HQ.MONDAY – 28.09.

20

EXERCISE SHEET
A. READING
Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (1-6).
There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
A. It seems that the real Cleopatra, for all her fame, was actually not such a beauty.
B. When she had walked around the site and photographed it, she became convinced that Cleopatra’s tomb was
located there.
C. Most of ancient Alexandria now lies under about 6 metres of water.
D. However, archaeologists have always paid Cleopatra much less attention.
E. In the twentieth century, she starred in at least seven films and was played by some of the greatest actresses.
F. She had planned to be buried outside Alexandria in a sacred place alongside her beloved Mark Antony.
G. When the victorious enemy entered Alexandria in 30 B.C., Cleopatra was in danger.

The search for Cleopatra

Cleopatra, even thousands of years after her death, is still a household name. According to the critic, Harold Bloom,
she was the ‘world’s first celebrity’. If history is a stage, no actress has played so many roles: royal daughter, royal
mother, royal sister. From 1540 to 1905 she had already been the inspiration for five ballets, 45 operas and 77
plays, the most famous of which must be Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. (1) ________ E Her name has been
used on countless products and services throughout the world such as board games, dry cleaner’s and even a
Mediterranean pollution-monitoring project. She is orbiting the sun as the asteroid 216 Cleopatra.

The reality, however, appears to be rather different from the reputation that has grown up around the last queen
of Egypt. Biographer, Michae Grant explained that the only images of her that do exist are based on unattractive
A
silhouettes on coins. (2) ________ The Greek historian Plutarch stated that her appearance was not ‘the sort that
would amaze those who saw her’ and was more impressed with her character and persuasiveness. He also spoke of
her pleasant voice, describing her as having a ‘tongue like a many-stringed instrument’.

Her ability to attract two powerful Roman men: Julius Caesar, with whom she had one son; and Mark Antony, the
father of three more children is explained more by her charm than her looks. After the murder of Caesar, Antony
and Cleopatra fought against Octavian, Caesar’s heir, for control of the Roman Empire. They had been fighting for
G
more than a decade when Octavian’s forces finally defeated Antony and Cleopatra. (3) ________ She barricaded
herself inside her mausoleum. Antony was later brought there to die in Cleopatra’s arms. About ten days after
Antony had died, Cleopatra commited suicide with the venom of a poisonous snake.

The famous couple were buried together, but the location of the grave remains a mystery. For many years,
archaeologists have been trying to solve this mystery. Alexandria, where the queen and her ancestors lived for
three centuries, was the obvious place for them to search. However, it attracted less attention from archaeologists
than more ancient sites along the Nile such as the Pyramids at Giza, because it had been affected by earthquakes,
C
tidal waves and rising seas, in addition to man-made damage. (4) ________ Underwater excavations did not begin
until 1992 and although archaeologists were able to understand Cleopatra’s world, they failed to find her tomb.
The focus then turned to the desert town of Taposiris Magna, about 45 kilometres west of Alexandria. In
Cleopatra’s time, it had been a major port. The theory that Cleopatra might be buried there was first put forward
by a young archaeology lecturer called Kathleen Martinez from the Dominican Republic. She had managed to

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HQ.MONDAY – 28.09.20

persuade Zahi Hawass, the secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, to allow her access to
archaeological sites. She visited the ancient city Taposiris Magna, present-day Abu Sir. (5) ________
B This started a
whole new quest for Cleopatra in 2005.

Martinez felt sure that modern researchers had missed important clues about Cleopatra’s burial place. Although
ancient writing does not mention where Cleopatra was buried, Martinez believed that she had prepared everything
F
in advance. (6) ________ The question is where. It seems that even though Cleopatra is everywhere, she is
nowhere!

B. TOPIC VOCABULARY: CELEBRITIES

I, Complete the phrases with these prepositions. You may use a word more than once.
AT – BEHIND – BY – IN – ON – TO – UNDER – WITHOUT
in
1. She seems very cold ______________ in
public, but ______________ private she’s very friendly.
under
2. Celebrities are always ______________ pressure to look their best.
at
3. Fame often comes ______________ a price, which is usually one’s privacy.
4. Her agent will speak ______________
on her behalf at the press conference.
To
5. ______________ our astonishment, our neighbour won a competition on TV.
By
6. ______________ all accounts, that model is notoriously difficult to work with.
behind
7. The stars seem to get on well, but I wonder what goes on ______________ the sences?
Without
8. ______________ a doubt, reality shows are the most entertaining thing on TV at the moment.

II, Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words.
astonishment
1. To our ____________________ (ASTONISH), the charity ball was cancelled.
2. The Prince’s press ____________________ (REPRESENT) said he was much better after his illness.
3. Would you like to be rich and famous and have lots of ____________________ (SERVE)?
4. The young musician is an ___________________ (INSPIRE) to us all.
5. The film was shot on ____________________ (LOCATE) in Miami.
6. Stars can’t expect to have fame and ____________________ (PRIVATE)!
7. The royal wedding received a lot of ____________________ (PUBLIC).
8. Stella McCartney makes ____________________ (STYLE) designer clothes.

III, Complete the text with these words.

BREAK – FIGURE – INFLUENTIAL – MONEY – NOTORIOUS – QUALIFIED – REPUTATION – SCANDAL

qualified
When Doctor Conrad Murray left the University of Arizona as a (1) __________________ cardiologist, little did he
know what lay in store for him career-wise. After years of building up a (2) __________________
reputation as a doctor with a
heart, as he often treated patients without health insurance free of charge, Murray got a lucky (3)
break
__________________. He was offered a job that would make most doctors green with envy – as Michael Jackson’s
full-time personal doctor. The pop star, who was (4) __________________
notorious for his health problems and who was
money
made of (5) __________________, even paid him an astounding $150,000 per month for the position! On July 29th
2010, the day that the star died in his home, Murray had been on duty. Although he was freed of any blame for the
star’s death at first, Jackson’s (6) __________________ family were convinced that someone had murdered the
star. It didn’t take long for Murray to be put at the centre of the (7) __________________ and for him to be put on
trial for manslaughter. However, during the trial he became a popular (8) __________________ with the media

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HQ.MONDAY – 28.09.20

and gained celebrity status himself with fans all over the world pledging their support for him. He was, however,
found guilty of manslaughter.

D, For questions 1-10, read the text below and decide which answer (a, b, c or d) best fits each gap.

A new breed of superstar

Nowadays, many people become household names through professions that were once thought of as simply
respectable, rather than glamorous. Take lawyers, for example. Getting a job with a top law (1) ______ may not
only ensure financial security due to the astronomical (2) ______ lawyers can command, but it may also bring the
same superstar (3) ______ as that of a Hollywood actor. There are very few Americans who do not (4) ______ the
name of the independent public prosecutor, Kenneth Starr. But a person must be (5) ______ out to be a lawyer in
order to be successful. Firstly, a persuasive character is essential to getting every member of the jury to (6) ______
in with your line of argument. Secondly, the (7) ______ to judge character is vital, since a witness’s (8) ______ to a
question may be more significant than the answer given. (9) ______, leadership qualities are fundamental. Top
lawyers do not have the time to (10) ______ all the research necessary in a case by themselves. As a result, they
have to set an example for those under their command, so that they can count on the team to work
conscientiously.
1 A. company B. firm C. industry D. business

2 A. tips B. fares C. rewards D. fees

3 A. level B. fame C. status D. stance

4 A. recognise B. remind C. memorise D. retain

5 A. suited B. cut C. stood D. made

6 A. go B. call C. get D. fall

7 A. certainty B. capability C. will D. ability

8 A. look B. reaction C. action D. response

9 A. Eventually B. Finally C. Ultimately D. Conclusively

10 A. take B. do C. make D. carry

C. LISTENING
You will hear five people talking about meeting celebrities. For questions 1-5, choose from the list A-H what each
speaker says about the experience. Use the letters only once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to
use.
A. I was pleasantly surprised by this person’s F. The star became very violent.
behaviour. G. At first I thought I’d seen someone who
B. This celebrity acted like they were royalty. resembled a celebrity.
C. This famous person lived up to his reputation. H. Meeting this well-known person has inspired me
D. I met this person before he became well known. to become famous.
E. This celebrity had a good sense of humour.

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HQ.MONDAY – 28.09.20

1. Speaker 1: __________

2. Speaker 2: __________

3. Speaker 3: __________

4. Speaker 4: __________

5. Speaker 5: __________

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