Invention of the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first US patent for the telephone in 1876. In retrospect, Bell considered his most famous invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study. Alexander Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 3, 1847. As a child, young Alexander displayed a natural curiosity about his world, resulting in gathering botanical specimens as well as experimenting even at an early age. From his early years, Bell showed a sensitive nature and a talent for art, poetry and music that was encouraged by his mother. As a young child, Bell, like his brothers, received his early schooling at home from his father. At an early age, however, he was enrolled at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, Scotland, which he left at age 15. In 1868, not long before he departed for Canada with his family, Aleck completed his matriculation exams and was accepted for admission to the University of London. Bell's father encouraged Aleck's interest in speech and, in 1863, took his sons to see a unique automaton, developed by Sir Charles Wheatstone based on the earlier work of Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen. The rudimentary "mechanical man" simulated a human voice. Aleck was fascinated by the machine and after he obtained a copy of von Kempelen's book, he and his older brother Melville built their own automaton head. Their efforts resulted in a remarkably lifelike head that could "speak", albeit only a few words. In March 1875, Bell visited the famous scientist Joseph Henry, and asked his advice on the electrical multi-reed apparatus that Bell hoped would transmit the human voice by telegraph. Henry replied that Bell had "the germ of a great invention". When Bell said that he did not have the necessary knowledge, Henry replied, "Get it!" That declaration greatly encouraged Bell to keep trying, even though he did not have the equipment needed to continue his experiments, nor the ability to create a working model of his ideas. However, a chance meeting in 1874 between Bell and Thomas A. Watson (assistant to A.Bell), an experienced electrical designer and mechanic at the electrical machine shop of Charles Williams, changed all that. On June 2, 1875, Watson accidentally plucked one of the reeds and Bell, at the receiving end of the wire, heard the overtones of the reed; overtones that would be necessary for transmitting speech. That demonstrated to Bell that only one reed or armature was necessary, not multiple reeds. This led to the "gallows" sound-powered telephone, which was able to transmit indistinct, voice-like sounds, but not clear speech. Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society. He has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history.
) Speaking 1. If you could meet any celebrity, who would you choose? Why? 2. If you could be any celebrity, who would you choose? Why?
& Reading Read quickly about Johnny Depp and Paul McCartney [4]. Work in two groups. Group A Read about Johnny Depp. Group B Read about Paul McCartney.
An American actor, producer and musician John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II was born on 9 June, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. He’s the son of John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer, and his wife, the former Betty Sue Wells, a waitress. He has one brother, Daniel, who is a novelist, and two sisters, Christie (now his personal manager) and Debbie. He was given a guitar from his father for his twelfth birthday. Depp began playing in various bands. A year after his parents' divorce, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician On December 24, 1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, the sister of his band's bass player and singer. His wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. Depp and his wife divorced in 1985. Depp's first major role was in the 1984 classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street.
He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. He has collaborated with director and friend Tim Burton in seven films, most recently with Alice in Wonderland (2010). He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor with $75 million. Films featuring Depp have grossed over $3.1 billion at the United States box office and over $7.6 billion worldwide.
At the age of 15, McCartney met John Lennon. He formed a close working relationship with Lennon and they collaborated writing many songs. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, McCartney gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, and with Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships in the history of popular music. In 1965, they were each appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. After performing concerts, plays, and tours almost non-stop for a period of nearly four years, and giving more than one thousand four hundred live performances internationally, The Beatles gave their last commercial concert at the end of their 1966 US tour. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. Linda and Paul had four children – Linda's daughter Heather (who was adopted by Paul), Mary, Stella and James – and remained married until Linda's death from breast cancer in 1998. McCartney also collaborated with a number of other popular artists including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Eric Stewart, and Elvis Costello. In 1985, he played "Let It Be" at the Live Aid concert in London. McCartney has composed film scores, classical and electronic music, released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist, and has taken part in projects to help international charities. Having witnessed the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks from the JFK airport tarmac, McCartney took a lead role in organizing The Concert for New York City. In November 2002, on the first anniversary of George Harrison's death, McCartney performed at the Concert for George. BBC News Online readers named McCartney the "greatest composer of the millennium". He is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles in the United Kingdom alone.
Which of these dates relate to your person? What do they refer to?
1. All of these sentences are correct. Why is there no does in sentences b and c? a) Where does she study? b) I know where she studies. c) Can you tell me where she studies?
Complete the sentences. [5] Example: What did she do? - I can't remember what she did.
a. Why did she cry? - I don't really know ____________________. b. Does she speak Greek? - I will ask her____________________. c. Where is Joe? - I have no idea _____________________. d. I'd like to know what time ____________________. - The show starts at 8 o'clock. e. Is he all right? - I do not know _____________________. f. What did he want? - I'm afraid I can't tell you _________________. g. Do you know who ______________? - Yes, Jim Harrison is a writer. h. Whose car was it? - I'm not quite sure ____________________. i. Is this the right train? - Let's ask someone Is this the right train? - Let's ask someone ____________. j. I wonder when _____________. But they've already got married! k. How long has she known him? - Well, I'd like to know myself _____________________. l. How much is this scarf? - Why do you want to know _________________________? m. Can you tell me what __________________? - Her name is Maggie. n. Do they have any free tickets? - Let's have a look ___________________. o. Do you remember where ________________? - The boxes were in the garage. p. Which countries did she visit? - To tell the truth, I haven't found out yet __________________.
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In 2003 the Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major success, in which Depp's performance as the suave but shambling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. His character became popular with the movie-going public. He returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which opened on 7 July 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record of the highest weekend tally. The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, was released on May 2007. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and he wants to play the role in further sequels.
Depp's Hollywood Walk of Fame star received on November 19, 1999.
Sir James Paul McCartney an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer was born on 18 June 1942 in Walton Hospital in Liverpool, where his mother, Mary had worked as a nurse in the maternity ward. He has one brother, Michael. McCartney's father was a trumpet player and pianist and encouraged his two sons to be musical. McCartney's father gave him a nickel-plated trumpet, but he swapped the trumpet for an acoustic guitar. 
