The Reading / Listening - Colosseum - Level 6

Italy's government has given the green light for the refurbishment of Rome's famous ancient Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the world's most iconic sites and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It was completed over two millennia ago in AD 80. The plans will see the monument fitted with a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators once fought for their lives. Gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the Roman Empire by fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals.

Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the high-tech project and said it would open to the public by 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum currently has no floor. Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 19th Century to expose the structure's network of underground tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would be "extraordinary" and would allow visitors to see "the majesty of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's another step forward toward rebuilding the arena. It is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological structures while getting back to the original image of the Colosseum."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Colosseum - Level 4  or  Colosseum - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-unveils-new-hi-tech-floor-design-colosseum-area-2021-05-02/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/02/rome-colosseum-to-gain-hi-tech-arena-floor
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56966365


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. ROME'S COLOSSEUM: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Rome's Colosseum. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       government / green light / famous / ancient / iconic / amphitheatre / gladiator /
       high-tech / project / the public / network / tunnel / extraordinary / conservation
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. CONSERVATION: Students A strongly believe it is essential to conserve ancient sites; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. THE NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD: What do you know about the New Seven Wonders of the World? What do you want to know? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

What I Want to Know

The Colosseum

 

 

Great Wall of China

 

 

Chichén Itzá El Castillo

 

 

Petra

 

 

Machu Picchu

 

 

Christ the Redeemer

 

 

Taj Mahal

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. ROME: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "Rome". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. SITES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best sites at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • The Colosseum
  • Great Wall of China
  • The Statue of Liberty
  • Mount Fuji
  • Machu Picchu
  • Sydney Opera House
  • Easter Island Moai
  • The Pyramids

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. green light a. Permission to go ahead with a project.
      2. refurbishment b. A man trained to fight with weapons against other men or wild animals in an arena.
      3. ancient c. The renovation and redecoration of something, especially a building.
      4. iconic d. A period of a thousand years.
      5. millennia e. Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence.
      6. gladiator f. Relating to or of the nature of a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something.
      7. condemned g. Sentenced someone to a particular punishment, especially death.

    Paragraph 2

      8. projected h. Impressive stateliness, dignity, or beauty.
      9. expose i. Very unusual or remarkable.
      10. structure j. Estimated or forecast something on the basis of present trends.
      11. extraordinary k. Having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed.
      12. majesty l. Make something visible, typically by uncovering it.
      13. ambitious m. Preservation and repair of archaeological, historical, and cultural sites and artifacts.
      14. conservation n. A building or other object constructed from several parts.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Italy's government lit a red light for the Colosseum's new floor.     T / F
  2. The Colosseum is one of the ancient wonders of the world.     T / F
  3. The Colosseum was built in 80BC.     T / F
  4. In the Roman Empire, men used to fight wild animals with swords.     T / F
  5. Italy's culture minister said the new floor would be ready by 2023.     T / F
  6. Archaeologists removed the original Colosseum floor in the 19th Century. T / F
  7. Italy's culture minister said the new floor would be extraordinary.     T / F
  8. Italy's culture minister said the new floor was an ambitious project.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. green light
  2. built
  3. fitted
  4. entertain
  5. condemned
  6. announced
  7. projected
  8. network
  9. extraordinary
  10. conservation
  1. declared
  2. preservation
  3. convicted
  4. forecast
  5. constructed
  6. go-ahead
  7. web
  8. remarkable
  9. amuse
  10. equipped

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. given the green
  2. one of the world's most
  3. It is an oval
  4. Roman gladiators once fought
  5. fighting to the
  6. it would open to
  7. The Colosseum currently
  8. expose the structure's network
  9. It's another step
  10. getting back to the original
  1. of underground tunnels
  2. for their lives
  3. image of the Colosseum
  4. iconic sites
  5. forward
  6. death with swords
  7. light for the refurbishment
  8. has no floor
  9. amphitheatre
  10. the public by 2023

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
ancient
millennia
audiences
iconic
light
condemned
oval
chance

Italy's government has given the green (1) _____________________ for the refurbishment of Rome's famous (2) _____________________ Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the world's most (3) _____________________ sites and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is an (4) _____________________ amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It was completed over two (5) _____________________ ago in AD 80. The plans will see the monument fitted with a new floor that will allow visitors the (6) _____________________ to stand where Roman gladiators once fought for their lives. Gladiators were used to entertain (7) _____________________ during the Roman Empire by fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators, wild animals, and (8) _____________________ criminals.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
majesty
announced
original
currently
toward
extraordinary
public
original

Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini (9) _____________________ the high-tech project and said it would open to the (10) _____________________ by 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum (11) _____________________ has no floor. Archaeologists removed the (12) _____________________ floor in the 19th Century to expose the structure's network of underground tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would be "(13) _____________________" and would allow visitors to see "the (14) _____________________ of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's another step forward (15) _____________________ rebuilding the arena. It is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological structures while getting back to the (16) _____________________ image of the Colosseum."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  The Colosseum is one of the world's ______
     a.  must iconic sites
     b.  moist iconic sites
     c.  moss iconic sites
     d.  most iconic sites
2)  the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It was completed over ______
     a.  two millennia age
     b.  two millennia ago
     c.  two millennia ages
     d.  two millennia agro
3) allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators once fought ______
     a.  for there lives
     b.  for they're lives
     c.  for they lives
     d.  for their lives
4)  Gladiators were used to ______
     a.  enter train audiences
     b.  enter tame audiences
     c.  enter taint audiences
     d.  entertain audiences
5)  against other gladiators, wild animals, and ______
     a.  condemn criminals
     b.  condemns criminals
     c.  condemned criminals
     d.  condemning criminals

6)  announced the high-tech project and said it would open ______
     a.  to the publicity
     b.  to the public
     c.  to the publicly
     d.  to the publics
7)  Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 19th Century to expose ______
     a.  the structure's nut work
     b.  the structure's net walk
     c.  the structure's not work
     d.  the structure's network
8)  Mr Franceschini said the new floor would ______
     a.  be eggs ordinary
     b.  be eggs art ordinary
     c.  be ex trade ordinary
     d.  be extraordinary
9)  It's another step forward toward ______
     a.  rebuild in the arena
     b.  rebuild din the arena
     c.  rebuilding the arena
     d.  rib building the arena
10)  an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the ______
     a.  archaeologically structures
     b.  archaeological structures
     c.  archaeology structures
     d.  archaeology call structures

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Italy's government has given (1) ____________________ for the refurbishment of Rome's famous ancient Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the world's (2) ____________________ and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It (3) ____________________ amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It was completed over two millennia ago in AD 80. The plans will see the (4) ____________________ a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators (5) ____________________ their lives. Gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the Roman Empire by fighting to the (6) ____________________ against other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals.

Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini (7) ____________________ project and said it would open to (8) ____________________ 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum currently has no floor. Archaeologists (9) ____________________ floor in the 19th Century to expose the structure's network of underground tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would (10) ____________________ would allow visitors to see "the majesty of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's another step forward toward (11) ____________________. It is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological structures while getting back to the (12) ____________________ the Colosseum."

Comprehension questions

  1. What did Italy's government give for the Colosseum's floor to be built?
  2. What is the Colosseum one of seven of?
  3. When was the Colosseum finished?
  4. Who fought for their lives in the Colosseum?
  5. What did people fight against besides other people?
  6. When will the Colosseum's new floor open to the public?
  7. When was the original floor removed?
  8. How much is the new floor projected to cost?
  9. What did Italy's culture minister say the new floor would be?
  10. What did Italy's culture minister say Colosseum would get back to?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did Italy's government give for the Colosseum's floor to be built?
a) a neon light
b) an amber light
c) the red light
d) the green light
2) What is the Colosseum one of seven of?
a) the ancient wonders of the world
b) the New Seven Wonders of the World
c) special UNESCO World Heritage
    Sites
d) ancient amphitheatres
3) When was the Colosseum finished?
a) 18 AD
b) 80 BC
c) 80 AD
d) 18 BC
4) Who fought for their lives in the Colosseum?
a) gladiators
b) senators
c) emperors
d) archaeologists

5) What did people fight against besides other people?
a) time
b) the weather
c) wild animals
d) a pandemic

6) When will the Colosseum's new floor open to the public?
a) 2023
b) by 2023
c) in 2023
d) just after 2023
7) When was the original floor removed?
a) in the 14th Century
b) in the 15th Century
c) in the 18th Century
d) in the 19th Century
8) How much is the new floor projected to cost?
a) $22.2 million
b) $18.5 million
c) 88.8 million euro
d) 22.2 million euro
9) What did Italy's culture minister say the new floor would be?
a) shiny
b) hard
c) extraordinary
d) slippery

10) What did Italy's culture minister say Colosseum would get back to?
a) the good-old days
b) its original image
c) business
d) it

Role play

Role  A – The Colosseum
You think the Colosseum is the world's bet site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Mount Fuji, the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids.

Role  B – Mount Fuji  
You think Mount Fuji     is the world's bet site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids.

Role  C – Great Wall of China
You think the Great Wall of China is the world's bet site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Mount Fuji     , the Colosseum or the Pyramids.

Role  D – The Pyramids
You think the Pyramids is the world's bet site. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sites. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Mount Fuji , the Great Wall of China or the Colosseum.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'ancient'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'floor'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • light
    • iconic
    • oval
    • ever
    • stand
    • death
    • open
    • cost
    • expose
    • allow
    • majesty
    • aid

    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 - Colosseum

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word ' Colosseum'?
    3. What do you know about the Colosseum?
    4. What do you think when you see the Colosseum?
    5. Where would you put the Colosseum on a 'must-visit' list?
    6. Why are we so fascinated by ancient sites?
    7. What modern wonders are the best?
    8. Is the refurbishment a good idea?
    9. What are the best sites in your country?
    10. How could people get other people to fight to the death?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Rome'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. How will the new floor improve the experience at the Colosseum?
    5. Why do you think the new floor might be 'extraordinary'?
    6. Would you like to be an archaeologist?
    7. Why is it important to preserve ancient buildings?
    8. What could the Colosseum be used for today?
    9. What modern day architecture will be great sites in the future?
    10. What questions would you like to ask a Roman gladiator?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Italy's government has given the (1) ____ light for the refurbishment of Rome's famous ancient Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the world's most (2) ____ sites and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest (3) ____ amphitheatre ever built. It was completed over two millennia ago in AD 80. The plans will see the monument (4) ____ with a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators once fought for their (5) ____. Gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the Roman Empire by fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators, wild animals, and (6) ____ criminals.

    Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the high-tech project and said it would open (7) ____ the public by 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum currently has no floor. Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 19th Century to (8) ____ the structure's network of underground tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would be "extraordinary" and would allow visitors to see "the (9) ____ of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's (10) ____ step forward toward rebuilding the arena. It is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological (11) ____ while getting back to the original image (12) ____ the Colosseum."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     blue     (b)     red     (c)     amber     (d)     green    
    2. (a)     conical     (b)     icon     (c)     cone     (d)     iconic    
    3. (a)     pre-historic     (b)     ancient     (c)     history     (d)     primordial    
    4. (a)     equip     (b)     attached     (c)     fitted     (d)     fastened     
    5. (a)     lifestyles     (b)     lifetimes     (c)     lives     (d)     lifers    
    6. (a)     condemned     (b)     commandeered     (c)     commended     (d)     commanded    
    7. (a)     at     (b)     to     (c)     of     (d)     in    
    8. (a)     expose     (b)     inhibit     (c)     replenish     (d)     uphold    
    9. (a)     empire     (b)     majesty     (c)     honorific     (d)     imperial    
    10. (a)     other     (b)     others     (c)     another     (d)     the others    
    11. (a)     statues     (b)     scriptures     (c)     structures     (d)     stalactites    
    12. (a)     on     (b)     as     (c)     at     (d)     of

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. given the green light for the eemtnbfriursh
    2. Rome's famous actnine Colosseum
    3. completed over two nllimeain ago
    4. where Roman glairtosad once fought
    5. used to entertain adeeuncis
    6. mnddeneoc criminals

    Paragraph 2

    1. Franceschini nonuencda the high-tech project
    2. oesepx the structure's network
    3. allow visitors to see the seatjym
    4. It is an aiiusbotm project
    5. archaeological ttrsescuru
    6. getting back to the ariiglon image

    Put the text back together

    (...)  see "the majesty of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's another step forward
    (...)  the archaeological structures while getting back to the original image of the Colosseum."
    (...)  fought for their lives. Gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the Roman Empire by
    (...)  the public by 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum currently
    (...)  of underground tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would be "extraordinary" and would allow visitors to
    (  1  ) Italy's government has given the green light for the refurbishment of Rome's famous ancient
    (...)  built. It was completed over two millennia ago in AD 80. The plans will see the monument
    (...)  Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the high-tech project and said it would open to
    (...)  toward rebuilding the arena. It is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of
    (...)  fitted with a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators once
    (...)  has no floor. Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 19th Century to expose the structure's network
    (...)  Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the world's most iconic sites and one of the New Seven Wonders
    (...)  of the World. It is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever
    (...)  fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. government   given   light   .   Italy's   has   green   the
    2. of   most   sites   .   one   world's   the   It's   iconic
    3. see   the   monument   floor   .   Plans   with   a   fitted
    4. for   their   Roman   Where   gladiators   once   fought   lives   .
    5. to   against   death   the   gladiators   .   swords   Fighting   with
    6. would   by   open   2023   .   It   to   public   the
    7. 18.5 million   around   is   cost   projected   to   It   euro   .
    8. the   removed   in   the  Archaeologists   .  original   19th Century   floor
    9. of   tunnels   .   network   underground   structure's   Expose   the
    10. arena   .   the   toward   step   rebuilding   It's   forward   another

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Italy's government has given / giving the green light for the refurbishment of Rome's famously / famous ancient Colosseum. The Colosseum is one / once of the world's most iconic sites and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is an evil / oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever / never built. It was completed over two millennium / millennia ago in AD 80. The plans will watch / see the monument fitted / inflated with a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where Roman gladiators once fought for their lifestyles / lives. Gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the Roman Empire by fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned / commended criminals.

    Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini renounced / announced the high-tech project and said it would open / openly to the public by 2023. It is projected to cost around 18.5 million euro, or $22.2 million. The Colosseum currently / current has no floor. Archaeologists removed the originated / original floor in the 19th Century to expose / suppose the structure's network of underground tunnel / tunnels. Mr Franceschini said the new floor would be "extraordinary" and would allow visitors to see "the majesty / majestic of the Colosseum" from its centre. He added: "It's others / another step forward toward rebuilding the arena. It is an ambitious project that will aid / placate the conservation of the archaeological scriptures / structures while getting back to the original image of the Colosseum."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _t_ly's  g_v_rnm_nt  h_s  g_v_n  th_  gr__n  l_ght  f_r  th_  r_f_rb_shm_nt  _f  R_m_'s  f_m__s  _nc__nt  C_l_ss__m.  Th_  C_l_ss__m  _s  _n_  _f  th_  w_rld's  m_st  _c_n_c  s_t_s  _nd  _n_  _f  th_  N_w  S_v_n  W_nd_rs  _f  th_  W_rld.  _t  _s  _n  _v_l  _mph_th__tr_  _n  th_  c_ntr_  _f  th_  c_ty  _f  R_m_  _nd  _s  th_  l_rg_st  _nc__nt  _mph_th__tr_  _v_r  b__lt.  _t  w_s  c_mpl_t_d  _v_r  tw_  m_ll_nn__  _g_  _n  _D  80.  Th_  pl_ns  w_ll  s__  th_  m_n_m_nt  f_tt_d  w_th  _  n_w  fl__r  th_t  w_ll  _ll_w  v_s_t_rs  th_  ch_nc_  t_  st_nd  wh_r_  R_m_n  gl_d__t_rs  _nc_  f__ght  f_r  th__r  l_v_s.  Gl_d__t_rs  w_r_  _s_d  t_  _nt_rt__n  __d__nc_s  d_r_ng  th_  R_m_n  _mp_r_  by  f_ght_ng  t_  th_  d__th  w_th  sw_rds  w_th  _th_r  gl_d__t_rs,  w_ld  _n_m_ls,  _nd  c_nd_mn_d  cr_m_n_ls.

    _t_ly's  C_lt_r_  M_n_st_r  D_r__  Fr_nc_sch_n_  _nn__nc_d  th_  h_gh-t_ch  pr_j_ct  _nd  s__d  _t  w__ld  _p_n  t_  th_  p_bl_c  by  2023.  _t  _s  pr_j_ct_d  t_  c_st  _r__nd  18.5  m_ll__n  __r_,  _r  $22.2  m_ll__n.  Th_  C_l_ss__m  c_rr_ntly  h_s  n_  fl__r.  _rch ___l_g_sts  r_m_v_d  th_  _r_g_n_l  fl__r  _n  th_  19th  C_nt_ry  t_  _xp_s_  th_  str_ct_r_'s  n_tw_rk  _f  _nd_rgr__nd  t_nn_ls.  Mr  Fr_nc_sch_n_  s__d  th_  n_w  fl__r  w__ld  b_  "_xtr__rd_n_ry"  _nd  w__ld  _ll_w  v_s_t_rs  t_  s__  "th_  m_j_sty  _f  th_  C_l_ss__m"  fr_m  _ts  c_ntr_.  H_  _dd_d:  "_t's  _n_th_r  st_p  f_rw_rd  t_w_rd  r_b__ld_ng  th_  _r_n_.  _t  _s  _n  _mb_t___s  pr_j_ct  th_t  w_ll  __d  th_  c_ns_rv_t__n  _f  th_  _rch___l_g_c_l  str_ct_r_s  wh_l_  g_tt_ng  b_ck  t_  th_  _r_g_n_l  _m_g_  _f  th_  C_l_ss__m."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    italys government has given the green light for the refurbishment of romes famous ancient colosseum the colosseum is one of the worlds most iconic sites and one of the new seven wonders of the world it is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of rome and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built it was completed over two millennia ago in ad 80 the plans will see the monument fitted with a new floor that will allow visitors the chance to stand where roman gladiators once fought for their lives gladiators were used to entertain audiences during the roman empire by fighting to the death with swords against other gladiators wild animals and condemned criminals

    italys culture minister dario franceschini announced the hightech project and said it would open to the public by 2023 it is projected to cost around 185 million euro or 222 million the colosseum currently has no floor Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 19th century to expose the structures network of underground tunnels mr franceschini said the new floor would be extraordinary and would allow visitors to see the majesty of the colosseum from its centre he added its another step forward toward rebuilding the arena it is an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological structures while getting back to the original image of the colosseum

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Italy'sgovernmenthasgiventhegreenlightfortherefurbishmentofRo
    me'sfamousancientColosseum.TheColosseumisoneoftheworld'smo
    sticonicsitesandoneoftheNewSevenWondersoftheWorld.Itisanovala
    mphitheatreinthecentreofthecityofRomeandisthelargestancientam
    phitheatreeverbuilt.ItwascompletedovertwomillenniaagoinAD80.T
    heplanswillseethemonumentfittedwithanewfloorthatwillallowvisitor
    sthechancetostandwhereRomangladiatorsoncefoughtfortheirlives.
    GladiatorswereusedtoentertainaudiencesduringtheRomanEmpireb
    yfightingtothedeathwithswordsagainstothergladiators,wildanimals,
    andcondemnedcriminals.Italy'sCultureMinisterDarioFranceschinian
    nouncedthehigh-techprojectandsaiditwouldopentothepublicby202
    3.Itisprojectedtocostaround18.5millioneuro,or$22.2million.TheCol
    osseumcurrentlyhasnofloor.Archaeologistsremovedtheoriginalfloor
    inthe19thCenturytoexposethestructure'snetworkofundergroundtu
    nnels.MrFranceschinisaidthenewfloorwouldbe"extraordinary"andw
    ouldallowvisitorstosee"themajestyoftheColosseum"fromitscentre.
    Headded:"It'sanotherstepforwardtowardrebuildingthearena.Itisan
    ambitiousprojectthatwillaidtheconservationofthearchaeologicalstru
    ctureswhilegettingbacktotheoriginalimageoftheColosseum."

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Write about Rome's Colosseum for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. ROME'S COLOSSEUM: Make a poster about Rome's Colosseum. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. PRESERVATION: Write a magazine article about spending more money on preserving archaeological sites. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Rome's Colosseum. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas to raise its profile. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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