Reading
Before you start reading, study the following vocabulary:
Poison
Prove
Sample
Fear
Lie
Achievement
Upper limit
Napoleon was poisoned!
French scientists say new findings prove that Napoleon – who officially died of stomach cancer – was in fact poisoned with arsenic. Ben Weider, a Canadian Napoleon enthusiast and supporter of the theory, says that the emperor was murdered by senior French and English officials because he was very dangerous for them.
Pascal Kintz, a toxicologist who studied five samples of Napoleon's hair, said: "The analysis showed there was major exposure to arsenic."
Weider says that the British governor of St. Helena – the south Atlantic island where Napoleon was exiled – conspired with French count Charles de Montholon to kill Napoleon for fear he would escape and return to France.
"In those days, whoever won the war wrote history. They lied about his death as they lied about his life and achievements. What we are proving today with science is a key to the whole matter," he said in an interview.
Kintz told Reuters the accepted natural upper limit of arsenic concentration in hair is one nanogram per milligram of hair. In one of the samples he tested, that concentration was 38 nanograms.
However, some historians are not sure if the hair analyzed is authentic.
Questions
Are the following sentences correct?
1. Napoleon died in Elba.
2. Ben Weider thinks Napoleon was murdered.
3. Napoleon killed himself.
4. The limit of arsenic concentration in hair is 38 nanograms.
5. The analyzed sample of hair was 100% authentic.
6. "St. Helena – the south Atlantic island where Napoleon was exiled" means Napoleon was sent to St.Helena for the rest of his life.
7. "In those days, whoever won the war wrote history." means the winners changed the history.
8. Toxicologists were studying Napoleon's teeth.
9. The British governor of St. Helena was afraid that Napoleon could return to France.
10. "The analysis showed there was major exposure to arsenic." means there wasn't a lot of arsenic.