Page 16 - English 11 | Activity Book 3-4

Reading Activity

3 A) Which of these sentences are true about Florence Nightingale? Write T (for true)
or F (for false). Then, read the text and check your answers.

1. Florence Nightingale had had a difficult life before she became a nurse.

2. Her parents were inspired by the city name.
3. Her parents gave support to her to become a nurse.
4. She found the conditions quite enough in the military hospital in Turkey.

5. She struggled for better conditions in hospitals.

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Some people become famous quietly. They don’t speak to many people. They don’t enter
politics, but they change the world.

Florence Nightingale changed the world quietly. Florence was born in the city of Florence,
Italy in 1820. Her parents named her after the city. Her father thought that women should

have a good education. He taught her languages, literature, history, and mathematics. She
loved her subjects.

When Florence decided to become a nurse, her parents didn’t agree. They felt that nursing
wasn’t a profession for rich women. They wanted her to get married. She got a few offers

of marriage, but she wasn’t interested. Finally, when she was 31, her father agreed to let her
become a nurse.

In 1853, Britain entered the Crimean War. Many British soldiers were dying in Turkey. The
fighting was difficult. Soldiers also died of cholera and malaria. Florence travelled to Turkey

with 38 nurses to help soldiers. The conditions in the military hospital shocked her. She
cleaned and organised the hospital. She bought fruit, vegetables, and hospital equipment

with her own money. The number of dying soldiers fell from 40% to 2%.
After the war, Florence worked to improve conditions in hospitals. She set up a nursing

school and wrote three books. She also fought for the rights of women to have careers.
When Florence died at the age of 90, the world was a different place. Hospitals were cleaner.

Women could now dream of careers. She achieved the aim of making nursing a respected
profession.

ORTAÖĞRETİM 16 ENGLISH-11
GENEL MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ