Level : 3rd year

Lesson 09: Talents: Use them or Lose them

Module: CCCA3
Instructor(s): Up Anglais
Learning Outcomes:

▻ Define talent and its types.

▻ Recognize the importance of developing one's talent.

▻ Discuss ethical issues related to talents through case studies.

▻ Practice the passive voice with simple Tenses.

⮚ Read the following text and answer the questions below:

A GIFTED TEENAGER BREAKS SCIENCE RECORD

1. 13-year-old Jamie Edwards made history when he became the youngest person in the world
to create nuclear fusion1 in the laboratory of his secondary school. When Jamie first informed
his head teacher about his plan to create nuclear fusion in the school, he was stunned. ‘I was a
little nervous,’ he admits. Fortunately, after Jamie gave a presentation about the safety and the
benefits, head teacher Jim Hourigan agreed to let the experiment go ahead. Jamie had always
been interested in science and developed a fascination for radiation. He even saved up to buy
a Geiger counter, a device that detects radiation, with his pocket money.
2. But his ambition to create nuclear fusion was sparked when he came across a story about
Taylor Wilson, a 14-year old schoolboy from the US who had become the youngest person to
produce a small fusion reactor in 2008. ‘I looked at it, thought “that looks cool” and decided
to have a go,’ he says. He calculated that he needed about £2,000 to build the machine, and
first contacted nuclear laboratories, engineering companies and universities to enlist their
help. Not surprisingly, they didn’t take a 13-year-old seriously. So with the help of his science
teacher, he turned to his head teacher and persuaded him to fund the project. After months of
work, and making many of the parts himself, he was ready to try it out just days before his
14th birthday. … And when he turned on the switch, the Geiger counter registered that fusion
had indeed taken place. ‘Seeing that purple glow was the best part,’ said Edwards. As the
neutron detector confirmed it, Jamie knew that he’d become the world’s youngest person to
achieve nuclear fusion from scratch, using high energy to smash hydrogen atoms together to

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create helium. Speaking after the experiment, Jamie was delighted. ‘It’s quite an achievement.
I can’t quite believe it!’ he said.
3.Scientists around the world are now repeating Jamie’s experiment, but on a much bigger
scale, in the hope of using it to fuel cheap, environmentally friendly power stations with the
aim of producing clean, carbon-free energy. Meanwhile, Jamie, who has ambitions to become
an engineer or nuclear physicist in the future, remains down-to-earth and is modest about his
achievements. As he says, ‘None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for a science
teacher who believed in the dreams of her pupil, and a head teacher who was willing to take a
risk to give me the opportunity.
4. So to any young scientists out there, no matter how young, nothing is ever too big for you
to try. All you need is curiosity, determination, and an open mind.’

1 NUCLEAR FUSION is a reaction in which two or more atoms collide at a very high speed
and form a new type of atom. During the process, energy is produced.

Questions:

A- Read the article quickly. What do you think is the boy’s extraordinary talent? Then read the

article more carefully and check.

B- Decide if the statements are facts (F) or opinions (O).

1. Jamie has become the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion. F/O

2. Not many teenagers are interested in doing science experiments. F/O

3. Jamie learnt about safety before doing the experiment. F/O

4. Nuclear fusion is the best option for producing clean energy. F/O

5. Jamie is likely to become a successful nuclear scientist. F/O

C- Read the article again and choose the best answers.

1 Jamie’s experiment was exceptional because …

a Nobody believed that he could do it.

b Only older people had done it before.

c Everyone thought that it was too dangerous.

2 He was motivated to do the experiment because …

a He was interested in radiation.

b He wanted to be the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion.

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c He was inspired by a young scientist that he read about online.

3 The experiment was useful because …

a Jamie built the machine using simple materials.

b The idea may help to produce a form of energy.

c Teachers, experts and newspapers could see it.

4 For Jamie, the experiment showed that …

a Young people can do extraordinary things.

b He could become an engineer or nuclear physicist in the future.

c He had support from his teachers and school.

D- Match the underlined words in the article with these definitions.

1 break into many small pieces =

2 caused, made to happen =

3 a soft light =

4 from nothing =

5 very shocked =

E- Answer the following questions

1- According to paragraph 2, what obstacle did Jamie face to build the machine?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………..

2- According to the writer in paragraph 3, who was behind Jamie´s success?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………….

3- Based on paragraph 4, what conclusion can be drawn about ambitious young scientists?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………..

F- Based on the indicated paragraphs, what does each of the following words refer to?

a- who (Paragraph 2) ……………………………

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b- it (Paragraph 2) ……………………………….

c- their (Paragraph 2)…………………………….

d- who (Paragraph 3)……………………………..

Grammar:

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the passive voice using simple tenses.

A- Alice Hancock) ……………… (give) her first piano by her parents when she was 6. They thought
it ……………… (be) a big gift for a young girl but they……………… (convince) by her piano
teacher, who……………… (tell) them that their daughter was a genius. Unfortunately, the piano
……………… (not touch) by Alice after the first week of having it. However, Alice’s brother Mike
……………… (turn out) to be a prodigy, and he……………… (play) the piano every day until he
……………… (enter) for a musical competition by Alice’s teacher. He ……………… (win), and
from then on the piano belonged to him.

B- There are many ways of shaping plastics. The most common way is by moulding. Blow-molding
(a) ……………. (to use) to make bottles. In this process, air (b)…………… (to blow) into a blob of
molten plastic inside a hollow mould and the plastic (c) …………….. (to force) against the sides of
the mould.
Toys and bowls (d) ………… (to make) by injection moulding. Thermoplastic chips (e) ………….
first …………. (to heat) until they melt and then forced into a water-cooled mould under pressure.
This method (f) …………. (to suit) to mass production. Thermoplastics can (g) …………. (to shape)
by extrusion. Molten plastic (h) ……………. (to force) through a shaped hole or die. Fibres for
textiles and sheet plastic may (i)…………… (to make) by extrusion.
C- In the not-so-distant future, groundbreaking discoveries……………………. (to unveil) by
dedicated scientists. These revelations…………………. (to disseminate) worldwide, heralding a new
era of knowledge and understanding. Technologies………………….. (to develop) by visionary
engineers, revolutionizing the way we interact with the world. Artistic masterpieces……………… (to
create) by talented individuals, inspiring generations to come.

2. Find and correct the mistakes below:

When did the airplane invented? ……………………………………………………………………………….

Without clear direction, much time wasted trying to decide what to do ……………………………………………

Pluto discovered in 1930. ……………………………………………………….

Why did the party cancelled? ………………………………………………………………

My friend wasn’t careful. She was fell off her bicycle. …………………………………………………………

Errors found, but the accountant corrected them. …………………………………………………………………

The cake delivered to the right address. ……………………………………………………………………………

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