10 mar 2022

Reading comprehension: Leading a healthy life.

Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos.

Comenzamos una serie de ejercicios dedicados a revisar los puntos principales del programa del curso.

Hoy toca: Leading a healthy life.

Nota: Los textos están seleccionados tanto del programa CREA como de otras fuentes, a quienes doy las gracias y cito, pero todos tienen el nivel del curso.


https://www.freepik.es/fotos-premium/gente-triste-sentada-dormitorio-sujetandose-frente-mientras-tiene-dolor-cabeza_4062411.htm


Texto nº 1

Vegans, vegetarians and omnivores 

To understand everything easily, we tend to classify, to name things in such a way that we know what to expect. We do it even according to what we choose to live on. There are vegetarians, omnivores, vegans, etc.

From a vegetarian point of view, an omnivore eats all types of food, including fish, flesh, fruit and vegetables, without the slightest concern about how that food is produced. Vegetarians strongly believe that if omnivores knew how animals are bred and slaughtered, they would probably become vegetarians.

For people who eat meat, a vegetarian is someone who eats plants, basically vegetables and fruit, and all vegetarians are the same. However, many vegetarians also eat products coming from animals. If they eat cheese, yoghurt or drink animal milk, they are still called vegetarians. The idea is that to obtain this food, no animal is killed. That is one of their deepest worries.

And there are also vegans or radical vegetarians. If a vegetarian refuses to eat not only meat but also eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients, he or she is called vegan. In addition, most vegans do not use anything coming from animals, including leather, fur or wool. That is why they are sometimes called radical vegetarians, but what most clearly defines them is a profound respect for animal rights.

There are also pescatarians, raw vegetarians, flexitarians.

Note: enjoy life, eat as many different types of food as possible and do not be stupid.

🔟 Palabras Clave del Texto

No.English Word/Phrase (Inglés)Spanish Translation (Español)
1OmnivoresOmnívoros
2FleshCarne (músculo animal)
3Slightest concernLa más mínima preocupación
4BredCriados
5SlaughteredSacrificados / Matados
6Dairy productsProductos lácteos
7Animal-derived ingredientsIngredientes derivados de animales
8LeatherCuero
9Profound respectProfundo respeto
10Animal rightsDerechos de los animales

Texto nº 2:

Slow Food 

Everyone knows what fast food is but, have you heard of slow food? You may think that I am joking but there is a Slow Food Movement which aims to preserve cultural cuisine and in so doing to preserve the food plants and seeds, domestic animals and farming within a region. 

The Slow Food movement has its origins in the 1980s in Italy.  When McDonald’s planned to build an franchise outlet near the Piazza di Spagna in Rome in 1986, Carlo Petrini organised a demonstration in which he and his followers brandished bowls of macaroni as weapons of protest. Their demonstration was successful and in 1989 Carlo founded the International Slow Food Movement which is against  fast food, fast life, non-sustainable food production and the destruction of local economies. He has written a number of books on Slow Food,  providing convincing arguments to persuade us to watch what, and how, we consume.

One of the key tenets of Slow Food is the belief in the right to pleasure, to really enjoy what we eat. They encourage people to consider every meal a social event based around the  preparation and consumption of food among friends and family.

Another important component of the Slow Food movement is the commitment to educating children about the origins and taste of food, to help them to have a connection to the food they eat. It aims to help children develop their senses and their appreciation of food and the pleasure of eating as a gastronomic and social event.

Next time you sit down at a table to eat, don't wolf your food down but think about how you could turn a daily habit into a moment of pleasure and health.

Palabras Clave del Texto

No.English Word/Phrase (Inglés)Spanish Translation (Español)
1Slow Food MovementMovimiento Slow Food
2PreservePreservar / Conservar
3Cultural cuisineCocina cultural / Gastronomía cultural
4FarmingAgricultura / Cultivo
5Franchise outletFranquicia / Establecimiento franquiciado
6BrandishedBlandieron / Agitaron (en señal de protesta)
7Non-sustainableNo sostenible
8Convincing argumentsArgumentos convincentes
9TenetsPrincipios / Dogmas
10Wolf your food downTragar la comida / Devorar la comida


https://www.planetatriatlon.com/fallece-dick-hoyt/


Texto nº 3:

Team Hoyt

The image that we associate with sports is athletic perfect bodies and of course we think of top sportsmen. However, there so many incredible moving stories of amateur athletes and personal sacrifices.

Rick Hoyt was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt and as a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick's brain at the time of his birth, he has cerebral paralysis. Although they were told that there was little hope for their son to live a "normal" life, they fought for his inclusion in community, sports, education and workplace by making everyone look beyond his physical limitations. Years later he attended Boston University, and he graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993.

In the spring of 1977, he told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. They did it. That night, he told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped."

This was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons and triathlons. He rode a special two-seater bicycle, or swam with Rick on a boat and a cord attached around his waist, or pushed his wheelchair. They even biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days. The 2009 Boston Marathon was officially Team Hoyt's 1000th race. Neither Dick or Rick were ready to retire yet.

Rick was once asked, if he could give his father one thing, what would it be? Rick responded, "The thing I'd most like is for my dad to sit in the chair and I would push him for once.

🔟 Palabras Clave del Texto

No.English Word/Phrase (Inglés)Spanish Translation (Español)
1Oxygen deprivationPrivación de oxígeno
2Cerebral paralysisParálisis cerebral
3Fought forLucharon por
4InclusionInclusión
5Physical limitationsLimitaciones físicas
6Benefit runCarrera benéfica
7ParalyzedParalizado
8HandicappedDiscapacitado / Con discapacidad
9TriathlonsTriatlones
10Two-seater bicycleBicicleta de dos asientos / Tándem

Saludos y nos veremos la próxima semana, Dios mediante.

Reading comprehension: Scientific elements.

Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos.

Comenzamos una serie de ejercicios dedicados a revisar los puntos principales del programa del curso.

Hoy toca: Scientific elements.

Nota: Los textos están seleccionados tanto del programa CREA como de otras fuentes, a quienes doy las gracias y cito, pero todos tienen el nivel del curso.

https://www.quimica.es/noticias/1167623/un-raro-metal-vtreo-descubierto-durante-la-bsqueda-para-mejorar-el-rendimiento-de-la-batera.html


Texto nº 1:

Graphene, the new wonder element? 

Many people consider graphene, a form of carbon that comes in sheets just one atom thick, a wonder material. It is the best conductor of heat at room temperature and is 40 times stronger than steel. As a semiconductor, its electrical conductivity is 1,000 times better than that of silicon. This means engineers could use it to make devices far more sensitive than is possible now, leading some to predict that it will one day become the ideal material for computer chips. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, two physicists who were investigating the structure of graphene, won the 2010 Nobel prize for their work. 

However, converting the wonders of graphene into products has been difficult. Frank Koppens at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona thinks he may have found a way to do so. As he describes in "Nature Nanotechnology"*, he believes he can use graphene to make low-cost ultra-sensitive photodetectors. Photodetectors are devices which convert light into electricity. They are used in digital cameras and telecommunications.So we may be seeing the future of electronics right now.


Texto nº 2:

The transit of Venus 

One of the first joint scientific ventures was carried out in 1761- scientists hoped to be able to measure the Transit of Venus (which occurs twice with an interval of 8 years then no more for a century). If it was measured from selected points on earth, scientists would be able to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and so to calibrate distances to all other bodies in the solar system. In 1761, scientists from Britain, France, Sweden Russia, Italy and Germany set out to different parts of the globe from which to measure the transit. Guillaume le Gentil of France began his journey in 1760, but due to various problems, was still at sea at the time of the transit, and a ship is the worst place for calibrating.

Undaunted, he went on to India, spent 8 years preparing a new viewing station and tested and retested his instruments. On the day, just as Venus began to pass, a cloud appeared over the sun for the entire duration of transit, so he saw nothing. He returned to France and discovered that his relatives had declared him dead in his absence and taken all his property! 

 

Unfortunately, the scientists produced too much information, and much of it was contradictory. This was the reason for Captain Cook's later voyage to Tahiti. With Cook's measurements, the Frenchman Joseph Lalande calculated a mean distance of 150 million km (nowadays known to be 149,597,870,691 km). The last transit of Venus was 5th-6th June 2012, and the next one will be in 2117.


https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/ciencia/2022-02-10/asombrosas-fotos-venus-revelan-datos-superficie_3373159/

Texto nº 3:


Double stars 

When is a star not a star? When it's two stars! A double star is when two stars are so close together that they appear to be one when seen from the Earth via an optical telescope. Surprisingly, one of the greatest living observers of double stars isn't an American working for NASA but a retired history teacher. Jose-Luis Comellas, former lecturer in Modern History at the University of Seville, has observed well over 5,000 double stars using a simple telescope in his home-made observatory in Mairena del Alcor. His books, especially his Guíde to the Firmament, has inspired thousands of amateur astronomers to scan the heavens every night. There is now a street named after him in Seville, and an observatory in the town of La Rinconada.


Saludos y nos veremos la próxima semana, Dios mediante.


Reading comprehension: Scientific issues.

  Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos. 

Comenzamos una serie de ejercicios dedicados a revisar los puntos principales del programa del curso.

Hoy toca: Scientific issues.

Nota: Los textos están seleccionados tanto del programa CREA como de otras fuentes, a quienes doy las gracias y cito, pero todos tienen el nivel del curso.


http://nudoss.com/barco/norwegian-star/barco-cruceros-norwegian-star-sala-videojuegos-arcade/


Texto nº 1

                                            Gamelab

Spain, where there are approximately 15 million video game players, is in fourth place inthe European market in video games and  sixth  in the world. 

 

That´s the reason why Gamelab Barcelona, the main showcase of the sector, which comprises more than 200 firms and 3,000 professionals, is held annually. The participants include companies such as Playstation, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, Konami, Playfish and Pixar, among others. 

 

But there are also a great number of students, who usually come from technical and creative university degrees, in search for an opportunity  to work for big companies and collaborate for them. 

 

Ian Livingston, whose creation Tomb Raider had a worldwide reputation, is one of the several major professionals who come to Gamelab every year. He enjoys participating in Gamelab, and thinks that video games also bring new business opportunities for other digital contents, which are not really found in other international events. 

So if you like video games and you are good at designing them, this is the place- don´t miss it!



Texto nº 2:

HACKERS

"Hacker" is a word which was first coined in the 1960´s, when a person could solve software-related problems. 

 
The typical hacker is a young person (19-30) who identifies with technology. Also, they are believed to be  intelligent, self-confident, highly motivated and willing to take up challenges. 

However, the notion of "hacker" has been recently reversed, in a society where data security and the stability of the infrastructure of companies and governments have become major concerns. 

Today, the hacker is the perfect concept of an enemy, whose goals are, among others, fighting against censorship, security cryptography and creating systems, tools and applications that can be used by everybody.


Texto nº 3:

The History Of WhatsApp


Whatsapp’s history needs to be heard as it is not like any usual startup story where the founders had an idea that made them drop out from their colleges, build a team, and get pre-seed funding from a giant like Facebook or Google. WhatsApp was conceptualised not by college students but by people who were in their thirties and had a stable job with a renowned company.

The internet messaging application was conceptualised because of an actual need (democratising phone-based communications), and it succeeded because it was able to capitalise on almost every emerging trend like push notifications and need like encryption.

The best part?

Even after ten years of existence, the company still boasts its no ads, no games, and no gimmicks principle while making millions in revenue.

Here’s a brief history of WhatsApp explaining its conceptualisation, the initial WhatsApp business model, and the new WhatsApp business model after Facebook bought it.

Who Founded WhatsApp?

Brian Acton and Jan Koum founded WhatsApp in 2009 after they left their job at Yahoo!.

The startup story began when they left their job to travel around the world. But soon, their savings started to sink, and they had to apply for a job on Facebook, which didn’t work out as planned as well. They were quite disappointed, but this failure led them to start a new life journey – WhatsApp.

Saludos y nos veremos la semana que viene, Dios mediante.

Reading comprehension: Natural world, going green.

Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos.

Comenzamos una serie de ejercicios dedicados a revisar los puntos principales del programa del curso.

Hoy toca: Natural world, going green.

Nota: Los textos están seleccionados tanto del programa CREA como de otras fuentes, a quienes doy las gracias y cito, pero todos tienen el nivel del curso.

https://pxhere.com/es/photo/982282

CÓDIGOS DE COLORES:

AZUL: Traducciones.

ROJO: Aspectos gramaticales.

VERDE: Aspectos culturales.

NARANJA: Estructuras concatenadas

MORADO: Traducción y sinónimos, antónimos, etc.

Amarillo: Palabras con trampa.

Os dejo una plantilla para que, sobre la marcha, podáis ir completando con sinónimos, antónimos, etc y los significados. Espero que os sea de utilidad. Pinchad aquí para descargarla.  


https://parquesalegres.org/biblioteca/blog/reciclar/


Texto nº 1:

Barry's house

Barry está preocupado con el medioambiente y abajo puedes conocer sus planes para el futuro cercano y sus razones para ser ecologista. Fíjate en las frases subrayadas. 

I'm going green from now on....

When it comes to the environment, being a good global citizen starts at your doorstep. From recycling to using alternative cleaning materials, minor changes at home can add up to real benefits for the planet, not to mention your own health and happiness.

It may be a cliché, but the best way to be Earth-friendly is to cut down on what you consume and recycle whenever you can. The U.S. generates about 208 million tons of municipal solid waste a year, according to the National Institutes of Health. That's more than 4 pounds per person per day. Every little bit helps; recycling just one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

Here are 5 easy ways I've planned to green my home in the next few weeks:

1. Greening up my appliancesI am getting rid of that old refrigerator in the garage. It can save me as much as $150 a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Appliance use comprises about 18% of a typical home’s total energy bill, with the fridge being one of the biggest energy hogs. If any of our appliances is more than 10 years old, the EPA suggests replacing them with energy-efficient models that bear their "Energy Star" logo.

2. Saving waterI'm putting an aerator on all household faucets, so that I can cut my annual water consumption by 50%. Behavioral changes also add up quickly: using a broom instead of the garden hose to clean your driveway can save 80 gallons of water and turning the water off when you brush your teeth will save 4.5 gallons each time.

3. Cleaning green: I'm using simple eco-friendly ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), vinegar, washing soda (sodium carbonate), lemon juice and borax. They also perform effectively and I can save money at the same time.

4. Reducing plastics, reducing global warming:  I'm reducing, re-using and recycling my plastics for one of the best ways to combat global warming. Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags, the processing and burning of which is considered one of the main contributors to global warming.

5. Saving a tree, using less paperI'm buying "tree-free" 100% post-consumer recycled paper for everything from greeting cards to toilet paper. Paper with a high post-consumer waste content uses less virgin pulp and keeps more waste paper out of landfills.


Texto nº 2:

VEGGIE PRIDE DAY

The Veggie Pride is an international event that celebrates and promotes vegetarianism and veganism.

It's held annually in Paris since 2001, but later also has been emulated in other cities in the world. It brings together vegetarians and vegans who want to show their pride to refuse to eat animals, and denounce the discrimination which they suffer, both personally and in terms of expressing their ideas.The Veggie Pride aims to encourage vegetarians to affirm their convictions and to bring the society to accept the debate on the legitimacy of the consumption of animals.

The first Italian Veggie Pride was held in Rome on 17 May 2008 and was attended by about 700 people. In 2009, the Veggie Pride was held on May 16 simultaneously in Birmingham, Lyon, Milan and Prague.

https://www.sancristobalsl.com/blog/reciclando-en-familia/


Texto nº 3

Tips: Top Ten Ways to Recycle


 Office Depot has compiled a list of the top 10 ways to recycle at home and in the office.

  1. Buy recycled paper and print on both sides. When using paper in the office, print on both sides of the sheet and recycle the paper when you are finished. By recycling one ton of paper, you can save 17 trees, almost 7,000 gallons of water and more than three cubic yards of landfill space.
  2. Recycle your outdated technology. According to EPA, Americans throw out two million tons of e-waste each year. Avoid adding to that waste by recycling your old technology. For more information on electronic recycling, visit http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm.
  3. Make recycling bins readily available. Make sure your home and office are outfitted with recycling bins for paper, plastic and metal. Keep them out in the open and label them appropriately. Sometimes the convenience factor is all that is needed. 
  4. Recycle your empty ink and toner cartridges. Almost eight cartridges are thrown out in the United States every second of every day. That's almost 700,000 cartridges per day. 
  5. Buy remanufactured ink and toner cartridges. Each remanufactured cartridge keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills and saves about a half gallon of oil. 
  6. Recycle old newspapers laying around the office. When finished reading the newspaper, either leave it for someone else to read or recycle it. 
  7. Look for the recycled option in all the products you buy. It's not just paper that is recycled. 
  8. Buy rechargeable batteries. It takes 1,000 regular batteries to equal the lifespan of one rechargeable battery. When you are discarding your batteries, recycle them. 
  9. Purchase rewritable CDs and DVDs so that you can reuse them from project to project
  10. Reuse your morning coffee cup. Or better yet, buy a mug to avoid the waste caused by throwing away the paper or Styrofoam.
Saludos y nos veremos la semana que viene, Dios mediante.

Reading comprehension: People, culture and traditions. Vocabulary glosary.

Buenas tardes, estimados alumnos.

Comenzamos una serie de ejercicios dedicados a revisar los puntos principales del programa del curso.

Hoy toca: People, culture and traditions.

Nota: Los textos están seleccionados tanto del programa CREA como de otras fuentes, a quienes doy las gracias y cito, pero todos tienen el nivel del curso.


https://www.visitbritain.com/es/es/inglaterra/londres


Texto nº 1:

                        Looking for a job in London.

Paul: Hello Pablo! I didn't know you were here.

Pablo: Oh, I've been here for nearly two months, I arrived here in January.

Paul: The last time I saw you you said nothing about coming to England. What made you change your mind?

Pablo: Well, as you know I've studied ingeneering at university in Spain. When I finished my studies I tried to look for a job but unfortunately I couldn't find anything suitable for me. Then, I decided I needed a gap year and that I needed to improve my English. My sister is working here, so it seemed a good option.

Paul: What have you done so far?

Pablo: I arrived two months ago and I stayed with my sister till I found a flat on my own. I've found a job as a barman at a local pub, I've worked since February. I've met a lot of people at the pub so  I've got many friends. Some of them work there, and  I have travelled a lot with them. I have met English people too, so I have learnt good English. I also attend formal lessons. I've been at a languages school for one month and I've improved a lot. Don't you think so?

* to change one's mind: cambiar de opinión


📝 Reading Comprehension Questions

Question 1

What was Pablo's primary motivation for moving to England?

  • A. He wanted to start an Engineering job immediately after finishing university in Spain. (Quería empezar un trabajo de Ingeniería inmediatamente después de terminar la universidad en España.)

  • B. He needed a break (a gap year) and wished to improve his English after failing to find a suitable job in Spain. (Necesitaba un descanso (un año sabático) y deseaba mejorar su inglés después de no encontrar un trabajo adecuado en España.)

  • C. His sister asked him to move to London to live with her and help her find a job. (Su hermana le pidió que se mudara a Londres para vivir con ella y ayudarla a encontrar trabajo.)

  • D. He decided to attend a formal language school in London immediately upon arrival. (Decidió asistir a una escuela de idiomas formal en Londres inmediatamente después de llegar.)



Question 2

Which of the following activities has Pablo done since arriving in London?

  • A. He found an Engineering job, rented a flat, and traveled with colleagues from his new company. (Encontró un trabajo de Ingeniería, alquiló un piso y viajó con colegas de su nueva empresa.)

  • B. He has been working as a barman since January, living with his sister, and has not yet started formal English lessons. (Ha estado trabajando como camarero desde enero, viviendo con su hermana, y aún no ha comenzado las clases formales de inglés.)

  • C. He lived with his sister briefly, started working as a barman in February, and has been attending a language school for one month. (Vivió brevemente con su hermana, comenzó a trabajar como camarero en febrero y lleva un mes asistiendo a una escuela de idiomas.)

  • D. He rented a flat on his own immediately, started studying at a language school, and has met English people through his classes. (Alquiló un piso por su cuenta inmediatamente, comenzó a estudiar en una escuela de idiomas y ha conocido gente inglesa a través de sus clases.)

Texto nº 2:

                                    A funny anecdote


A suspected hit and run driver told police she hadn´t stopped because she feared her ice cream would melt.  Flora Burkhart was driving home around 6pm on Sunday night when she crashed into the back of a pick-up truck. But instead of stopping at the scene, on state highway 59 in Van Buren, a city in the Ozark Mountain foothills in Arkansas, the 58-year-old continued driving.

Quick thinking victim, Derek Parker,  dialled 911. Before that, he had followed the suspect home.Officers from Van Buren Police Department later confronted Burkhart and asked why she had fled the scene of the accident. According to a police report, she told them: “I left because I did not want my ice cream to melt.”
 

The accused also claimed that she “didn’t think there was enough damage to the vehicles to call police. ”In fact, cops estimated that each car sustained $500 worth of damage in the crash. Burkhart was issued a citation for leaving the scene of an accident and driving too closely to Parker’s vehicle.


📝 Reading Comprehension Questions

Question 1

What was the alleged reason Flora Burkhart gave the police for leaving the scene of the accident?

  • A. She didn't have her driving license with her. (No tenía su licencia de conducir consigo.)

  • B. She believed the victim was following her too closely. (Creía que la víctima la estaba siguiendo demasiado de cerca.)

  • C. She was afraid her ice cream would melt. (Tenía miedo de que su helado se derritiera.)

  • D. She thought the police were already aware of the crash. (Pensó que la policía ya estaba al tanto del choque.)



Question 2

What action did the victim, Derek Parker, take immediately after the crash?

  • A. He drove away from the scene and immediately called 911. (Se alejó de la escena e inmediatamente llamó al 911.)

  • B. He followed the suspect's vehicle home before calling 911. (Siguió el vehículo del sospechoso hasta su casa antes de llamar al 911.)

  • C. He reported the suspect's vehicle to the police department via social media. (Reportó el vehículo del sospechoso al departamento de policía a través de las redes sociales.)

  • D. He stopped his pick-up truck and waited for the police to arrive. (Detuvo su camioneta y esperó a que llegara la policía.)

Texto nº 3:

Lee la siguiente biografía sobre el boxeador norteamericano Muhammad Ali, toda una leyenda.


https://www.elespanol.com/deportes/otros-deportes/20200603/sin-muhammad-ali-negro-musulman-racismo-boxeador/494951910_0.html

 

Early life

Muhammad Ali has been the only professional boxer to win the heavy-weight championship three times. He has provided leadership and is an example for African American men and women around the world with his political and religious views. 

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky.  His father was a sign painter who also loved to act, sing, and dance; his mother worked as a cleaning lady when money was tight. Ali began boxing at the age of twelve. His bicycle had been stolen, and he reported the theft to a policeman named Joe Martin, who gave boxing lessons in a local youth center. Martin invited Ali to try boxing and soon saw that he had talent. An African American trainer named Fred Stoner taught Ali the science of boxing. 

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee"

As a teenager Ali won both the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and Golden Gloves championships. At the age of eighteen he competed in the 1960 Olympic games held in Rome, Italy, winning the gold medal in the lightheavyweight division.  Ali worked his way through a series of professional victories, using a style that combined speed with great punching power. He was described by one of his handlers as having the ability to "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee. In February 1964, when he was only twenty-two years old, he fought and defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world.

Religious change

Inspired by Muslim spokesman Malcolm X (1925–1965), Ali began to follow the Black Muslim faith (a group that supports a separate black nation) and announced that he had changed his name to Cassius X. This was at a time when the struggle for civil rights was at a peak and the Muslims had emerged as a controversial (causing disputes) but important force in the African American community. Later the Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975) gave him the name Muhammad Ali.  In his first title defense in May 1965 Ali defeated Sonny Liston with a first-round knockout.  Ali successfully defended his title eight more times.

In April 1967 Ali was drafted into military service during the Vietnam War (1964–75). He claimed that as a minister of the Black Muslim religion he was not obligated to serve. The press criticized him as unpatriotic, and the New York State Athletic Commission and World Boxing Association suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his heavyweight title. Ali was finally sentenced to five years in prison but was released on appeal, and his conviction was thrown out three years later by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Back in the ring

Ali returned to the ring and beat Jerry Quarry in 1970 and he regained his title as the world heavyweight champion in the 1970s. In 1975 Sports Illustrated magazine named Ali its "Sportsman of the Year. Ali successfully defended his title ten more times. At the end of his boxing career he was slowed by a condition related to Parkinson's disease. He retired  in 1981. Since Ali's boxing career ended, he has became involved in social causes and politics. He has campaigned for Jimmy Carter (1924–) and other Democratic political candidates and has been taking  part in the promotion of a variety of political causes addressing poverty and the needs of children. He even tried to win the release of four kidnapped Americans in Lebanon in 1985. As a result, his image changed and he became respected as a statesman. At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the world and his country honored Ali by choosing him to light the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies. 

Ali remains in the public eye even as he has been suffering from the effects of Parkinson's disease lately.


📝 Reading Comprehension Questions

Question 1

What was the primary reason Muhammad Ali was suspended from boxing and stripped of his title in 1967?

  • A. He lost a title defense fight against Jerry Quarry. (Perdió una pelea de defensa del título contra Jerry Quarry.)

  • B. He was sentenced to five years in prison for theft. (Fue sentenciado a cinco años de prisión por robo.)

  • C. He refused to be drafted into military service during the Vietnam War, claiming religious exemption. (Se negó a ser reclutado para el servicio militar durante la Guerra de Vietnam, alegando exención religiosa.)

  • D. He changed his name to Muhammad Ali, which caused public controversy. (Cambió su nombre a Muhammad Ali, lo que causó controversia pública.)



Question 2

What event marked a significant change in Muhammad Ali's public image from a controversial figure to a respected statesman?

  • A. Winning the Olympic gold medal in the light-heavyweight division in 1960. (Ganar la medalla de oro olímpica en la división de peso semipesado en 1960.)

  • B. His efforts in social causes, politics, and trying to win the release of kidnapped Americans in Lebanon. (Sus esfuerzos en causas sociales, la política y tratar de conseguir la liberación de estadounidenses secuestrados en el Líbano.)

  • C. Defeating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world in 1964. (Derrotar a Sonny Liston por el campeonato mundial de peso pesado en 1964.)

  • D. Announcing that he was following the Black Muslim faith. (Anunciar que estaba siguiendo la fe musulmana negra.)

GLOSARIO:

¡Claro! Aquí tienes un glosario de 100 palabras extraídas del texto, con su traducción del inglés al español, numeradas.

📚 Glosario del Texto sobre Muhammad Ali

No.English WordTraducción al Español
1EarlyTemprana / Primeros (días)
2LifeVida
3OnlyÚnico / Solamente
4ProfessionalProfesional
5BoxerBoxeador
6WinGanar
7HeavyweightPeso pesado
8ChampionshipCampeonato
9ThreeTres
10TimesVeces
11ProvidedProporcionado / Brindado
12LeadershipLiderazgo
13ExampleEjemplo
14AfricanAfricano
15AmericanAmericano / Estadounidense
16MenHombres
17WomenMujeres
18AroundAlrededor / Por
19WorldMundo
20PoliticalPolítico
21ReligiousReligioso
22ViewsPuntos de vista / Opiniones
23BornNacido
24JanuaryEnero
25FatherPadre
26Sign painterPintor de letreros
27LovedAmaba / Le encantaba
28ActActuar
29SingCantar
30DanceBailar
31MotherMadre
32WorkedTrabajó
33Cleaning ladySeñora de la limpieza / Limpiadora
34MoneyDinero
35TightEscaso / Ajustado (dinero)
36BeganEmpezó / Comenzó
37BoxingBoxeo
38AgeEdad
39TwelveDoce
40BicycleBicicleta
41StolenRobada
42ReportedReportó / Denunció
43TheftRobo
44PolicemanPolicía
45GaveDaba / Impartía
46LessonsLecciones / Clases
47LocalLocal
48Youth centerCentro juvenil
49InvitedInvitó
50TryIntentar / Probar
51SoonPronto
52SawVio
53TalentTalento
54TrainerEntrenador
55TaughtEnseñó
56ScienceCiencia
57FloatFlotar
58ButterflyMariposa
59StingPicar (como un insecto)
60BeeAbeja
61TeenagerAdolescente
62WonGanó
63NationalNacional
64ChampionshipsCampeonatos
65EighteenDieciocho
66CompetedCompitió
67Olympic gamesJuegos Olímpicos
68HeldCelebrados / Llevados a cabo
69Gold medalMedalla de oro
70Light heavyweightPeso semipesado
71DivisionDivisión
72SeriesSerie
73VictoriesVictorias
74StyleEstilo
75CombinedCombinaba
76SpeedVelocidad
77Punching powerPotencia de golpeo
78DescribedDescrito
79HandlersMánagers / Asistentes
80AbilityHabilidad / Capacidad
81DefeatedDerrotó
82HeavyweightPeso pesado
83Religious changeCambio religioso
84InspiredInspirado
85SpokesmanPortavoz
86FollowSeguir
87FaithFe
88AnnouncedAnunció
89StruggleLucha
90Civil rightsDerechos civiles
91PeakCima / Punto álgido
92EmergedSurgido / Emergió
93ControversialPolémico / Que causa disputas
94CommunityComunidad
95LeaderLíder
96First-round knockoutNocaut en el primer asalto
97DefendedDefendió
98DraftedReclutado
99Military serviceServicio militar
100WarGuerra

Saludos y nos vemos la próxima semana Dios mediante.