 3500 B.C. Then writing was independently invented in China, around 1500 B.C., and then, spread throughout Southeast Asia. Most recently, the Mayan culture in Central America began carving their cartouches in 300 A.D.

So, who invented writing? The Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Mayans for sure. Ultimately, all the writing systems still in use around the world today can be traced back to Sumeria or China. Writing may have also been invented in other parts of the world. Ancient inscriptions left by the Indus Valley and Rapa Nui cultures have been discovered, but nobody has been able to decipher them. Do you want to try?

Key:
1F 2F 3F 4T 5T 6F 7F 8T

How to spread the perfect slice of toast

I learnt about How to spread the perfect slice of toast through Jeffrey Hill, who in late June published a post on his blog, The English Blog, letting us know about Warburtons' invention to solve this English breakfast dilemma.


I have used Warburtons' video clip to create a listening activity suitable for Básico 2 students.


Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks on the transcript below with the missing words.


Once the full transcript is completed, try to improve your English pronunciation through the shadow reading technique, that is, reading at the same time as the narrator.


And make a point of dropping by The English Blog to read Jeffrey's comments and ideas on the toastie knife.






How to butter the perfect slice of toast?

No one enjoys the (1) ... of trying cold butter straight from the fridge on to toast in the morning. It’s too hard to spread and it’s a (2) ... experience first thing.

To help with this breakfast time trauma, Warburton has (3) ... the perfect solution –introducing the toastie knife. Using state-of-the-art technology to (4) ... an optimum butter spreading experience, the toastie knife comes complete with a handy (5) ... blade that can be (6) ... at the press of a button.

The toastie knife gently heats to (7) ...   degrees in (8) ...  seconds, the perfect temperature for efficient butter spreading, as identified by the country’s top toast experts.

Using the toastie knife start in the middle of your toast and use (9) ... , short strokes to the edges to secure even butter coverage. For best results, use a good quality loaf, one that is soft enough to (10) ...  taste but strong enough that it won’t tear when (11) ... . That will ensure you have the perfect breakfast bite.

Now, that we call the perfect toast experience.

Warburtons toastie knife, what do you think? Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

Key:

(1) annoyance (2) frustrating (3) invented (4) ensure (5) heated (6) activated (7) 41.8 (8) 30 (9) quick (10) guarantee (11) buttered