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TEST 34 The Reluctant Genius He is the best-known scientist of our time, the Einstein of the 21st century. Stephen Hawking is instantly recognisable due to his wheelchair and computer-generated voice. But his disability has not stopped him from revolutionising the world of cosmology—the science of how the universe works. In fact, his disability is partly what spurred him on. Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942, exactly 300 years after Galileo's death. He was a bright student at school, but not exceptional. His marks did not reflect his true abilities. Similarly, he did not put much effort into his early years of university. He was extremely intelligent, but he was bored and needed to find a subject he was passionate about. It took him several years before he realised his interests lay in cosmology. Stephen Hawking developed a disease that started with slurred speech and muscle weakness, and rapidly progressed. Shortly after his 21st birthday, he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Stephen was told he only had a few years to live. Fearing he might not live long enough to finish his studies, Stephen threw himself into his work with a new passion. Stephen Hawking is well known for his theories on black holes. A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so high, nothing can escape it, not even light. They are created when giant stars collapse. There is a belief that time slows down inside a black hole. Stephen has also done much research into the origins of the universe. Stephen Hawking has survived more than 50 years with his illness. Perhaps it took this immense physical challenge to encourage a bored young student to grow into the genius he was meant to be. Read the text and shade a bubble or write an answer to each question. 1 What text type is this? scientific report autobiography biography historical recount 2 Who does the text call 'the best-known scientist' of the 21st century? 3 Why does Stephen Hawking have a computer-generated voice? 4 Which topic is NOT part of cosmology? black holes the creation of stars the origin of the universe the uses of medicinal herbs 5 What does 'diagnosed' mean? became ill became contagious the illness was identified recovered from an illness 6 How old was Stephen Hawking when he was diagnosed with ALS? 7 What happens in the later stages of ALS? an inability to walk difficulty swallowing difficulty speaking all of the above 8 ALS destroys a person's ability to think clearly. true false 9 What is a black hole? a rip in space a time machine a collapsed star with immense gravity a big ditch in the ground 10 What does a black hole look like? a dim star a black area in space a dark galaxy a whirlpool 11 Which book do you think Stephen Hawking wrote? Great Scientists of the 21st Century The Genius of Stephen Hawking The Big Bang and Black Holes Living with ALS 12 Why is Stephen Hawking called the 'reluctant genius'? he did not like school he did not want to be a genius it took a tragedy to make him reach his potential his parents forced him to go to university