Our neighborhood is changing
A short in Turkish text at level B1. 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. Last year trash recycling started in the neighborhood, and three separate bins were placed on every street. At first no…
Text
- Geçen yıl mahallede çöp geri dönüşümü başladı ve her sokağa üç ayrı kutu kondu. Önce kimse kullanmadı, sonra bina sakinleri toplantı yaptı ve gönüllü bir grup kuruldu. Çocuklara doğayı korumayı okulda anlatıyorlar; büyükler ise elektrik faturasına bakıp öğreniyor. Komşumuz çatısına güneş paneli koydurdu, biz de toplu taşımaya geçtik: araba artık haftada bir çıkıyor. Hava kirliliği bir yılda bitmez, ama küçük şeyler toplum içinde hızlı yayılıyor.Last year trash recycling started in the neighborhood, and three separate bins were placed on every street. At first no one used them, then the building residents held a meeting and a volunteer group formed. Children are told at school how to protect nature; adults learn by looking at the electricity bill. A neighbor put a solar panel on his roof, and we switched to public transport: the car now goes out once a week. Air pollution won't end in a year, but small things spread quickly in society.
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 appeared in the neighborhood last year?
- What happened right after the bins were placed?
- What did the neighbor do?
- How often does their car go out now?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Turkish?
B1. 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.