READING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITY

NAME: ______________________________ GRADE: __________ DATE: ____________________________

READ THE TEXT

Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. The son of a farm
worker, Elvis never took music lessons because his parents were very poor. Elvis,
however, was blessed with natural talent.
After being told by a teacher that he had no musical talent, Elvis took his guitar in school
the next day and sang his kind of music to her, in a bid to prove her wrong. It wouldn’t be
the last time he was told that he couldn’t sing. He failed a number of singing auditions in
his younger days and a bandleader also told him to not give up his day job,and that he
should stick to truck driving.
Elvis and his family moved to Memphis , Tennesse, when he was 13 years old.In 1953,
Elvis cut his first record – a song called “ My Happiness” . He paid 4 dollars to
make a recording for his mother.The receptionist from the Memphis Studio
heard him and he thought that Sam Philis, the owner of Sun Records ough to hear him singing.
His professional singing career began in 1953 Heartbreak Hotel when he started
recording for Sun Records, but he didn´t become famous until after he made in
January 1956. This record was an immediate sensation and over a million were sold.
During the next 12 months, Elvis made many more records, such as Hound Dog and Blue Suede
Shoes, and most of these were also big hits. In the same year, too, he made his first movie, Love Me
Tender, in Hollywood.
In 1958, Elvis joined the United States Army and the army gave him a regulation
haircut. Thousands of women all over the world cried when they heard! Elvis spent the two years in
Germany, where he met Priscilla Beaulieu and fell in love with her. She was 14 years old that time, and
they did not get married until 1967. After leaving the army in 1960, Elvis returned to Hollywood, where
he made over 20 movies. A lot of these movies were mediocre, but they made Elvis very rich, and he
remained a great hero and idol to people all over the world. However, in 1972, Elvis’s luck began to change. His life wife
left him and in October 1973, she divorced him. At that point, Elvis began to eat too much and became fat. His
performances became worse and he frequently forgot the words of his songs. Elvis died suddenly on August 16, 1977,
from a heart attack which was possible due to the drugs he took to control his appetite. Millions around the world
mourned the death of the “The King”.
Elvis died about 30 years ago, but his legend continues to grow. Every year a new CD (always a hit!) of his songs appears
and there are special programs about him on TV. There is a whole Elvis industry which includes Elvis imitators, Elvis
memorabilia and Elvis fan clubs.
In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 29-cent stamp with a picture of the young Elvis – the first rock ‘n’ roll singer to
receive that honour. The stamp was the most popular in the history of the U.S.A. And still every year there are hundreds
of articles in the newspapers and magazines which insist that Elvis Presley is still alive!

II ANSWER THESE STATEMENTS. CIRCLE TRUE (T) OR FALSE (F).

1. Elvis was 19 when he began singing professionally T F

2. Elvis’s first record was Heartbreak Hotel T F
3. Elvis made Love Me Tender in 1956 T F
4. The army gave Elvis an elegant haircut T F
5. Elvis fell in love in Germany T F
6. Elvis was married for about six years T F
7. Elvis was 32 years old when he died T F
8. Elvis has remained popular T F
II ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS WITH INFORMATION FROM THE PASSAGE AND WITH WHAT YOU KNOW.

1. What did Elvis’ father do? _______________________________________________________.

2. How many movies did Elvis make?_____________________________________________________.

3. When did Elvis join the United States Army? _____________________________________________.

4. Who did Elvis marry? ________________________________________________________________.

5. When did Elvis’s wife divorce him? _____________________________________________________.

6. What did Elvis die from? _____________________________________________________________.

7. What are some of the disadvantage of being very rich and famous? ___________________________.

8. Is Elvis’s music still popular in your country? ______________________________________________.