Participante: Javier Páez Garrido
IDIOMA INTERMEDIO INTENSIVO T4
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 podrían construir casas, y realizar trabajos con pacientes enfermos.
What are the advantages of having a robot?
Puede traer muchas ventajas, por la realización del trabajo doméstico, pueden conducir nuestro carro, construir casas, y un ahorro de mucho dinero y tiempo.
What are the main disadvantages?
En un futuro tener un robot puede ser muy costoso, y sólo personas pertenecientes a una élite económica elevada podrían poseerlo.
What concerns the speaker?
Algo que le preocupa es que si el robot al momento de tener una avería puede empezar a destruir cosas.
How does the speaker conclude?
El puede concluir que al parecer tener un robot trae mas desventajas que ventajas y que podría ser muy útil en el futuro, y está feliz con su vida actual aunque tenga que seguir cocinando y planchando.
The Coat of Arms was
introduced by King Richard I of
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
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
Now, answer the questions about the text.
1. The coat of arms of
2. The three leopards represent the combined Anglo-Norman realm.
3.
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
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
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
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
6. The Canadian House of Commons was abolished in 1801.
