SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR.

MAI 2020-2021

Not very far from Naples a strange

city sleeps under the hot Italian sun. It
is the
city of Pompeii, and there is no other
city quite like it in all the world. No
one
lives in Pompeii but crickets and
beetles and lizards, yet every year
thousands of
people travel from different countries
to visit it.
Pompeii is a dead city. No one has
lived there for nearly two thousand
years – not
since the summer of the year
ad

79, to be exact.
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

Until that year Pompeii was a

prosperous city of 25 000 people.
Nearby was the
Bay of Naples, an arm of the blue
Mediterranean. Rich men came down
from
wealthy Rome, 125 miles to the north,
to build luxurious seaside villas.
Fertile
farmland occupied the fields
surrounding Pompeii. Just behind the
city, was the
imposing 4000-foot Mount Vesuvius,
a grass-covered slope where the
shepherds
of Pompeii took their goats to graze.
Pompeii was a busy city and a happy
one.
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

It died suddenly, in a terrible rain of

fire and ashes.
The tragedy struck on the 24th of
August,
ad
79. Mount Vesuvius, which had
slept quietly for centuries, exploded
suddenly and violently. A whole
community
died on a hot summer afternoon. Tons
of hot ashes fell on Pompeii,
completely
covering and hiding it. It was
impossible to see the sun for three
days because
of the cloud of volcanic ash that filled
the sky. And when the eruption ended
Pompeii was buried deep. A busy city
that disappeared in a single day.
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

Many years passed and Pompeii was

forgotten. Then, 1500 years later, it
was
discovered again by a team of
archaeologists. Under the protecting
layer of ashes,
the city lay exactly the same.
Everything was as it had been the day
Vesuvius
erupted. There were still loaves of
bread in the ovens of the bakeries. In
the
wine shops, the wine jars were in
place, and you could see a stain on one
of the
counters where a customer must have
thrown his glass and ran!
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

The buildings of Pompeii are still the

same as they were two thousand years
ago.
Inside the houses you can still see the
pots, pans and household tools! When
you visit Pompeii, all you need is a
good imagination to see what life was
like at
thattime!
Adapted from
Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations
by Robert Silverberg
Pompeii – A snapshot in time
Not very far from Naples a strange city sleeps under the hot Italian sun. It is the city of
Pompeii, and there is no other city quite like it in all the world. No one lives in Pompeii
but crickets and beetles and lizards, yet every year thousands of people travel from
different countries to visit it. Pompeii is a dead city. No one has lived there for nearly two
thousand years – not since the summer of the year AD79, to be exact.
Until that year Pompeii was a prosperous city of 25 000 people. Nearby was the Bay of
Naples, an arm of the blue Mediterranean. Rich men came down from wealthy Rome,
125 miles to the north, to build luxurious seaside villas. Fertile farmland occupied the
fields surrounding Pompeii. Just behind the city, was the imposing 4000-foot Mount
Vesuvius, a grass-covered slope where the shepherds of Pompeii took their goats to
graze. Pompeii was a busy city and a happy one. It died suddenly, in a terrible rain of
fire and ashes.
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

The tragedy struck on the 24th of August, AD79. Mount Vesuvius, which had slept
quietly for centuries, exploded suddenly and violently. A whole community died on a hot
summer afternoon. Tons of hot ashes fell on Pompeii, completely covering and hiding it.
It was impossible to see the sun for three days because of the cloud of volcanic ash that
filled the sky. And when the eruption ended Pompeii was buried deep. A busy city that
disappeared in a single day. Many years passed and Pompeii was forgotten. Then,
1500 years later, it was discovered again by a team of archaeologists. Under the
protecting layer of ashes, the city lay exactly the same. Everything was as it had been
the day Vesuvius erupted. There were still loaves of bread in the ovens of the bakeries.
In the wine shops, the wine jars were in place, and you could see a stain on one of the
counters where a customer must have thrown his glass and ran! The buildings of
Pompeii are still the same as they were two thousand years ago.
Inside the houses you can still see the pots, pans and household tools! When you visit
Pompeii, all you need is a good imagination to see what life was like at that time!
Adapted from
Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations
by Robert Silverberg
(MYP2 Student Book P.19)
 SNA MYP 2 PHASE 2 LANG ACQ MR. MAI 2020-2021

Think about and respond to the following questions in complete sentences:

1. Where was the city of Pompeii located?
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2. How many people lived in Pompeii?
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3. What happened to Pompeii in just one day?

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4. Identify a word in the first line of paragraph 3 that means the same as ‘wealthy
and successful’.
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5. What kind of city was Pompeii before the volcano erupted? Find an example from
the text to support your answer.
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6. What did archaeologists find?

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7. Why do people still come to visit the city even though no one lives there
anymore?
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8. How do you feel about what happened to the people of Pompeii?

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