The river comes back
A text in Polish 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. For ten years the waste water from the factory flowed straight into the river below the village. The fish disappeared…
Text
- Przez dziesięć lat ścieki z fabryki płynęły prosto do rzeki pod wsią. Ryby zniknęły, a na brzegu została sadza i szkodliwe substancje w błocie. Kiedy badania pokazały skalę zatrucia, fabryka musiała zbudować oczyszczalnię. Wolontariusze przez trzy lata sprzątali brzeg i sadzili nowe drzewa. Udało im się przywrócić rzekę do życia, choć niektóre gatunki już nie wróciły. Dziś dolina jest rezerwatem przyrody, a przy wejściu stoi tabliczka: prosimy nie śmiecić.For ten years the waste water from the factory flowed straight into the river below the village. The fish disappeared, and on the shore there remained soot and harmful impurities in the silt. When research showed the scale of the poisoning, the factory had to build a treatment plant. For three years volunteers cleaned the shore and planted new trees. They managed to bring the river back to life, although some species never returned. Today the valley is a nature reserve, and at the entrance stands a sign: please do not litter.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What flowed into the river?
- What made the factory change something?
- How many years did the volunteers clean the shore?
- What has the valley become today?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Polish?
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.