LISTENING MATERIALS

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Title : Julius Caesar, one of the most influential men in world history.
Genre : History; Famous Men Series
Intended to be used for English learners in Indonesia; grade: SMA/SMK.
Transcripts:
Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or July 13, 100 BC March 15, 44 BC), often simply called
Julius Caesar, was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential
men in world history. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman
Republic into the Roman Empire. His conquest of Gaul extended the Roman world all the
way to the Atlantic Ocean, and he was also responsible for the first Roman invasion of
Britain in 55 BC.
Leading his legions across the Rubicon, Caesar sparked civil war in 49 BC that left him
the undisputed master of the Roman world. After assuming control of the government, he
began extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He was proclaimed dictator
for life, and he heavily centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic. This forced the hand
of a friend of Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus, who then conspired with others to murder
the dictator and restore the Republic. This dramatic assassination occurred on the Ides of
March (March 15th) in 44 BC and led to another Roman civil war. In 42 BC, two years
after his assassination, the Roman Senate officially sanctified him as one of the Roman
deities.
Caesar's military campaigns are known in detail from his own written Commentaries, and
many details of his life are recorded by later historians, such as Appian, Suetonius,
Plutarch, Cassius Dio and Strabo. Other information can be gleaned from other
contemporary sources, such as the letters and speeches of Caesar's political rival Cicero,
the poetry of Catullus and the writings of the historian Sallust.
Exercises
For teachers: Before doing the exercises, make sure that your students do not see or read
the transcripts above.
Answer the following questions based on the audio you have listened!
1. What can be said about Julius Caesar?
2. When did the first Roman invasion of Britain occur?
3. After controlling the government, what did Julius Caesar do?
4. How was the end of Julius Caesars life?
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