El medi ambient al barri
A short in Valencian 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. This year the Marina quarter went green, and it is not a figure of speech: behind the market new green zones appeared…
Text
- Aquest any el barri de la Marina s'ha posat verd, i no és un dir: hi ha zones verdes noves darrere del mercat i un punt on classificar els residus a cada cantonada. La catàstrofe de l'estiu passat — l'abocador ple i les olors fins al tercer pis — va servir de lliçó: la contribució personal de cada veí comença al cubell. Les aigües residuals ja no van al mar sense passar per la depuradora, i el soroll de fons de la carretera es nota menys darrere de la tanca de canyes. Queda feina: el veí del quart somnia un pou de pluja al pati, i la reunió de dilluns ho decideix. «No embrutar és fàcil», diu la presidenta, «el difícil és recordar-ho els diumenges».This year the Marina quarter went green, and it is not a figure of speech: behind the market new green zones appeared, and on every corner there is a point where waste is sorted. Last summer's catastrophe — the overflowing landfill and the smells up to the fourth floor — did everyone good: each neighbor's personal contribution starts at the trash bin. The wastewater no longer goes to the sea without treatment, and the highway's background noise is less heard behind the reed fence. Work remains: the neighbor from the fourth dreams of a rain well in the yard, and the meeting on Monday will decide it. "Not littering is simple", says the chairwoman, "the hard thing is remembering it on Sundays".
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 behind the market?
- What did last summer serve as a lesson about?
- Where does the wastewater go now?
- What will the Monday meeting decide?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Valencian?
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.