The exam’s Comprehension Text
Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be a dark place. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.
The Edisons moved to Michigan when Thomas was seven. Surprisingly, he attended school for only two months. His mother, a former teacher, taught him a few things, but Thomas was mostly self- educated. His natural curiosity led him to start experimenting at a young age with electrical and mechanical things at home.
When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He set up a laboratory in a baggage car of the train to continue his experiments in his spare time. Unfortunately, his first work experience did not end well. Thomas lost his job when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the baggage car.
Thomas, then, worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time conducting experiments. He got his first patent in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity .In 1870, he sold another invention, a stock-ticker, for $ 40,000. A stock – ticker is a machine that automatically prints stock prices on a tape. He was then able to build his first shop in New Jersy.
Edison was handicapped; he was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but he thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He called himself a “ two-shift man” because he worked 16 out of every 24 hours. Edison died at the age of 84 on October 18th, 1931, New Jersy. He left numerous inventions that improved the quality of life all over the world.
National exam | Scientific Streams | Catch-up Session 2008 with Answers
