
Scroll down for printables.
The 21st century is all about innovation. Technology is progressing at an unprecedented rate and the way we live is changing along with it. When historians look back on the early 21st century, they will identify a handful of people who embodied the supremacy of technology. Elon Musk will undoubtedly feature prominently on this list.
Global citizen
Many people are surprised to learn that Elon Musk was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa. He had a difficult childhood, with his parents separating when he was nine years old. As an adult, Elon has become estranged from his father. He moved to Canada when he was 17 and then to the United States of America. Currently, he sits quite high on a number of global rankings. His net worth, currently around 93 billion dollars, makes him the world’s 5th richest person. Forbes rated him the most innovative leader of 2019. And his time as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla makes him the longest standing CEO of an automotive company.
Tesla, Inc.

This automotive company is perhaps what most people associate with Elon Musk. It’s an interesting quirk of history that one of his greatest achievements would involve a company named after someone as eccentric and brilliant as him. Tesla Incorporated was founded in 2003 and named for Nikola Tesla, the Serbian inventor and scientist who contributed more than anyone else to the development of electrical technology. Like Musk, Tesla was no ordinary man. It’s fitting that his name should be attached to a company that makes electric cars. Tesla, Inc. is rapidly changing how we think about transport and energy use. Who knows – by the time you are old enough to learn to drive, it may well be in an electrical vehicle!
SpaceX
But Musk’s most interesting project – outlandish or prophetic, depending on your point of view – is space exploration. In 2002, he founded Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) to pursue the vision of making space travel cheaper and perhaps even colonizing Mars. In May 2020, SpaceX sent a manned craft into orbit and docked it at the International Space Station (ISS). Whether or not humans end up farming on Mars, Elon Musk has revived an entire generation’s enthusiasm for space travel. Great things tend to happen when people have their eyes focused upward. Who knows what the future might bring?
X Æ A-12
Much like Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk doesn’t leave his eccentricity at the office. He recently named his youngest child “X Æ A-12”. The pronunciation is something like “eks ash A twelve”. The first letter is simply the letter “X” and the second one, which is a combination of “a” and “e”, is actually a letter in several Scandinavian languages. In those languages, it is referred to as “ash”. The “A-12” refers to the Lockheed A-12 “archangel”, which is a military aircraft. Publicity stunt? Maybe. But there’s no doubt that Elon Musk represents our age, in which tradition and stability are giving way to innovation and uncertainty. We are certainly living in interesting times.
.
.
.
Questions:
- What century are we currently living in?
- Find an adjective in par. 1 that we use to refer to something that has never happened before.
- Do you know what “prominently” means? (Par. 1)
- Find a noun in par. 1 that means a state of having power.
- Where was Elon Musk born?
- Do you know someone in Pretoria, South Arica?
- In what year was he rated the most innovative person?
- Find an adjective in par. 2 that means “separated” or “disconnected”.
- What does it mean if something or someone is “innovative”? (Par. 2)
- What does the acronym CEO stand for?
- When was Tesla Incorporated established?
- What connection does the writer make between Nikola Tesla and Elon Musk?
- Find a phrase in par. 3 that means a funny or strange fact in history.
- Do you know someone you could describe as “eccentric”? (Par. 3) Is this a good or a bad thing?
- Find an adverb in par. 3 that means “quickly”.
- Name two of the aims of SpaceX.
- How has this company affected the way people think about space travel?
- Find an adjective in par. 4 that means “very strange”.
- Do you know any synonyms for “enthusiasm”? (Par. 4)
- What was the inspiration for the A-12 in the child’s name?
- What do you think of this child’s name?
- What part of speech is “eccentricity”? (Par. 5)
- Find two other words of this part of speech in the last paragraph.
.
.
Answers:
- The 21st century.
- Unprecedented
- Obviously, or in a way that stands out.
- Supremacy
- Pretoria, South Africa
- Open answer.
- 2019
- Estranged
- Creative, able to generate new ideas
- Chief Executive Officer
- 2003
- They are both innovative and brilliant people.
- Quirk of history.
- Open answer: eccentric can be used negatively or positively depending on context.
- Rapidly
- Colonizing Mars and making space travel cheaper.
- It has made people interested in it again.
- Outlandish
- Excitement, desire, interest.
- The A-12 aircraft which was the precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird.
- Open answer.
- Abstract noun.
- Uncertainty, stability, tradition, innovation, combination.
.
.
Printables:
Comprehension worksheet – passage only
Comprehension worksheet – questions and answers only
Comprehension worksheet with questions and answers per paragraph
.
© Edublox
Overcoming learning barriers —
Video: It’s life-changing! Edublox helps overcome learning challenges
Watch Naeleigh’s heart-warming story of overcoming learning challenges. While Edublox’s Development Tutor is improving her cognitive skills like concentration, processing, memory and reasoning, Live Tutor and additional homework exercises provided by Edublox address her reading, spelling and math deficits. Continue Reading
Ashlyn, mom of Naeleigh, US Edublox Online Tutor May 26, 2022
Overcoming reading difficulties: Four children testify
Four children, Kelsey, Tshepo, Liam and Joshua share how struggling to read affected them, as well as how it feels now that they can read. Contact Edublox for help if your child struggles with similar problems.
Continue ReadingKelsey, Tshepo, Liam and Joshua Edublox Online Tutor March 5, 2022
Overcoming dyslexia: Elize tells her family’s experience
Elize tells her family's experience with Edublox. When her youngest daughter (now 25 years old) was in 4th grade, she realized her reading was not on par. The school said she should not worry. Continue Reading
Elize, mom of Marie-Louise Edublox Online Tutor March 5, 2022
Dyslexia & dyscalculia diary and video: “We can see her world getting bigger”
The whole Edublox system has helped Amy so much with reading and math, but it was hard for us to tell if it was helping her with this hidden, agonizing challenge. It certainly is! Continue Reading
Sandy, mom of Amy, US Edublox Online Tutor January 5, 2022
Video: Edublox’s online tutoring delivers demonstrable results
Dennis shares how Edublox is teaching his daughter Veronica to read after other programs had failed. She was diagnosed with apraxia. Apraxia is a neurological condition that makes certain motor movements difficult. It may affect speech and coordination, and may co-occur with learning disorders such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Continue Reading
Dennis, Veronica's dad, US Edublox Online Tutor October 29, 2021
Dyseidetic dyslexia video: Measurable improvements in reading scores
Hilary shares her thoughts on "The Edublox Experience." Measurable improvements in standardized reading scores, confidence and fun. Continue Reading
Hilary, Rief's mom, US Edublox Online Tutor October 11, 2021
Video: Overcoming dyslexia and developmental delays
Vivienne was adopted from China at age 5. This video is about Susan helping her 11-year-old daughter overcome developmental delays, including dyslexia. They started with the Edublox program 13 weeks ago. This is their story. Continue Reading
Susan, Vivienne's mom, US Edublox Online Tutor August 22, 2021
“Carsten is reading 6 and 7 letter words and the most amazing part is he is spelling them as well!”
Now, after working with Susan and the Edublox program for the last 5 months, Carsten is reading 6 and 7 letter words and the most amazing part is he is spelling them as well! AMAZING! I never would have thought he would be spelling words that large so quickly. I asked his school teacher about what she has seen and she told me she’s seen a big difference... Continue Reading
Lisel Nielsen, Utah, US Edublox Online Tutor March 12, 2020
Video: Student with severe dyslexia improves from the 1st to the 55th percentile!
Meet Maddie, a 10-year-old who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia, moderate dyscalculia, ADHD and low IQ (low 80s). People who had evaluated her said that they had never seen dyslexia as severe as this before. Her parents had been told by more than one professional that Maddie would probably never read... Continue Reading
Kimberly, US Edublox Online Tutor May 23, 2019
“His ability to decipher words is phenomenal”
Kenny’s ability to spell now is stunning all of us. His ability to decipher words is phenomenal.... Kenny has learned that reading can be enjoyed and how to enjoy it... He is reading now on an above grade level average and scored above grade level on his State tests. Continue Reading
Donna, USA Edublox Online Tutor November 15, 2018