LECH WALESA
Lech Walesa shaped the 20th century as the leader of the Solidarity movement that led the Poles out of communism. Walesa's contribution to the end of communism in Europe stands beside those of his fellow Pole, Pope John Paul II, and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
He was shocked by the repression of workers' protests in the 1970s and made contact with small opposition groups. At age 37, he joined the strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk. With his electrifying personality, he was soon leading it. He moved his fellow workers away from mere wage claims and toward a central, daringly political demand: free trade unions.
When the Polish communists made this concession, the new union was christened Solidarnosc (Solidarity). Soon it had 10 million members, and Walesa was its undisputed leader. For 16 months they struggled to find a way to coexist with the communist state. In the end, martial law was declared. Walesa was interned for 11 months and then released.
Fighting a populist campaign against his own former adviser, he was elected Poland's first noncommunist President, a post he held until 1995.
1. What did Lech Walesa do?
He was shocked by the repression of workers' protests in the 1970s and made contact with small opposition groups. At age 37, he joined the strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk. With his electrifying personality, he was soon leading it. He moved his fellow workers away from mere wage claims and toward a central, daringly political demand: free trade unions.
When the Polish communists made this concession, the new union was christened Solidarnosc (Solidarity). Soon it had 10 million members, and Walesa was its undisputed leader. For 16 months they struggled to find a way to coexist with the communist state. In the end, martial law was declared. Walesa was interned for 11 months and then released.
Fighting a populist campaign against his own former adviser, he was elected Poland's first noncommunist President, a post he held until 1995.
1. What did Lech Walesa do?
2. By what was Walesa shocked by?
3. Solidarnosc means
4. "Interned" means
5. Populist means
Nelson Mandela was at one time the most famous prisoner in the world.
Early in life, he joined a law firm in Johannesburg as an apprentice, where he was exposed daily to the inhumanities of apartheid.
Instead of choosing an easy life as a lawyer, he joined the Youth League of the African National Congress and became involved in programs of passive resistance.
His activities landed him in prison. Instead of being crushed, he embarked on a system of self-education. The prison came to be known as "Island University." Previously barren recreation hours were filled with cultural activities.
After more than two decades in prison, he was escorted to the State President's office, where he negotiated not only his own release but also the nation's transition from apartheid to democracy.
1. Apartheid means?
Early in life, he joined a law firm in Johannesburg as an apprentice, where he was exposed daily to the inhumanities of apartheid.
Instead of choosing an easy life as a lawyer, he joined the Youth League of the African National Congress and became involved in programs of passive resistance.
His activities landed him in prison. Instead of being crushed, he embarked on a system of self-education. The prison came to be known as "Island University." Previously barren recreation hours were filled with cultural activities.
After more than two decades in prison, he was escorted to the State President's office, where he negotiated not only his own release but also the nation's transition from apartheid to democracy.
1. Apartheid means?
2. The Youth League was involved in?
3. What was the "Island University" ?
4. Nelson Mandela was largely responsible for?
LEO BAEKLAND
In 1907 Leo Baekeland made the laboratory breakthrough that would change the stuff our world is made of.
Starting around 1904 he started searching for a synthetic substitute for shellac. Three years later he developed a material that he called Bakelite. Cooked lightly, it was like shellac, but with further heat and pressure it became hard, translucent, and moldable - in a word, plastic, which could be fashioned into knobs, buttons, knife handles, and all manner of items.
In 1945, a year after Baekeland died, annual plastic production in the U.S. reached more than 400,000 tons. In 1979, the annual volume of plastic overtook that of steel. Recently, nearly 47 million tons of plastic were produced.
1. Baekeland started searching for a substitute for ?
Starting around 1904 he started searching for a synthetic substitute for shellac. Three years later he developed a material that he called Bakelite. Cooked lightly, it was like shellac, but with further heat and pressure it became hard, translucent, and moldable - in a word, plastic, which could be fashioned into knobs, buttons, knife handles, and all manner of items.
In 1945, a year after Baekeland died, annual plastic production in the U.S. reached more than 400,000 tons. In 1979, the annual volume of plastic overtook that of steel. Recently, nearly 47 million tons of plastic were produced.
1. Baekeland started searching for a substitute for ?
2. Baekeland is the originator of ?
3. What is a synthetic ?
4. What is the current plastic production is?
TIM BERNERS-LEE
Beginning in 1980, Tim Berners-Lee fashioned a kind of notebook in which words in a document could be linked to other documents in a computer. This was the beginning of the World Wide Web.
This work was truly the work of one man. Thomas Edison had dozens of people working on the light bulb. The Internet had many contributors. However, only Berners-Lee can be given credit for the World Wide Web. Furthermore, he more than anyone else has fought to keep it open, nonproprietary, and free.
It was he who thought up the idea of linking computers together so that everyone could have access to information in a multitude of computers. In Berners-Lee's scheme there was no central manager and no central database.
Berners-Lee cobbled together the World Wide Web's first browser, which allowed users anywhere to view his creation on their computer screen.
1. What did Berners-Lee create?
This work was truly the work of one man. Thomas Edison had dozens of people working on the light bulb. The Internet had many contributors. However, only Berners-Lee can be given credit for the World Wide Web. Furthermore, he more than anyone else has fought to keep it open, nonproprietary, and free.
It was he who thought up the idea of linking computers together so that everyone could have access to information in a multitude of computers. In Berners-Lee's scheme there was no central manager and no central database.
Berners-Lee cobbled together the World Wide Web's first browser, which allowed users anywhere to view his creation on their computer screen.
1. What did Berners-Lee create?
2. Berners-Lee was?
3. Which of these did Berners-Lee not create?
A. the World Wide Web.
B. the first browser.
C. the idea of linking documents and also computers.
D. the Internet.
B. the first browser.
C. the idea of linking documents and also computers.
D. the Internet.
4. Cobbled in this context means:
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