A

According to legend, Rome was founded on 21

April 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, who were
twins born to Mars, the Roman god of war. A fight
broke out between the two brothers regarding the
exact location of the city of Rome, and Romulus
ended up killing Remus. Romulus then completed
building the city that was later named Rome after
him.
Apart from baths and aqueducts, ancient Romans
also built roads, some of which still exist today.
Roads in ancient Rome had multiple layers. The
bottom layer, called pavimentum, was made of mortar. This was covered with a layer of stones and
cement. A layer of concrete and slabs of stone was
added to this. Finally, the upper layer of concrete
and smooth pebbles was laid. This method of building roads is known as paving.

Romulus was the first of the Seven Kings of

Rome to rule the city. Around509 BC, Tarquin, the
last of the Seven Kings, was made to step down
from the throne and the Roman Republic was established. Under this system, Rome was ruled by
magistrates and other representatives who were
elected by the people. The Republic of Rome dominated all of Western Europe. However, by 30 BC,
Rome once again came under the rule of kings and
became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman
Empire was later divided into two parts eastern
and western.

The ancient Roman civilization was the most

powerful of all ancient civilizations. In the beginning Rome was a small city-state that was under the
control of the Etruscans. It soon grew to become the
largest empire in the ancient world. Ancient Rome
was greatly influenced by the ancient Greek culture.

Ancient Romans were brilliant architects and engineers who constructed magnificent buildings
throughout the Empire. However, they are best
known for their amazing public baths, roads, aqueducts and drainage systems. Baths were a very important part of life in ancient Rome. Both men and
women visited the baths at least once a day. The
water in the baths was channelled through aqueducts
Adapted from: The Great BooK of Questions

TASK 1/ read the paragraphs above and reorder them to get a coherent text. The order
of the pictures may serve as a clue.
TASK 2/ Read your text now and answer the following questions:
a) Was it historically proved that Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC?
b) Why did Romulus kill Remus?
c) Which civilization had inspired ancient Romans?
d) Did the Roman Empire remain unified?
e) What were ancient Romans famous for?
TASK 3/ Say if the following statements are true or false according to the text:
a) According to legend, Romulus was older than Remus.
b) The two brothers didnt agree on where to build the city of Rome.
c) Ancient Romans knew only one political system.
d) Ancient Greece was more powerful than ancient Rome.
e) Attending public baths was a popular and daily activity among ancient Romans.
TASK 4/In which paragraphs are the following ideas expressed?
a) Ancient Romans were very good at the construction industry.
b) The types of the political system in ancient Rome.
TASK 5/ Find who or what the words in bold type refer to in the text
TASK 6/ Find in the text words whose definitions are:
a) A group of countries and states under a single ruler or ruling power.
b) Stories gathered together and handed down from the past and that may not be
true.
c) Buildings where people sit or lie in water to wash their whole bodies.
TASK 7/ Change the following sentences from passive to active:
a)
Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC by Romulus and Remus.
b) A layer of concrete and slabs of stone was added by Roman constructors to the
bottom layer.
c)
Under the Roman Republic, Rome was ruled by magistrates and other representatives.
d) These magistrates and representatives were elected by the people of Rome.
e)
Ancient Rome was greatly influenced by the ancient Greek culture.
TASK 8/ Change the following sentences from active to passive:
a) After killing his brother, Romulus completed building Rome alone.
b) Ancient Romans built roads, baths and aqueducts.
c) The Republic of Rome dominated all of Western Europe.
d) Both men and women visited the baths at least once a day.
e) Ancient Romans constructed magnificent buildings throughout the Empire.