'Lobachevsky' by Tom Lehrer. Listen to the song to practise and improve your listening skills.. Before listening. Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.. Preparation task. Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabul

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The secret of success in mathematics

'Lobachevsky' by Tom Lehrer

Listen to the song to practise and improve your listening skills.

Before listening

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation task

Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8)

Vocabulary

1. ___ plagiarize 2. evade

3. chalk

4. analytic

5. sensational 6. algebraic

7. eternal

8. mathematician

Definitions

a. math expert

b. cheat (by copying)

c. get away from

d. related to careful studying or deep thinking

e. math-related (where letters stand for numbers)

f. a stick of this is used for writing on a blackboard

g. causing great public interest and excitement

h. never-ending

Tasks Task I

Read to the introduction, where the singer is talking about how he came up with the idea

of the song. What do you think the song will be about?

For many years now, Mr. Danny Kaye, who has been my particular idol since childbirth, has been doing a routine about the great Russian director Stanislavsky and the secret of success in the acting profession. And I thought it would be interesting to st[eal]... to adapt this idea to the field of mathematics.

Task II

Choose the correct words in italics.

Who made me the genius I am today, the mathematician/optician that others all quote? Who's the professor that made me that way? The greatest that ever got talc/chalk on his coat?

One man deserves the credit, one man deserves the flame/blame, and Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name! Ay! Nikolai Ivanovich Lobache-

I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky. In one word he told me the secret of progress/success in mathematics: Plagiarize!

Plagiarize! Let no one else's work evade/escape your eyes. Remember why the Good Lord made your eyes, so don't shade your eyes, but plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize - only be sure always to call it please 'research'!

And ever since I meet this man my wife/life is not the same. And Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name! Ay! Nikolai Ivanovich Lobache-

I am never forget the day I am given first original paper to write. It was on paralytic/analytic and algebraic topology of locally Euclidean parameterization of infinitely differentiable Riemannian manifold. Боже мой! This... I know... from nothing. What... I'm going... to do? I think of great Lobachevsky and I get idea - Ha-ha!

I have a friend in Minsk, who has a friend in Pinsk, whose friend in Omsk has friend in Tomsk with friend in Akmolinsk. His friend in Alexandrovsk has friend in Petropavlovsk, whose friend somehow is solving/salving now the problem in Dnepropetrovsk.

And when his work is done - Ha-ha! - begins the fun/run! From Dnepropetrovsk to Petropavlovsk, by way of Iliynsk, and Novorossiysk, to Alexandrovsk, to Akmolinsk, to Tomsk, to Omsk, to Pinsk, to Minsk, to me the news will run. Yes, to me the news will run!

And then I write by morning, night, and afternoon, and pretty soon my name in Dnepropetrovsk is cursed, when he finds out I rubbish/publish first!

And who made me a big success and brought me wealth and fame? Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name! Ay! Nikolai Ivanovich Lobache-

I am never forget the day my first book is published. Every chapter/character I stole from somewhere else. Index I copy from old Vladivostok telephone directory. This book was sensational! Pravda - well, Pravda… Pravda said: " Жил был король когда-то, при нем блоха жила" - It stinks/thinks. But Izvestia! Izvestia said: " Я иду туда, куда сам царь идёт пешком! " - It stinks. Metro-Goldwyn-Moskwa buys the movie rights for six million roubles, changing title to 'The Eternal Triangle’, with Brigitte Bardot playing part of cathetus/hypotenuse.

And who deserves the credit? And who deserves the blame? Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name! Ay!

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