ADELE’S

BIOGRAPHY
Name: ___________________________________________ Grade: ____________ Date: ________________________

a)__________________: May 5, 1988 in Tottenham, North London, England

b)___________________: Graduated the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in
Croydon, England in 2006.

c) __________________________: Born to Penny Adkins and Mark Evans, Adele is an only child. Her
mother became pregnant soon after meeting Mark in 1987. Because Penny felt that they were too
young, she declined Mark's proposal for marriage. An art student when she gave birth to Adele at age
18, Penny split up with Mark 3 years later. Penny organized learning activities for adults, made
furniture, and also worked as a masseuse, while Mark moved to Wales. When Adele was 11, she moved
with her mother and her new stepfather to West Norwood, a suburb in South London, after living in
Brixton, South London for a short period of time. Adele has stated that she is the only person in her family who is musical.

d) ___________________________: Adele has described herself as being someone who was "obsessed
with voices" from as early as age 3. She performed mock concerts for her mother and Penny's friends as
she was growing up, modeling herself after The Spice Girls and Gabrielle. Although her favorite artists
ranged from Destiny's Child to The Cure, Adele was particularly taken by the music of Etta James. Her
music brought Adele to the realization that people "might look back to my music in 50 years' time," just as
Adele herself was listening to "music that had been made in the Forties."

e) ___________________________: When she was 14, Adele recorded a cover of the Blondie song "Heart
of Glass" at the suggestion of her stepfather. Realizing that she wanted to pursue music, Adele auditioned successfully for the British
Record Industry Trust (BRIT) School of Performing Arts and Technology. Within three days of graduating from the alma mater of such
performers as Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, Adele was offered a recording contract with XL records after a record executive heard
one of her demos posted by a friend on MySpace.

f)____________________________: Adele released her first studio album in 2008 at age 19, a significant
number which also became the album's title. In 2009, her debut album "19" was nominated for 4 Grammy
awards, of which she won 2. On January 24, 2011, Adele's sophomore album, "21" was released and
ultimately sold over 18 million copies, making it the top selling album of the 21st century. The album was
number 1 on the Billboard charts for 21 consecutive weeks, surpassing Whitney Houston's record for a
number 1 album by a female artist. Adele's single "Rolling in the Deep" became the top selling single of
2011. On February 12, 2012, Adele won all 6 Grammy Awards she was nominated for, including Album,
Record, and Song of the Year with "Rolling in the Deep."

g) ___________________________: Adele's personal life has had a prominent impact on her music; she is not shy to admit that "21" was
the result of a failed relationship with a man ten years her senior. Adele has not revealed the man's identity. Although acknowledging that
she enjoyed the spotlight when she was younger, fame is not a priority for Adele. After finishing up the leg of her tour that she had to
cancel in November due to laser surgery on her vocal cords, Adele plans to "go away for awhile" and settle near Brighton, UK England
with her partner Simon Konecki.
 WHILE READING ACTIVITY

I. The aim of the text you read is :

a) To convince us about something. b) to inform about an important event. c) to express feelings.

II. The text you read is a:

a) Argumentative text. b) Narrative text. c) Poetic text. d) Descriptive text.

III) Match each of the titles below with each paragraph in the text.

3. High School Years

1. Albums and awards 2. Personal Life 4. Education

5. Family Background 6. Born 7. Childhood and Early Influences

IV) True (T) or False (F). Justify the false ones.

a) ___ There are many musicians in Adele’s family. _______________________________________________________

b) ____ Adele won two of four Grammy Awards in 2009. __________________________________________________
c) ___ Her songs have nothing to do with her personal life. ________________________________________________
d) ___ She did not manage to enter the BRIT. ___________________________________________________________
e) ___ The Spice Girls and Gabrielle were artists she admired. ______________________________________________
f) ___ She is planning to go in a tour to Brighton, UK England. _____________________________________________
g) ___ Adele performed shows for her friends when she was a child. _________________________________________
h) ___ She just liked the music of her own generation. ____________________________________________________
i) ___ Adele’s mother got married when became pregnant. _______________________________________________
j) ___ She surpassed Whitney Houston’s record in the Billboard ranking. _____________________________________

V. Match the words below with their correct synonym underlined in the text.

a) school, university: ________________________ i) affirmed :_____________________________

b) better than :_________________________ j) part :_____________________________
c) artists : _________________________ k) Proposition:_____________________________
d) fake : _________________________ l) notoriety :_____________________________
e) break up : _________________________ m) callow :_____________________________
f) older than her : _________________________ n) ranking :_____________________________
g) because of : _________________________ ñ) noticeable :_____________________________
h) meaningful : _________________________ o) admit :_____________________________

VI. Number the sentences according to Adele’s biography.

a) ______ She canceled a tour because of a surgery in her vocal cords.

b) ______ She recorded a cover of a Blondie’s song.
c) ______ Her father moved to Wales.
d) ______ The album “21” became a big success.
e) ______ An man older than her broke her heart.
f) ______ She performed mock concerts for her mother and her friends.
g) ______ In 2008, Adele released her first studio album.
VII. Crossword

Complete the following crossword with some keywords and words from the reading. Use a dictionary.

Across

2. The school,
college, or
university that one
once attended.

4. Sufficiently
great or important
to be worthy of
attention.

7. A person who
entertains an
audience.

9. Important / famous.

10. An offer of marriage / A plan or

suggestions.

11. A section or stage of a journey or

process.

Down
1. An account of someone’s life written by someone else. / a human life in its course.
3. Accept or admit the existence or truth of.
4. Exceed / be greater than.
5. A position in a scale of achievement or status; a classification
6. Inmature, inexperienced / a second-year college or high school student.
8. Not authentic or real, but without the intention to deceive.