Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896), Swedish inventor and philanthropist, was a man of many contrasts. He was a son of a bankrupt, but became a millionaire; a scientist with a love of literature. He made a large fortune but lived a simple life. He was cheerful in company, and often sad in private. A lover of mankind, he never had a wife or family to love him, a patriotic son of his native land, he died alone on foreign soil.
He discovered a new explosive, dynamite, to improve the peacetime industries of mining and road building, but saw it used as a weapon of war. World-famous for his works he was never personally well-known, for throughout his life he avoided publicity. «I do not see» he once said, «that I have deserved any fame and I have no taste for it», but since his death his name has brought fame and glory to others.
He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 but moved to Russia with his parents in 1842, where his father made a strong position in engineering industry. He made a lot of money for his invention of landmine, but later went bankrupt. Alfred came to Sweden in 1863, and started his own study of explosives in his fathers laboratory.
He had never been to school or University but he studied privately and by the time he was twenty he became a skillful chemist and excellent linguist, speaking Swedish, Russian, German, French and English. Like his father, Alfred Nobel was imaginative and inventive, but he had better luck in business and showed more financial sense.
He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward-looking industrialist.
But Nobel’s main concern was never with making money or even making scientific discoveries. He was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy. Perhaps, because he could not find ordinary human love — he never married — he came to care deeply about the whole of mankind. He was always generous to the poor. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars and he spent much time and money working for this cause until his death in Italy in 1896.
His famous will, in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding works in physics, chemistry, psychology, medicine, literature and peace, is a memorial to his interests and ideals. And so, the man who felt he should have died at birth is remembered and respected long after his death.
Альфред Бернард Нобель (1833-1896), шведский изобретатель и филантроп, был противоречивой личностью. Он был сыном банкрота, но стал миллионером; он — ученый, который любил литературу. Он заработал очень много, но жил простой жизнью. Он был веселым в компании и часто грустил наедине с собой. Он любил человечество, но у него никогда не было ни жены, ни семьи, которые любили бы его; будучи патриотом своей родины, он умер на чужбине.
Он родился в Стокгольме 21 октября 1833 года, но вместе со своими родителями переехал в Россию в 1842 году, где его отец стал ведущим специалистом машиностроительной промышленности. Он заработал много денег за изобретение фугаса, но позже обанкротился. Альфред приехал в Швецию в 1863 году и сам стал изучать взрывчатые вещества в лаборатории отца.
Он не учился в школе или университете, но он учился самостоятельно, и в двадцать лет стал профессиональным химиком и блестящим лингвистом — говорил на шведском, русском, немецком, французском и английском языках. Как и отец, Альфред Нобель был наделен богатым воображением и изобретательностью, но ему больше везло в делах, и он более рационально распоряжался финансами.
Он спешил увидеть внедрение в производство своих научных изобретений и построил более 80 компаний в 20 разных странах. Но ключ к его успеху лежал, главным образом, в его способности совмещать в себе качества незаурядного ученого с качествами дальновидного предпринимателя.
Но больше всего Нобель беспокоился не о деньгах и даже не о научных открытиях. Он все время искал смысл жизни, и еще в молодости серьезно увлекся литературой и философией. Возможно, из-за того, что он не мог найти простую человеческую любовь (он так никогда и не женился), он переключил всю свою заботу на человечество в целом. Он всегда был добр к бедным. Но самым большим его желанием было положить конец войнам, и он работал над этим не жалея ни времени, ни денег до своей смерти в 1896 году в Италии.
Его знаменитое завещание, в котором он оставил деньги на предоставление премий за достижения в области физики, химии, психологии, медицины, литературы и борьбе за мир, — это памятник ему и его идеям. Вот так человека, который считал ошибкой свое появление на свет, помнят и уважают спустя многие годы после его смерти.
Использованная литература:
1. 100 тем английского устного (Каверина В., Бойко В., Жидких Н.) 2002
2. Английский язык для школьников и поступающих в ВУЗы. Устный экзамен. Топики. Тексты для чтения. Экзаменационные вопросы. (Цветкова И. В., Клепальченко И.А., Мыльцева Н.А.)
3. English, 120 Topics. Английский язык, 120 разговорных тем. (Сергеев С.П.)
Все топики по теме «Знаменитые люди»
Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist, was a man of many contrasts. He was a scientist who cared for literature, an industrialist who managed to remain an idealist. He made a fortune but lived a simple life, and although cheerful in company he was often sad when remained alone. A lover of mankind, he never had a wife or family to love him; a patriotic son of his native land, he died alone in a foreign country. He invented a new explosive, dynamite, to improve the peacetime industries of mining and road building, but saw it used as a weapon of war to kill and injure people. During his useful life he often felt he was useless. World-famous for his works, he was never personally well-known, for while he lived he avoided publicity. He never expected any reward for what he had done. He once said that he did not see that he had deserved any fame and that he had no taste for it. However, since his death, his name has brought fame and glory to others.
He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 but moved to Russia
with his parents in 1842, where his father, Emmanuel, made a strong position for himself in the engineering industry. Emmanuel Nobel invented the landmine1and got plenty of money for it from government orders during the Crimean War, but then, quite suddenly went bankrupt. Most of the family went back to Sweden in 1859. Four years later Alfred returned there too, beginning his own study of explosives in his father’s laboratory. It so occurred that he had never been to school or University but had studied privately and by the time he was twenty was a skilful chemist and excellent linguist having mastered Swedish, Russian, German, French and English. Like his father, Alfred Nobel was imaginative and inventive, but he had better luck in business and showed more financial sense. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward-looking industrialist.
In his will Nobel wrote that it was his firm wish that in choosing the prize winner no consideration should be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy should receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not. This will was written in Pans, on November 27, 1895.
Since Nobel’s death many outstanding scientists, writers and public figures from different countries have become Nobel prize winners.
Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist, was a man of many contrasts. He was the son of a bankrupt, but became a millionaire, a scientist who cared for literature, an industrialist who managed to remain an idealist. He made a fortune but lived a simple life, and although cheerful in company he was often sad when remained alone. A lover of mankind, he never had a wife or family to love him; a patriotic son of his native land, he died alone in a foreign country. He invented a new explosive, dynamite, to improve the peacetime industries of mining and road building, but saw it used as a weapon of war to kill and injure people. During his useful life he often felt he was useless. World-famous for his works, he was never personally well-known, for while he lived he avoided publicity. He never expected any reward for what he had done. He once said that he did not see that he had deserved any fame and that he had no taste for it. However, since his death, his name has brought fame and glory to others.
He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 but moved to Russia
with his parents in 1842, where his father, Emmanuel, made a strong position for himself in the engineering industry. Emmanuel Nobel invented the landmine1and got plenty of money for it from government orders during the Crimean War, but then, quite suddenly went bankrupt. Most of the family went back to Sweden in 1859. Four years later Alfred returned there too, beginning his own study of explosives in his father’s laboratory. It so occurred that he had never been to school or University but had studied privately and by the time he was twenty was a skilful chemist and excellent linguist having mastered Swedish, Russian, German, French and English. Like his father, Alfred Nobel was imaginative and inventive, but he had better luck in business and showed more financial sense. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward-looking industrialist.
In his will Nobel wrote that it was his firm wish that in choosing the prize winner no consideration should be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy should receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not. This will was written in Pans, on November 27, 1895.
Since Nobel’s death many outstanding scientists, writers and public figures from different countries have become Nobel prize winners.