The Reading / Listening - Belly Dancing - Level 2

A famous belly dancer has been put in prison. A court in Egypt sentenced Sama el-Masry to three years behind bars. It also fined her about $18,500. The police arrested her in April. They charged her with immorality after she posted videos on the website TikTok. The videos showed her doing various belly dances. Egypt is cracking down on social media posts. Officials accused Ms El-Masry of posting "immoral" pictures and videos on her social media accounts. They said she was guilty of breaking Egypt's morals because the videos were "sexually suggestive".

Sama el-Masry is 42 years old. She is a belly dancer and an actress. She starred in three big movies. One of them was about the unfair treatment of female workers. It created a lot of debate in Egypt about the rights of women in the workplace. She also got a lot of criticism in the past for posting videos about her political views. One of the videos mocked former US President Barack Obama. A women's rights lawyer who defended Ms El-Masry said: "Our conservative society is struggling with technological changes which have created a completely different environment."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Belly Dancing - Level 0 Belly Dancing - Level 1   or  Belly Dancing - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1696436/middle-east
  • https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/89022/Sama-el-Masry-sentenced-to-3-years-in-prison-on
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/egypt-court-jails-belly-dancer-debauchery-tiktok-post-200628004134084.html


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. three years behind
  2. The police arrested
  3. showed her doing
  4. Egypt is cracking down
  5. posting "immoral"
  6. videos on her social
  7. They said she
  8. sexually
  1. on social media
  2. was guilty
  3. bars
  4. suggestive
  5. various belly dances
  6. pictures
  7. her in April
  8. media accounts

Paragraph 2

  1. She starred in
  2. the unfair treatment
  3. She also got a lot of
  4. former
  5. A women's rights
  6. conservative
  7. struggling with technological
  8. created a completely different
  1. lawyer
  2. changes
  3. three big movies
  4. environment
  5. of female workers
  6. US President
  7. society
  8. criticism

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A famous belly dancer has been (1) ___________________. A court in Egypt sentenced Sama el-Masry to three years behind bars. It (2) ___________________ about $18,500. The police arrested her in April. They charged her (3) ___________________ she posted videos on the website TikTok. The videos showed her doing various belly dances. Egypt is (4) ___________________ social media posts. Officials accused Ms El-Masry of posting "immoral" pictures (5) ___________________ her social media accounts. They said she was guilty of breaking Egypt's (6) ___________________ videos were "sexually suggestive".

Sama el-Masry is 42 years old. She is a belly dancer and an actress. She (7) ___________________ big movies. One of them was about the (8) ___________________ female workers. It created a lot of debate in Egypt about the rights of women (9) ___________________. She also got a lot of criticism in the past for posting videos about (10) ___________________. One of the videos mocked former US President Barack Obama. A women's rights (11) ___________________ Ms El-Masry. She said: "Our conservative society is struggling with technological changes which have (12) ___________________ different environment."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Afamousbellydancerhasbeenputinprison.AcourtinEgyptsentencedS
amael-Masrytothreeyearsbehindbars.Italsofinedherabout$18,50
0.ThepolicearrestedherinApril.Theychargedherwithimmoralityafter
shepostedvideosonthewebsiteTikTok.Thevideosshowedherdoingva
riousbellydances.Egyptiscrackingdownonsocialmediaposts.Officials
accusedMsEl-Masryofposting"immoral"picturesandvideosonherso
cialmediaaccounts.TheysaidshewasguiltyofbreakingEgypt'smorals
becausethevideoswere"sexuallysuggestive".Samael-Masryis42ye
arsold.Sheisabellydancerandanactress.Shestarredinthreebigmovie
s.Oneofthemwasabouttheunfairtreatmentoffemaleworkers.Itcreat
edalotofdebateinEgyptabouttherightsofwomenintheworkplace.She
alsogotalotofcriticisminthepastforpostingvideosaboutherpoliticalvie
ws.OneofthevideosmockedformerUSPresidentBarackObama.Awom
en'srightslawyerwhodefendedMsEl-Masrysaid:"Ourconservativ
esocietyisstrugglingwithtechnologicalchangeswhichhavecreatedac
ompletelydifferentenvironment."

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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