Two hundred kilometers of curves
A short in Spanish text at level A2. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. We rented a small car to go up to the mountain villages, and the road turned out to be nothing but curves. The speed…
Text
- Alquilamos un coche pequeño para subir a los pueblos de la sierra, y la carretera resultó ser todo curvas. El límite de velocidad era de sesenta, pero de todas formas nadie podía ir más rápido. Un camión iba delante durante media hora y no había ningún sitio para el adelantamiento, así que nos lo tomamos con calma. En un control la policía de tráfico nos paró, miró los papeles y solo comprobó que los niños llevaran el cinturón de seguridad. Llegamos tarde, con el depósito casi vacío y sin haber visto ni un solo mirador, pero al fin y al cabo llegamos enteros.We rented a small car to go up to the mountain villages, and the road turned out to be nothing but curves. The speed limit was sixty, but anyway nobody could go faster. For half an hour a truck went ahead of us and there was nowhere to overtake, so we took it calmly. At a checkpoint the traffic police stopped us, looked at the papers and only checked that the children were wearing seat belts. We arrived late, with the tank almost empty and without seeing a single viewpoint, but in the end we arrived in one piece.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Why did nobody drive fast on this road?
- What held them up for half an hour?
- What did the traffic police check?
- How did the trip end?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Spanish?
A2. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.