A month without cigarettes
A text in Hebrew 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. After a simple test the doctor said: there is an inflammation in the lungs, and smoking…
Text
- עישנתי חמש עשרה שנה. אחרי בדיקה פשוטה הרופא אמר: יש דלקת בריאות, ועישון מזיק גם ללב. החלטתי להפסיק לעשן — ההחלטה הכי טובה שלי. השבוע הראשון היה הכי קשה: נדודי שינה והרבה קפה. עכשיו אני רץ שלוש פעמים בשבוע ומרגיש יותר טוב. חשבתי לחינם שבלי ההרגל הזה אני לא מסתדר.аишанти хамэш эсрэ шана. ахарей бдика фшута ха-рофэ амар: йеш даклет ба-реот, ве-ишун мазик гам ле-лев. хахлатти лехафсик леашан — ха-хахлата хахи това шели. ха-шавуа ха-ришон хайа хахи каша: ндудей шена ве-харбэ капэ. ахшав ани рац шалош п-аамим ба-шавуа у-маргиш йотэр тов. хашавти ле-хинам шли ха-хэгель ха-зэ ани ло мистаэр.I smoked for fifteen years. After a simple test the doctor said: there is an inflammation in the lungs, and smoking harms the heart too. I decided to quit smoking — my best decision. The first week was the hardest: insomnia and a lot of coffee. Now I run three times a week and feel better. I thought in vain that without this habit I could not cope.
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 was the hardest?
- What does he do now?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Hebrew?
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.