Alexander Fleming: A Messy Lab and a Holiday… Then a Medicine That Saved Millions
In 1928, Alexander Fleming went on holiday and left his lab in a mess. When he came back, a mould on one dish had killed the germs around it — the start of penicillin. Learn five A2 words with the true story of Alexander Fleming.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
A scientist went on .
He did not clean his lab.
When he came back, something strange was growing on a .
It changed forever.
This is the story of Alexander Fleming.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is a time when you don't work or go to school.
In the summer of 1928, he went on .
. In a lab, a is a small, flat, round glass box.
Scientists grow in it.
One was strange.
. is a soft green or blue thing.
It grows on old food.
A was growing on the .
. A is a very small living thing.
It can make you ill.
Around the , the were dead.
. is something you take when you are ill.
It helps you get better.
The gave the world a new .
Now, one pattern: but.
We use but to join two different ideas.
The lab was .
It was lucky.
The lab was , but it was lucky.
Ready? Let's begin.
Alexander Fleming was born on a farm in Scotland in 1881.
He walked a long way to school across the hills.
In winter, his mother gave him a hot potato for his cold hands.
At thirteen, he moved to London.
He worked in an office, but he didn't like it.
Then his uncle left him some money.
He went to study .
He became a doctor and a scientist.
He studied .
He was a very good scientist, but his lab was very !
In the summer of 1928, he went on .
He left many with on his table.
In September, he came back.
One was strange.
A was growing on the .
Around the , the were dead.
Maybe he said: "That's funny."
He did not throw the away.
He looked carefully.
He called the juice .
It killed many , but he could not make a lot of it.
For ten years, not many people knew about it.
Then scientists in Oxford found a way to make it.
In the Second World War, saved many soldiers.
In 1945, Fleming and two other scientists won the Nobel Prize.
The gave the world a new .
Later he said: sometimes you find something you are not looking for.
The lab was , but it was lucky.
Today, like save millions of lives.
Let's review. In the summer of 1928, he went on .
One was strange.
A was growing on the .
Around the , the were dead.
The gave the world a new .
And remember: the lab was , but it was lucky.
Alexander Fleming's story teaches us: look carefully at your mistakes, because they can be lucky.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
holiday noun
a time when you don't work or go to school (US: vacation)
“In the summer of 1928, he went on holiday.”
dish noun
(in a lab) a small, flat, round glass box for growing germs
“One dish was strange.”
mould noun
a soft green or blue thing that grows on old food (US: mold)
“A mould was growing on the dish.”
germ noun
a very small living thing that can make you ill
“Around the mould, the germs were dead.”
medicine noun
something you take to get better when you are ill
“The mould gave the world a new medicine.”
penicillin noun
a medicine made from a mould that kills many germs
“He called the mould juice penicillin.”
messy adjective
not tidy; with things everywhere
“His lab was very messy!”
bacteria noun (plural)
very small living things; some of them are germs
“The mould killed the bacteria around it.”
Grammar in the story
past simple, but past simple
We use it for: to join two different ideas in one sentence
- The lab was messy, but it was lucky.
- He worked in an office, but he didn't like it.
- It killed many germs, but he could not make a lot of it.
From the story
- The lab was messy, but it was lucky.
- He was a very good scientist, but his lab was very messy.
Find it in the story 8 times
Your turn
He worked in an office, he didn't like it.
It killed many germs, but he make a lot of it.
The lab was messy, it was lucky.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Is your room tidy or messy? Have you ever found something good by accident?
After you watch: Write three sentences with but. For example: I was tired, but I finished my homework. The test was hard, but I passed.
Think about it: Fleming did not throw the strange dish away. He looked carefully. Do you look carefully at your mistakes? What can a mistake teach us?
