The Reading / Listening - Grand Egyptian Museum - Level 4

A new museum has opened in Cairo, Egypt. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) held an opening ceremony on Saturday. Many dignitaries attended it. Egypt's president said GEM will "become an international cultural and scientific hub" and help Egypt's tourism industry. Authorities hailed the $1.2 billion museum as "Egypt's gift to the world". A tour guide hopes it will "usher in a new golden age of Egyptology". GEM offers panoramic views of the Pyramids.

GEM is the world's largest archaeological site dedicated to an ancient civilisation. It has over 50,000 exhibits. A giant 3,200-year-old, 11-metre-tall statue of the Ramesses the Great is in the entrance. GEM also houses the whole Tutankhamun collection. This was unearthed in 1922 in Luxor. Officials hope GEM will mean the return of Egyptian antiquities held in other countries, especially the Rosetta Stone, which is in the British Museum.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Grand Egyptian Museum - Level 5 or  Grand Egyptian Museum - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.arabnews.com/node/2620817/middle-east
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/31/egypts-vast-1bn-museum-to-open-in-cairo-after-two-decade-build
  • https://phys.org/news/2025-10-delays-egypt-lavish-grand-museum.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A new
  2. an opening
  3. Many dignitaries
  4. an international cultural and
  5. help Egypt's tourism
  6. Egypt's gift
  7. usher in a new golden
  8. panoramic
  1. to the world
  2. attended it
  3. industry
  4. ceremony
  5. age of Egyptology
  6. museum has opened
  7. views
  8. scientific hub

Paragraph 2

  1. the world's largest
  2. an ancient
  3. It has over 50,000
  4. Ramesses the Great is
  5. GEM also houses the whole
  6. This was unearthed
  7. the return of Egyptian
  8. held in other
  1. in the entrance
  2. antiquities
  3. civilisation
  4. countries
  5. in 1922
  6. archaeological site
  7. Tutankhamun collection
  8. exhibits

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A new (1) ________________________________________________ in Cairo, Egypt. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) held an (2) ________________________________________________ Saturday. Many (3) ________________________________________________. Egypt's president said GEM will "become an international cultural (4) ________________________________________________" and help Egypt's tourism industry. Authorities hailed the $1.2 billion museum as "Egypt's gift to the world". A tour guide hopes it (5) ________________________________________________ a new golden age of Egyptology". GEM (6) ________________________________________________ of the Pyramids.

GEM is the world's largest archaeological (7) ________________________________________________ an ancient civilisation. It has (8) ________________________________________________. A giant 3,200-year-old, 11-(9) ________________________________________________ of the Ramesses the Great is in the entrance. GEM also houses the whole Tutankhamun collection. This (10) ________________________________________________ 1922 in Luxor. Officials hope GEM will mean the return (11) ________________________________________________ held in other (12) ________________________________________________ Rosetta Stone, which is in the British Museum.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AnewmuseumhasopenedinCairo,Egypt.TheGrandEgyptianMuseum
(GEM)heldanopeningceremonyonSaturday.Manydignitariesattende
dit.Egypt'spresidentsaidGEMwill"becomeaninternationalculturalan
dscientifichub"andhelpEgypt'stourismindustry.Authoritieshailedthe$1.
2billionmuseumas"Egypt'sgifttotheworld".Atourguidehopesitwill"us
herinanewgoldenageofEgyptology".GEMofferspanoramicviewsofth
ePyramids.GEMistheworld'slargestarchaeologicalsitededicatedtoan
ancientcivilisation.Ithasover50,000exhibits.Agiant3,200-year-ol
d,11-metre-tallstatueoftheRamessestheGreatisintheentrance.GEM
alsohousesthewholeTutankhamuncollection.Thiswasunearthedin19
22inLuxor.OfficialshopeGEMwillmeanthereturnofEgyptianantiquitie
sheldinothercountries,especiallytheRosettaStone,whichisintheBriti
shMuseum.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You