Self-study Skills for English Language Learning 14111
Module 7
Text 1
The Pyramids of Giza, along with the Sphinx, have been the most recognisable icon of Egypt for the past four thousand years. They are part of the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, which were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in October, 1979.
The Giza Necropolis, where the pyramids are located, is about 25km southwest of Cairo city centre, and 8km outside the old town of Giza. At Giza are three giant-size pyramids, and numerous smaller ones. The biggest as well as oldest of the three is the Pyramid of Khufu, also known as the Great Pyramid or the Pyramid of Cheops. The Pyramid of Khufu was built over a 20-year period, completed around 2560 BC. It entombs the Fourth dynasty pharoah Khufu.
In the middle, a few hundred metres to its southwest, is the Pyramid of Khafre, or Chephren, who was one of Khufu's successors. The Pyramid of Khafre is the one with the Sphinx a short distance in front of it, and often appears in photographs with the Sphinx, which according to Egyptologists, was modelled after the Pharoah Khafre. It is often thought to be the largest of the pyramids, but it is not. Its large appearance is due in part to its position on a higher elevation.
A few hundred meters to the southwest of the Pyramid of Khafre is that of his successor, the Pharoah Menkaure. The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three great pyramids.
Adapted from: http://www.worldgreatestsites.com/pyramids_of_giza.htm retrieved on February 19, 2010
1. What are the three pyramids mentioned in the text? ________________________
2. When were these pyramids inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? ________________________
3. Which is the biggest pyramid and how long did it take to build?
________________________
4. Which pyramid is closest to the Sphinx?
________________________
5. Which pyramid was the most recent?
________________________
6. How much time did you spend finding the answers to all 5 questions?
________________________ (Give exact minutes.)