The Reading / Listening - Pyramids - Level 2

Egypt has opened two of its oldest pyramids. The pyramids are in Dahshur, south of Egypt's capital city Cairo. They are open to the public for the first time since 1965. Hundreds of people waited outside the Bent Pyramid at an opening ceremony. The Bent Pyramid was built 4,600 years ago for the Egyptian pharaoh Sneferu. It is 101 meters high. Builders used new techniques to build it. The pyramid was an important step in how people built pyramids. There is an 18-metre high "side pyramid" next to the Bent Pyramid. This was built for King Sneferu's wife Hetepheres.

The two pyramids are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Egypt hopes they will boost its tourism industry. Egypt was a top tourist destination but a 2011 uprising changed this. Many people have Egypt's ancient sites on their bucket lists. At the Bent Pyramid, tourists can go through a 79-meter tunnel to two chambers deep inside. They will also be able to see ancient treasures found inside the pyramid. Egyptian archaeologists also found some stone, clay and wooden sarcophagi - the coffins people were buried in. Some of these sarcophagi had mummies inside them.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pyramids - Level 0 Pyramids - Level 1   or  Pyramids - Level 3

Sources
  • https://time.com/5625968/egypt-opens-pyramids/
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-13/egypt-opens-2-ancient-pyramids-for-first-time-since-1960s
  • https://www.gulftoday.ae/lifestyle/2019/07/13/egypt-opens-sneferu-bent-pyramid-in-dahshur-to-public


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. south of Egypt's
  2. open to the public for the first
  3. an opening
  4. The Bent Pyramid was built
  5. Builders used new
  6. The pyramid was
  7. how people
  8. built for King Sneferu's
  1. wife Hetepheres
  2. techniques to build it
  3. time since 1965
  4. built pyramids
  5. ceremony
  6. 4,600 years ago
  7. capital city Cairo
  8. an important step

Paragraph 2

  1. they will boost its tourism
  2. Egypt was a top tourist
  3. bucket
  4. go through a
  5. see ancient treasures found
  6. stone, clay and
  7. the coffins people
  8. these sarcophagi had
  1. inside the pyramid
  2. were buried in
  3. destination
  4. mummies inside them
  5. industry
  6. 79-meter tunnel
  7. wooden sarcophagi
  8. lists

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Egypt has opened two (1) ___________________ pyramids. The pyramids are in Dahshur, south of Egypt's (2) ___________________. They are open (3) ___________________ for the first time since 1965. Hundreds of people waited outside the Bent Pyramid at (4) ___________________. The Bent Pyramid was built 4,600 years ago for the Egyptian pharaoh Sneferu. It is 101 meters high. Builders (5) ___________________ to build it. The pyramid was an important step in how people built pyramids. There is an 18- (6) ___________________ pyramid" next to the Bent Pyramid. This was built for King Sneferu's wife Hetepheres.

The two pyramids are (7) ___________________ UNESCO World Heritage Site. Egypt hopes they (8) ___________________ tourism industry. Egypt was a top tourist destination but a 2011 uprising changed this. Many people have Egypt's (9) ___________________ their bucket lists. At the Bent Pyramid, tourists can go through a 79-meter tunnel to (10) ___________________ inside. They will also be able to see ancient treasures found inside the pyramid. Egyptian archaeologists also found some stone, (11) ___________________ sarcophagi - the coffins people (12) ___________________. Some of these sarcophagi had mummies inside them.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Egypthasopenedtwoofitsoldestpyramids.ThepyramidsareinDahshu
r,southofEgypt'scapitalcityCairo.Theyareopentothepublicforthefirst
timesince1965.HundredsofpeoplewaitedoutsidetheBentPyramidata
nopeningceremony.TheBentPyramidwasbuilt4,600yearsagofortheE
gyptianpharaohSneferu.Itis101metershigh.Buildersusednewtechni
questobuildit.Thepyramidwasanimportantstepinhowpeoplebuiltpyr
amids.Thereisan18-metrehigh"sidepyramid"nexttotheBentPyram
id.ThiswasbuiltforKingSneferu'swifeHetepheres.Thetwopyramidsar
epartofaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite.Egypthopestheywillboostitstou
rismindustry.Egyptwasatoptouristdestinationbuta2011uprisingcha
ngedthis.ManypeoplehaveEgypt'sancientsitesontheirbucketlists.Att
heBentPyramid,touristscangothrougha79-metertunneltotwochamb
ersdeepinside.Theywillalsobeabletoseeancienttreasuresfoundinsid
ethepyramid.Egyptianarchaeologistsalsofoundsomestone,clayand
woodensarcophagi-thecoffinspeoplewereburiedin.Someofthesesar
cophagihadmummiesinsidethem.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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