the life and work of Marie Curie

probably

perhaps, maybe, possibly

radioactivity

the sending out of radiation (=a form of energy) when the nucleus (=central part) of an atom has broken apart

award

prize, reward, gift.

sole

prize, reward, gift.

remarkable

outstanding, noteworthy, extraordinary

prodigious

extraordinary, phenomenal, unusual, remarkable, impressive.

on completion of

the act of finishing something

secondary education

the education, teaching etc of children between the ages of 11 and 16 or 18

earnings

salary, wage, income.

finance

support, fund, back, sponsor.

on the understanding that

if you agree to something on the understanding that something else will be done, you agree to it, believing that it will be done

in turn

one after the other in an agreed order

fulfill (a promise)

accomplish, complete, finish, carry out.

far into the night

extending until a late hour

live on sth

to have a particular amount of money to buy food and other necessary things

bread and butter (work)

work that is not very exciting but provides you with most of the money that you need in order to live

examination

exam, test, assessment.

mark

to be a sign of an important change or an important stage in the development of something

partnership

collaboration, affiliation, companionship.

phenomenon

occurrence, experience, event.

find out

realize, learn, discover.

mineral

a substance that is formed naturally in the earth, such as coal, salt, stone, or gold. minerals can be dug out of the ground and used.

draw sb to sth

to attract someone or make them want to do something

pitchblende

a dark shiny substance dug from the earth, from which uranium and radium are obtained

superior

better quality, greater. advanced, enhanced #inferior.

pure

unmixed, real, genuine.

ore

rock or earth from which metal can be obtained

substance

element, material, ingredient, element.

undertake to do sth

to promise or agree to do something

resolve

to find a satisfactory way of dealing with a problem or difficulty= solve, work out.

devote your time/ energy/ attention/ yourself etc to something

dedicate =to use all or most of your time, effort etc in order to do something or help someone.

chiefly

primarily, mainly, mostly.

radiation

a form of energy that comes especially from nuclear reactions, which is very harmful to living things.

struggle to do sth

to try extremely hard to achieve something, even though it is very difficult

obtain

get, gain, find, acquire.

metallic

made of metal or containing metal

doctorate

a university degree of the highest level

interrupt

disrupt, suspend, stop.

appoint

assign, select, choose.

experimental

used for, relating to, or resulting from experiments

demonstration

an act of explaining and showing how to do something or how something works

chief

highest in rank

bitter

making you feel very unhappy and upset

blow

an action or event that causes difficulty or sadness for someone

turning point

the time when an important change starts, especially one that improves the situation

henceforth

from this time on

professorship

the job or position of a university or college professor

vacant

available, untaken, unused, free.

isolation

seperation, segregation #inclusion

radiography

the taking of x-ray photographs of the inside of people's bodies for medical purposes

mobile

moveable, portable, active.

treatment

cure, healing, medicine, therapy.

wounded

injured, hurt, maimed.

operate

run, work, conduct, carry out.

in earnest

if something starts happening in earnest, it begins properly - used when it was happening in a small or informal way before

fame

the state of being known about by a lot of people because of your achievements

application

practical purpose for which a machine, idea etc can be used, or a situation when this is used

accompany

attend, go with, go along with.

triumphant

successful, winning, victorious.

funds

money that an organization needs or has

campaign

a series of actions intended to achieve a particular result relating to politics or business, or a social improvement

foundation

an organization that gives or collects money to be used for special purposes, especially for charity or for medical research

inauguration

the act of officially putting someone into an important position, or the ceremony at which this is done.

outstanding

excellent, great, remarkable

accumulate

gather, collect, amass, pile up.

intense

having a very strong effect or felt very strongly.

abundant

plentiful, rich, ample #scarce.

decisive

key, critical, significant, vital.

prepare the way/ground for sb/sth

to make it possible for something to be achieved, or for someone to succeed in doing something

neutron

a part of an atom that has no electrical charge

above all

more than everything else

artificial

man-made, non-natural, synthetic #real, natural

leukaemia

a type of cancer of the blood, that causes weakness and sometimes death.

exposure to something

when someone is in a situation where they are not protected from something dangerous or unpleasant.

test tube

a small glass container that is shaped like a tube and is used in chemistry

isotopes

one of the possible different forms of an atom of a particular element (=simple chemical substance)

give off

to produce a smell, light, heat, a sound etc

immense

great, huge, enormous.

demonstrate

show, reveal, display

subsequent

following, cónequent, later