Make Your Way 7, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD

Famous females Read the texts and match each woman with the statements on the next page. There are two extra statements that you should not use. 6 1 Maria eresa ascended the Austrian throne in 1740, when she succeeded her father, Charles VI. Her claim to the throne was challenged, and she became heavily involved in two wars, first in the War of the Austrian Succession 1740–48, then in the Seven Years’ War 1756–63. The rest of her reign was peaceful, and she introduced many social reforms. She was interested in reforming education, making some primary education compulsory, modernising higher education and giving money to universities. She organised the laws into a system, and abolished torture. In these measures she was assisted by her son, Joseph II, who became emperor in 1765. 2 Marie Curie is famous for discovering the radioactive elements polonium and radium. Born in 1867 in Poland, she studied in Paris and married Pierre Curie in 1895. In 1906 she succeeded her husband as professor of physics at the Sorbonne; she was the first woman to teach there. They were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 1903, with Henri Becquerel. Marie Curie wrote about radioactivity in 1910, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. At the outbreak of World War I, Curie helped to equip ambulances with X-ray equipment, which she drove to the front lines. The International Red Cross made her head of its Radiological Service. The Curies took no precautions against radioactivity, and Marie died in 1934 of radiation poisoning. Even today her notebooks are too contaminated to handle. 3 Sonia Gandhi is part of India’s famous Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. However, unlike her husband Rajiv and his mother Indira, both of whom were assassinated, Sonia resisted the temptation to take up the position of Prime Minister when her Congress Party won a surprise election victory in 2004. Although many of her followers were extremely disappointed by her decision, Sonia stood by it, saying that the country needed a strong and secure leadership. The fact that Sonia was born in Italy had upset a number of India’s nationalist Hindus who had warned they would never accept a foreign-born leader. 4 Eva Peron started life as a poor girl from the provinces of Argentina. She moved to the capital Buenos Aires and met Colonel Juan Peron there. He became president and she became a powerful leader by his side, becoming the first “Presidenta”. Evita legalised divorce, won women the vote, and brought reform to the workers and the poor. She was loved by the ordinary people, and when she died at the age of 33, there was much grieving for her. 5 Queen Elizabeth I of England was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Born in 1533, she became Queen when Mary, her Catholic half-sister, died in 1558. Elizabeth was a woman of many talents and a keen intelligence. She spoke many languages, was an expert horsewoman and also wrote poetry. Much of her reign was spent at war with Spain, but an attempt by Philip of Spain to invade England in 1588 failed. During her reign, England’s power grew and the newly discovered lands of America became part of her domain. She had many suitors but never married. 9 1 Extensive unit 1: Herstory Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv