A reading OR listening comprehension exercise: Johnny Depp’s Barbies and stars with unlikely hobbies

Read the article and match the stars with the statements.

a)    Johnny Depp
b)    Paris Hilton
c)    Claudia Schiffer
d)    Mike Tyson
e)    Tom Hanks
f)     Justin Bieber

1)    This star is really good at a puzzle invented by a Hungarian.
2)    This star thinks that insects are beautiful.
3)    This star loves to play with dolls.
4)    This star has old-fashioned machines.
5)    This star has a much softer heart than you would think.
6)    This star catches animals but doesn’t want to hurt them

Answers: 1) f, 2) c, 3) a, 4) e, 5) d, 6) b

Now decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE.

1)    Paris Hilton protects all animals but kills frogs. T/F
2)    Johny Depp has some rare dolls in his collection. T/F
3)    Claudia Schiffer collects knitwear with insect decoration. T/F
4)    Tom Hanks doesn’t use his typewriter collection. T/F
5)    Mike Tyson has had pet lions and tigers. T/F
6)    Justin Bieber would beat the Guinness World Record in solving one of the Rubik Cube puzzles. T/F

Answers: 1) F, 2) T, 3) F, 4) F, 5) T, 6) F

From Johnny Depp’s Barbies to Paris Hilton’s frog hunt: Celebs and their unlikely hobbies

Hotel heiress, Paris Hilton is a staunch critic of animal hunting – except if it’s done to catch frogs though she claims she is more humane than other hunters because she releases them back into the wild. She said: “I love frog hunting at my ranches. I have one near Oakland, California, and another in Nevada, and I own an island. So I catch frogs and put them in a bucket and then let them go.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp, on the other hand, has a collection of limited edition Barbies. He has also got dolls based on Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, the High School Musical cast and even a Lindsay Lohan figure with an ankle tag. The actor also likes playing with the dolls, previously admitting: “I’ve played with a lot of Barbies and Kens for my kids. It’s actually one of the things I’m good at.”

You wouldn’t think a supermodel like Claudia Schiffer was into creepy crawlies – but the stunning catwalk legend collects them for her home. She mounts them to be hung on the walls – and even the logo of her knitwear line is a doodle of a spider. She has said of her obsession: “As a child I was fascinated with spiders’ webs sparkling with morning dew, or just after the rain.”

Tom Hanks is into collecting old typewriters – and isn’t above being bribed to get his hands on one. The movie star has revealed: “I have almost 200 old portable manual typewriters. Most of them are actually working and I keep them rotating.”

Hardman boxer Mike Tyson has an unexpected tender side – caring for pigeons. Speaking about his hobby, he said: “Pigeons are the best. Of all the animals I’ve had – tigers, lions, bears – none of them are even close to the same league as the birds.”

Apart from turning teenage hearts into jelly, the Baby singer, Justin Bieber is also a genius with a Rubik’s cube. The 19-year-old heart-throb can solve the ‘80s favourite in one minute and 23 seconds, though the Guinness World Record holder can do it in just 5.55 seconds.

source: The Sun

heiress– örökösnő
staunch – rendíthetetlen, kitartó
to claim – állítani
humane – emberséges
to release – elengedni
wild – vadon
bucket – vödör
limited edition – limitált kiadás
ankle tag – boka jeladó
to admit – beismerni, bevallani
creepy crawly– csúszó-mászó
stunning – döbbenetes, kápráztató
catwalk – kifutó
to mount – felszerelni, montírozni
knitwear – kötöttárú
doodle – firka
obsession – rögeszme
to be fascinated – elbűvölve lenni
to sparkle – csillogni, tündökölni
dew – harmat
to bribe – (meg)vesztegetni
to reveal – feltárni, elárulni, felfedni
portable –hordozható
manual – kézi
unexpected – nem várt, váratlan
tender – gyengéd
heart-throb – szívtipró