MY ENGLISH TABLET LESSONS
Pieter Groen
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UNIT 3 LESSON 1
INVENTIONS
THE TOOTHBRUSH
If you brush your teeth with a toothbrush you will keep your teeth healthy. But how did people clean their teeth before toothbrushes were invented? Thousands of years ago there was a man (or woman) who had eaten something sticky. So he took a small twig from a tree and cleaned his teeth with it. First he chewed a little on it to make the end a little fuzzy and soft. Then he rubbed the fuzzy end against his teeth to clean them. After the cleaning he threw the stick away. Toothpaste was only invented many centuries later.
About two hundred years ago, William Addis invented something that looked more like today’s toothbrush. He took thick animal hairs, called bristles. He attached the hairs to a handle made from animal bone. Addis found that lots of customers wanted his invention.
People still wanted to improve the tooth cleaner, however. Animal hairs did not feel great against human teeth! Finally, man‐made bristles were created. They were made out of nylon. Then plastic was used for handles. Now toothbrushes could be made quickly and cheaply. Millions were sold.
About fifty years ago, the electric toothbrush was invented. It does a great job of cleaning teeth.
Today, we have toothbrushes with soft or hard bristles. There are special sizes for adults, children, and babies.
The toothbrush has come a long way since chew sticks. Who knows what kind of toothbrush will be invented in the future?
A Perfectly Sticky Idea
Sometimes accidents turn into inventions. Post-it Notes are a good example. Post-its are those little sticky papers perfect for marking your place on a book page.
Every time that Mr. Fry was in church and he stood up with his hymnal (this is a songbook) All the small slips of paper fell out. He thought: ‘I really need a way to keep these notes in.’
So he started thinking. He had some kind of bulletin board in his office and he used to put some sticky tape on the paper and the board to keep it in place. Suddenly he got an idea! Let’s put the adhesive on the paper, not on the board!! He took this idea to his colleague and he was enthusiastic about this idea as well.
He put glue on a piece of paper and used the paper as a bookmark. Fry saw that this bookmark would stay on a page. He could remove it and stick it onto another page. The paper did not fall off.
Researchers worked to improve the glue. They made sure the glue stayed on the piece of paper and not on the page.
In 1980, the company named the product Post-it Notes. The product was a great success!
Today, Post-it Notes are one of the most popular office products in the world. They come in different sizes and many colours.
And while I was writing this text I came across a completely different use of the post-its.
ART!! Beautiful, isn’t it???
WORDS
toothbrush
keep
healthy
invented (invent)
thousands of years
ago
sticky
twig
chewed (chew)
fuzzy
rubbed (rub)
against
threw
stick
centuries (century)
thick
bristles
attached (attach)
handle
bone
noticed (notice)
customers
invention
still
improve
however
finally
man‐made
created (create)
used (use)
could (can)
quickly
cheaply
electric
does a great job
soft
hard
sizes
adults
since
tandenborstel
houden
gezond
ontdekt
duizenden jaren
geleden
plakkerig
takje/twijgje
kauwde
rafelig
wreef
tegen
gooide
stokje
eeuwen
dikke
stugge dierenharen
maakte vast
handvat
bot/been
merkte
klanten
uitvinding
nog steeds
verbeteren
echter
uiteindelijk
door mensen gemaakt
gecreeerd/gemaakt
gebruikt
konden
snel
goedkoop
elektrische
doet het heel goed
zachte
harde
maten
volwassenen
sinds
chew sticks
future
example
marking (mark)
slips of paper
notes
bulletin board
Suddenly
adhesive
colleague
enthusiastic
glue
bookmark
remove
onto
researchers
company
office products
different
while
came across (come)
art
kauwstokje
toekomst
voorbeeld
markeren
strookjes papier
briefjes
prikbord
plotseling
lijm/plak
collega
enthousiast
lijm/plak
bladwijzer
weghalen
op
onderzoekers
bedrijf
kantoorproducten
verschillende
terwijl
kwam tegen
kunst
English-English
Here you will find everything that you need for your English lessons
ENGLISH YEAR 2
