Mikhail Lomonosov

1.

2.

Put the parts of
this text in the correct
order
1.Introduction
2.Early life and family
3.Education in Moscow and Ukraine
4.Education abroad
5.Return to Russia

3.

1. Introduction
Mikhail Lomonosov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (19th November 1711 - 15th
April 1765) was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made
important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his
discoveries was the atmosphere of Venus and the Law of Mass
Conservation in chemical reactions. His spheres of science were natural
science, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, history, art, philology, optical
devices and others. Lomonosov was also a poet and influenced the
formation of the modern Russian literary language.

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2. Early life and family
Lomonosov was born in the village of Denisovka (later renamed Lomonosovo in his
honor) in Archangelgorod Governorate, on an island not far from Kholmogory, in the far north
of Russia. His father, Vasily Dorofeyevich Lomonosov, was a prosperous peasant fisherman
turned ship owner, who amassed a small fortune transporting goods from Arkhangelsk to
Pustozyorsk, Solovki, Kola, and Lapland. Lomonosov's mother was Vasily's first wife, a deacon's
daughter, Elena Ivanovna Sivkova.
He remained at Denisovka until he was ten, when his father decided that he was
old enough to participate in his business ventures, and Lomonosov began accompanying Vasily
on trading missions.
Learning was young Lomonosov's passion, however, not business. The boy's thirst
for knowledge was insatiable. Lomonosov had been taught to read as a boy by his neighbor
Ivan Shubny, and he spent every spare moment with his books. He continued his studies with
the village deacon, S.N. Sabelnikov, but for many years the only books he had access to were
religious texts. When he was fourteen, Lomonosov was given copies of Meletius Smotrytsky's
Modern Church Slavonic (a grammar book) and Leonty Magnitsky's Arithmetic.
In 1724, his father married for the third and final time. Lomonosov and his
stepmother Irina had an acrimonious relationship. Unhappy at home and intent on obtaining a
higher education, which Lomonosov could not receive in Denisovka, he was determined to
leave the village.

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3. Education in Moscow and Ukraine
In 1730, at nineteen, Lomonosov went to Moscow on foot, because he
was determined to study. Not long after arriving, Lomonosov obtained admission
into the Slavic Greek Latin Academy by falsely claiming to be a priest's son. That
initial falsehood would nearly get him expelled from the academy a few years later
when discovered.
Lomonosov lived on three kopecks a day, living off only black bread and
kvass, but he made rapid progress scholastically. After three years in Moscow he
was sent to Kiev to study for one year at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He quickly
became dissatisfied with the education he was receiving there, and returned to
Moscow several months ahead of schedule, resuming his studies there. He
completed a twelve-year study course in only five years, graduating at the top of
his class. In 1736, Lomonosov was awarded a scholarship to Saint Petersburg State
University. He plunged into his studies and was rewarded with a two-year grant to
study abroad at the University of Marburg, in Germany.

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4. Education abroad
The University of Marburg was among Europe's most important universities in the
mid-18th century due to the presence of the philosopher Christian Wolff, a prominent figure
of the German Enlightenment. Lomonosov became one of Wolff's personal students while at
Marburg. Both philosophically and as a science administrator, this connection would be the
most influential of Lomonosov's life. Between 1739–1740 he studied mineralogy, metallurgy,
and mining at Bergrat Henckel's laboratories in Freiberg, Saxony; there he intensified his
studies of German literature.
Lomonosov quickly mastered the German language, and in addition to philosophy,
seriously studied chemistry, discovered the works of 17th century English theologian and
natural philosopher, Robert Boyle, and even began writing poetry. He also developed an
interest in German literature. He is said to have especially admired Günther. His Ode on the
Taking of Khotin from the Turks, composed in 1739, attracted a great deal of attention in Saint
Petersburg.
During his residence in Marburg, Lomonosov boarded with Catharina Zilch, a
brewer's widow. He fell in love with Catharina’s daughter Elizabeth Christine Zilch. They were
married in June 1740. Lomonosov found it extremely difficult to maintain his growing family
on the scanty and irregular allowance granted him by the Russian Academy of Science. As his
circumstances became desperate, he resolved to return to Saint Petersburg.

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5. Return to Russia
Lomonosov returned to Russia in 1741. A year later he was named
adjutant to the Russian Academy of Science in the physics department. In May
1743, Lomonosov was accused, arrested, and held under house arrest for eight
months, after he supposedly insulted various people associated with the Academy.
He was released and pardoned in January 1744 after apologising to all involved.
Lomonosov was made a full member of the Academy, and named
professor of chemistry, in 1745. He established the Academy's first chemistry
laboratory. Eager to improve Russia’s educational system, in 1755, Lomonosov
joined his patron Count Ivan Shuvalov in founding the Moscow State University.
In 1761, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences. In 1764, Lomonosov was appointed to the position of
secretary of state. He died one year later in Saint Petersburg. Most of his
accomplishments were unknown outside Russia until long after his death.

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9.

1) November 19, 1711
2) October 24, 1710
3) December 25, 1712

10.

1) the village of Vasilievka
2) the village of Denisovka
3) the village of Petrovka

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1) doctor
2) fisherman
3) sailor

12.

1) had the insatiable thirst for knowledge
2) was lazy and he didn’t want to learn
3) wanted to became a fisherman

13.

1) He wanted to receive a higher education
2) He wanted to see Moscow
3) He wanted to get married but he
couldn’t find a good wife

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1) By train
2) On foot
3) By sea

15.

1) The I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical
Academy
2) The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
3) The Slavic Greek Latin Academy

16.

1) 17 years old
2) 19 years old
3) 15 years old

17.

1) The secret about his parentage was
revealed
2) He had very bad marks
3) He was dissatisfied with the education
he was receiving there

18.

1) in France
2) in Italy
3) in Germany

19.

1) spoke only in Russian
2) learned German very quickly
3) never communicated with anybody

20.

1) married to Elizabeth Christine Zilch
2) married to a Christian Wolff’s daughter
3) married to Catharina Zilch

21.

1) He quarrelled with his wife
2) He missed his motherland
3) It was difficult to maintain the family

22.

1) He was in trouble with a law
2) He stole money in the Russian
Academy of Science
3) He affronted some people

23.

1) A university
2) A hospital
3) A gymnasium

24.

1) In 1755
2) In 1745
3) In 1761

25.

1) In 1764
2) In 1765
3) In 1767

26.

1) school
2) library
3) university

27.

1) mosaic
2) painting
3) sculpture

28.

1) He wrote the first Russian Dictionary
2) he wrote the first Russian Grammar
3) he wrote the first Russian Rhetoric

29.

1) In Saint Petersburg
2) In Denisovka
3) In Moscow