A week without cigarettes
A text in Persian at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. I smoked for fifteen years and began every morning with coffee. Last year the doctor, after an examination, said my…
Text
- پانزده سال سیگار کشیدم و هر صبح با قهوه شروع می‌کردم. سال گذشته دکتر بعد از معاینه گفت شش‌هایم التهاب دارد. گفت سیگار برای قلب هم مضر است و باید آن را ترک کنم. هفته اول سخت‌ترین بود، شب‌ها بی‌خوابی داشتم. حالا هفته‌ای سه بار ورزش می‌کنم و حالم بهتر از سی سالگی است. بیخود فکر می‌کردم بدون این عادت بد از پسش برنمی‌آیم.pândah sâl sigar kashidam â har sâbh bâ gaghve shâru mi-kardam. sâli gâzashte dâktâr bad az mââyne gât sheshhâyam altehâb dârad. gât sigar barâe gâlb ham mâzzir ast â beyad ân râ tark kânam. hâfte-e avval sakhttarin bud, shabhâ be-khâbi dâshtam. hâlâ hâftei se bar varzesh mi-kânam â halam behtar az si sâlegi ast. bekhâd fikr mi-kardam beâdune in âdâte bâd az pâsash barnami-âyam.I smoked for fifteen years and began every morning with coffee. Last year the doctor, after an examination, said my lungs had an inflammation. He said cigarettes are harmful for the heart too, and one must quit. The first week was the hardest; at night there was insomnia. Now I do sport three times a week, and I feel better than at thirty. In vain I thought I could not cope without this bad habit.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How many years did he smoke?
- What did the doctor find?
- What tormented him the first week?
- What does he do now?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Persian?
B1. That means: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
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.