
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of whom was Pierre Curie. Determined to receive a higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university, where she earned her master’s degree and doctorate in physics.
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She became disgruntled, however, when she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. Her great exuberance for learning prompted her to continue with her studies after high school. At an early age, she displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. Pierre and Marie’s amicable collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied uranium and other radioactive substances. Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. The following passage refers to questions 8 through 14.

More than a year later, one of these ships was exploring the topography of South America in search of a water route across the continent. On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain with five ships. Magellan offered to prove that the East Indies fell under Spanish authority. After he was dismissed from service by the king of Portugal, he offered to serve the future Emperor Charles V of Spain.Ī papal decree of 1493 had assigned all land in the New World west of 50 degrees W longitude to Spain and all the land east of that line to Portugal. As a young Portuguese noble, he served the king of Portugal, but he became involved in the quagmire of political intrigue at court and lost the king’s favor. In the 16th century, an age of great marine and terrestrial exploration, Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to sail around the world. Questions 1 through 7 refer to the following passage:
