Activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the seventh year of elementary school, about César Lattes. Brazilian scientist César Mansueto Giulio Lattes made an enormous contribution to Physics, by proving the existence of the atomic particle “pi meson”. Are we going to learn more about this great Brazilian scientist? So, read the text carefully and then answer the various interpretative questions proposed!
This reading comprehension activity is available for download in an editable Word template, ready to print to PDF, as well as the completed activity.
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Brazilian scientist César Mansueto Giulio Lattes made an enormous contribution to Physics, by proving the existence of the atomic particle “pi meson”.
The Curitiba native was born on July 11, 1924. The passion for science started early. At just 19 years old, he graduated in Physics and Mathematics from the University of São Paulo – USP. He studied in places like England, Bolivia and the United States. He was a professor at the Federal University of Campinas and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He was one of the founders of the Brazilian Center for Physical Research in Rio de Janeiro.
Lattes stood out in research on the atom. The atom is the basic unit of matter, composed of a positive nucleus (protons) surrounded by a negative “cloud” (electrons). At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists around the world were questioning how protons held together in the nucleus of the atom. In 1946, uneasy about the issue, the young Lattes went to the University of Bristol, England, joining two other researchers: Powell and Occhialini.
In other countries, scientists were using particle accelerators, but Lattes saw more advantages in harnessing cosmic rays. So, he decided to go to a very high place: he traveled to the Andes Mountains, in Bolivia. There he exposed photographic plates to cosmic rays. When developing the photos, a surprise: the traces of a particle different from the atom appeared, the pi meson! It was the beginning of a new phase of physics, that of high energies or elementary particles. Lattes was 23 years old.
For his discovery, Lattes received many awards, such as the Einstein Prize (1950), the Fonseca Costa, granted by the CNPq (1958), the Bernardo Houssay, from the Organization of American States (OAS), in 1978, and the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS) award. in 1988. He was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Physics, but only Powell received the honor in 1950.
Lattes was a very important scientist! Cheerful, he also liked to tell jokes and in some lectures he used to take his dogs.
On March 8, 2005, in Campinas (SP), Brazil and the world lost one of their greatest scientists, but he will always be part of the history of Physics!
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Question 1 - The purpose of the text is:
( ) disclose the discovery of the “pi meson”.
( ) express an opinion about atoms.
( ) tell the trajectory of scientist César Lattes.
Question 2 - According to the text, Lattes discovered the atomic particle "pi meson":
( ) in Bolivia.
( ) in England.
( ) in the United States.
Question 3 - The expression “Only 19 years old” indicates a circumstance of time referring to a fact in Lattes' life. Identify it:
( ) graduation in Physics and Mathematics.
( ) studies in three foreign countries.
( ) teaching practice in two Brazilian universities.
Question 4 – In the period “The atom is the basic unit of matter, composed of a positive nucleus (protons) surrounded by a negative 'cloud' (electrons)”, the author of the text:
( ) defines the term “atom”.
( ) comments on the term “atom”.
( ) complements the term “atom”.
Question 5 - Underline, in the following excerpt, the word that takes up “Lattes”:
"There, he exposed photographic plates to cosmic rays."
Question 6 – In the passage “Happy, too liked of telling jokes and in some lectures I used to take your dogs.”, the highlighted verbs express:
( ) ephemeral facts in Lattes' life.
( ) ongoing facts in Lattes' life.
( ) sporadic facts in Lattes' life.
Question 7 – In “[…] Brazil and the world lost one of its greatest scientists, but he will always be part of the history of Physics!”, the word “but” introduces:
( ) a fact that justifies the previous fact.
( ) a fact that compensates for the previous fact.
( ) a fact that contrasts with the previous fact.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Languages and specialist in distance education.
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