Le cicogne che hanno smesso di viaggiare (The storks that stopped travelling)
QCER B1249 parole
Every autumn, for as long as anyone could remember, the storks left. They nested on the church towers of Spanish villages in spring, raised their young in summer and flew south to Africa before the cold arrived. Children were told that the storks would come back in March, and they always did.
Then the storks began to stay.
My aunt has been counting the nests in her town since 1998. She is not a scientist: she is a retired teacher with a notebook and binoculars. In her first year she counted eleven nests and no birds at all in December. Last December she counted forty-one nests and more than thirty birds.
The reason is not romantic. A few kilometres from the town there is a rubbish dump, and a rubbish dump has food in January. Flying to Africa is dangerous and expensive: a young stork can die of hunger, thirst or exhaustion on the way. A bird that finds enough food in winter has no reason to go.
My aunt is careful about what she says. She has data for one town, not for a country, and she knows the difference. But she does say one thing without hesitating: 'We taught the children that the storks always leave. Now we have to teach them that animals change their habits when we change the world around them.'
The dump closes in two years. Nobody knows what the storks will do then, and my aunt has already bought a new notebook.
Parole che forse non conosci
- storkcicogna
- nestnido
- to raise (young)allevare
- binocularsbinocolo
- rubbish dumpdiscarica
- exhaustionsfinimento
- to hesitateesitare
- habitsabitudini
Domande
Si risponde con il testo davanti. Non è memoria: è capire.
What did the storks traditionally do in autumn?
They flew south to Africa — Nidificavano in primavera, allevavano d'estate e volavano a sud prima del freddo. Tornavano a marzo.
The aunt has been counting the nests since ___.
1998 — Since 1998. Non è una scienziata: è un'insegnante in pensione con un quaderno e un binocolo.
How did the December count change between her first year and last year?
From no birds to more than thirty — Attenzione ai numeri: 11 e 41 sono NIDI. Gli uccelli a dicembre sono passati da nessuno a più di trenta.
According to the text, why do many storks no longer migrate?
Because they find food all year near the town — Il testo lo dice senza fronzoli: c'è una discarica a pochi chilometri e a gennaio ha cibo. Un uccello che mangia d'inverno non ha motivo di partire.
The aunt says her numbers prove what is happening in the whole country.
False — Falso, ed è ciò che la rende affidabile: dice che ha dati di UN paese, non di una nazione, e che sa la differenza.
Why has the aunt bought a new notebook?
Because the dump is closing and she wants to see what the storks do next — Il testo non lo spiega: mette le due frasi vicine. La discarica chiude fra due anni, nessuno sa cosa faranno le cicogne, e lei ha già il quaderno per contarle.