Who Is Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist best known for 1. __________ theoretical models on black holes and cosmic inflation, 2. __________ he discusses in his popular writing on time and space.

Hawking 3. __________ with 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis' (ALS), a type of motor neurone disease, at the age of 21. 4. __________ initially given just two years to live, the degenerative condition progressed 5. __________ than expected, and he continued 6. __________ for decades with the support of his family and friends.

7. __________ university education began in 1959, when, at age 17, he attended University College, Oxford, 8. __________ physics. Seeking a PhD at University of Cambridge, Hawking was 9. __________ to learn that the esteemed astronomer Fred Hoyle – who is now famous     10. __________ coining the term 'Big Bang' theory by mocking it on radio – wouldn't              11. __________ any more students. 

His supervisor was a 12. __________ unknown researcher by the name of Dennis Sciama. What Sciama 13. __________ in fame he more than made up for in mentorship, 14. __________ a young Hawking to follow his interests. Where Hoyle was dismissive of the Big Bang, Hawking became its champion.

In 1979, Hawking was elected Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position 15. __________ by the mathematician Isaac Newton. Over the ensuing years Hawking earned fame for his ideas, not just in the scientific community but in                 16. __________ around the world.

17. __________ in 1988, his popular science book 18. __________ the strange nature of time and space, A Brief History of Time, 19. __________ records by remaining on the Times of London bestseller list for 237 weeks. That's more than four and 20. __________ years.

1. a) advanced          b) advancing          c) advance             d) advances

2. a) which            b) where                c) whose               d) why

3. a) has been diagnosed             b) is diagnosed               c) diagnosed                d) was diagnosed

4. a) however                  b) because                 c) thus                d) though

5. a) slower               b) the slower                c) slowest               d) the slowest

6. a) to work               b) being working                c) work                 d) working

7. a) Hawkings’             b) Hawking’s                   c) Hawking                 d) Hawkings

8. a) studied             b) studying                    c) to study                 d) study

9. a) disappointed             b) disappointment                  c) disappointing            d) disappoint

10. a) with                    b) by                      c) from                       d) for

11. a) be taking             b) take                 c) be taken                         d) have taken

12. a) relativity                 b) relatively                     c) relative                 d) relation

13. a) lack                 b) lacks                 c) is lacked                     d) lacked

14. a) is encouraging            b) encouraged                    c) encouraging               d) to encourage  

15. a) held                b) holding                   c) to hold                 d) being held

16. a) household’s            b) households                c) household                 d) households’

17. a) published              b) have published              c) publishing              d) being publishing

18. a) of                   b) on                       c) from                      d) for

19. a) has broken                          b) breaking                      c) break                    d) broke

20. a) half                     b) halves                      c) a half                      d) the half

Who Is Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist best known for advancing theoretical models on black holes and cosmic inflation, which he discusses in his popular writing on time and space.

Hawking was diagnosed with 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis' (ALS), a type of motor neurone disease, at the age of 21. Though initially given just two years to live, the degenerative condition progressed slower than expected, and he continued working for decades with the support of his family and friends.

Hawking's university education began in 1959, when, at age 17, he attended University College, Oxford, to study physics. Seeking a PhD at University of Cambridge, Hawking was disappointed to learn that the esteemed astronomer Fred Hoyle – who is now famous for coining the term 'Big Bang' theory by mocking it on radio – wouldn't be taking any more students. 

His supervisor was a relatively unknown researcher by the name of Dennis Sciama. What Sciama lacked in fame he more than made up for in mentorship, encouraging a young Hawking to follow his interests. Where Hoyle was dismissive of the Big Bang, Hawking became its champion.

In 1979, Hawking was elected Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position once held by the mathematician Isaac Newton. Over the ensuing years Hawking earned fame for his ideas, not just in the scientific community but in households around the world.

Published in 1988, his popular science book on the strange nature of time and space, A Brief History of Time, broke records by remaining on the Times of London bestseller list for 237 weeks. That's more than four and a half years.