UNIVERSIDAD YACAMBU
MATERIA: IDIOMA INTERMEDIO
INTENSIVO
ELABORADO POR: Betsy Arguelles
Reading techniques for
translations. (Part I)
Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of
a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it
word-by-word; instead you're scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed
three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have
lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want
to see if an article may be of interest in your research.
There are many strategies that can be used when
skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings,
summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might
read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the
first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're seeking
specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well
to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and
charts.
Exercises
Read the following questions carefully. Then answer the
questions. (In Spanish)
1. Robots - The
Future
They have been around for years. They come in
all shapes and sizes. When they were first invented nobody knew their
importance. But, how soon will it be before they are so intelligent that they
take over jobs which only human beings can do, such as, treating patients or
constructing houses? You may wonder what I am talking about…..well, I am talking
about robots.
If we examine the possible advantages
that robots could offer us in the future, we see that there are numerous. Just
imagine if there was a robot that could carry out all of the housework, drive
you about, prepare your food and build houses. How would your life be? I bet
millions of people would say, "Just perfect". Having a robot to do all these
things would undoubtedly save a lot of time and money.
However, there
are, of course, some disadvantages. I can envisage that in the future,
possessing a robot will be very expensive, and perhaps only those elitists will
be able to afford them. Something that might worry me a little, would be, 'what
if the robot began to malfunction and started to destroy things?' I am sure that
in the future, just as there may be robots that are good and helpful, there are
also going to be those that are bad and made to kill. This is something
extremely important to bear in mind.
I think I can conclude by saying that
although having a robot in the future could be extremely useful, I personally
see more disadvantages than advantages. I am happy with my life at the moment
even if I have to do my own ironing and cooking!
According to the
speaker:
What jobs might
robots be able to do in the future?
·
Los robots en el futuro pueden ser capaces de
hacer tareas que solo los seres humanos pueden realizar, entre las cuales se
pueden mencionar los siguientes: tratar pacientes y construir
casas.
What are the advantages of
having a robot?
What are the main
disadvantages?
·
Puedo concebir que en el futuro tener un robot
seria muy costoso y quizás sólo la élite se permitirían tenerlo.
·
El robot puede tener algunas fallas que podrían
llevarlo a destruir objetos y hasta matar.
What concerns the speaker?
· La preocupación del autor podría ser que si en el futuro el robot comienza a funcionar mal posiblemente destruya las cosas.
How does the
speaker conclude?
2. Coat of Arms of
England
The Coat of Arms was introduced by King Richard
I of England in the 1190s, apparently as a version of the arms of the Duchy of
Normandy.
Normandy currently uses two leopards, although an alternative
historical version uses three leopards identical to the English
arms.
According to one tradition, following the
Norman Conquest an extra leopard was added to two existing Norman leopards to
represent the combined Anglo-Norman realm. According to another tradition the
two leopards were combined with the single lion of Aquitaine on the acquisition
of these continental territories by the English Crown.
Other heraldic
authorities have claimed that at an early stage in the development of heraldry
the number of Norman leopards was not fixed and that it is simply a matter of
design as to why England has ended up with three heraldic leopards (now called
lions) and Normandy with two.
Now, answer the questions about the
text.
1. The coat of arms of England was introduced
by
2. The three leopards represent the combined
Anglo-Norman realm.
3. Normandy currently also has three leopards
in its coat of arms.
4. Some people think that the number of
leopards is simply a matter of design.
5. The coat of arms was created in the 1190s.
3. House of Commons
In many bicameral parliaments of a Westminster
System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower
house. The Commons generally holds much more power than the upper house (the
senate or House of Lords). The leader of the majority party in the House of
Commons usually becomes the Prime Minister.
Historically, "the commons" were an estate in a
traditional pre-Enlightenment European government which typically divided the
governance of an area between "estates" of society. Other estates included the
clergy, nobles, merchants and knights. The word "commons" has at times been
confused with the word "commoner", but they are very different in this context.
The House of Commons was created to serve as the political outlet for this
"commons" class, while the elite estates were represented in the House of Lords.
The House of Commons was thus elected by the people while members of the upper
house were appointed on the basis of various forms of elite "merit", such as
wealth, family, or prestige.
States with a House of Commons base their
democratic systems upon this original British house of parliament (it is thus
occasionally called "the mother of parliaments"). Many such places were part of
the British Empire, and are now part of the Commonwealth of Nations. In
distancing themselves from the rule of empire, they have often renamed that part
of their government (or abolished it, e.g. in favour of a military
dictatorship).
Most Westminster-system nations which
originally used the term "House of Commons" have changed the name of their lower
house to "the House of Representatives." There are only two existing Houses of
Commons. These are the: British House of Commons (at the Palace of Westminster,
London) and the Canadian House of Commons (on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa).
The House of Commons was also the lower house
of the Parliament of Ireland, before its abolition under the 1801 Act of Union,
and the short-lived Parliament of Southern Ireland in 1920, which was
subsequently superseded by the Dáil of the Irish Free State. Similarly, the
House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
before its abolition in 1972.
Questions
Now,
answer the questions about the text.
1. The Parliament is
divided into two houses.
2. The
leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is the Prime Minister.
3. The
members of the House of Commons are elected by the people.
4. The
British House of Parliament is called "the mother of parliaments".
5. All
countries belonging to the British Empire have a House of Commons nowadays.
6. The
Canadian House of Commons was abolished in 1801.