TEXT III
STEPHEN HAWKING
Stephen Hawking, one of the most famous scientists
of the 21st century, died on March 14th, 2018. But his
ideas on gravity, black holes and the Big Bang are the
greatest legacy he left to the world.
Early Life and College
On January 8th, 1942, Stephen Hawking was born to
a successful family in Oxford, England. He was not the
best student at fundamental or high school, but he was
very smart. His dad wanted him to become a medical
doctor, but Stephen really wanted to study math.
Despite his poor grades at school, Stephen aced his
exams for college. He was admitted to Oxford University,
but they didn't have math as a major. So, he decided to
study physics and chemistry instead.
Stephen became a member of a rowing team when he
was in college. After he graduated, he decided to continue
his education and went to graduate school.
Graduate School, Marriage and Health Problems
While in graduate school, he had some health
problems. He began tripping for no reason, and his speech
became hard to understand. His family encouraged him to
go to the doctor. Stephen was diagnosed with a disease
called ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, which affects the
brain and spine. He was only twenty one, and the doctors
initially gave him only a few years to live. Luckily, his
condition progressed more slowly than is often the case.
During this time, Stephen had a relationship with a
woman named Jane. He said she and his work were his
inspiration for living. Stephen earned his Ph.D. degree in
1965. He started to get worse, and eventually became
confined to a wheelchair. Nonetheless, he and Jane
married in 1965 and were able to have three children.
He studied how space and time are related, including
scientific studies of black holes in space and how they
work in the universe. He also had a lot of success in his
work as a college professor.
A New Voice
In 1985, Stephen got really sick and doctors were able
to save him, but he was unable to speak. He could only
use his eyebrows to communicate. Eventually, he was able
to use a special voice synthesizer, allowing him to talk by
moving his cheek muscles and using a mouse pad.
Famous Works and Prizes
His most notorious theory is that black holes can emit
radiation; also known as Hawking radiation. He received
numerous awards but never won the Nobel Prize.
Stephen always enjoyed writing books. His best seller,
“A Brief History in Time” made terms like the Big Bang and
black holes easy to understand. Other famous Stephen
Hawking books include: “A Briefer History in Time", “On the
Shoulders of Giants” and "The Universe in a Nutshell". He
also wrote many books for children along with his daughter
Lucy. His famous books for children include "George’s
Cosmic Treasure Hunt" and “George and the Big Bang”.
His last work, submitted only two weeks before his
death, reveals the universe will come to an end when stars
run out of energy. However, his theory suggests that
scientists will be able to find parallel universes using
probes on spaceships.
Say if the following statements are T (true) or F (false)
about Hawking’s disease. Then mark the correct option,
from top to bottom.
( ) It confined him to a wheelchair.
( ) It affected his ability to speak.
( ) It was diagnosed when he was 21 years old.
( ) It progressed more quickly than expected.
( ) It made him sturhble for no reason.