O dia da tempestade (The day of the storm)
QECR A2142 palavras
Two winters ago a big storm arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. At four o'clock the sky over our village, near Valencia, was yellow. Ten minutes later it was black.
I was at my grandfather's house. He closed the windows, put a torch on the table and made hot milk. 'This is nothing,' he said. 'In 1957 the water came into the streets of the city.'
Then the lights went out. My grandfather did not move. He knows this house in the dark better than I know it in the light.
The storm lasted one hour. When we opened the door, the street was a river of brown water and leaves, and our neighbour's chairs were in the middle of it.
Nobody was hurt. The next day the sun came out, and the only problem was the mud. We cleaned for three days.
Palavras que talvez não conheças
- stormtempestade
- torchlanterna
- the lights went outfaltou a luz
- leavesfolhas
- hurtferido
- mudlama
Perguntas
Respondem-se com o texto à frente. Não é memória: é perceber.
What colour was the sky at four o'clock?
Yellow at that moment — Às quatro era amarelo; dez minutos depois ficou preto. O castanho é o da água da rua, depois.
What did the grandfather prepare before the storm?
A torch and some hot milk — Fecha as janelas, põe uma lanterna na mesa e faz leite quente: sabe o que vai acontecer.
Which task took longer than the storm?
Cleaning the mud. — A limpeza durou três dias; a tempestade durou uma hora. Fechar janelas e fazer leite foram preparativos.
The grandfather was afraid during the storm.
False — Falso, e o texto nunca usa a palavra medo: diz this is nothing e, quando falta a luz, did not move. Vê-se pelo que faz.
Why did the grandfather not move when the lights went out?
Because he knows the house well in the dark — A frase seguinte explica-o sem dizer «não precisa de luz»: conhece a casa às escuras melhor do que o neto com luz.
Why does the grandfather talk about 1957?
Because an earlier flood puts this storm in perspective — Di-lo logo a seguir a this is nothing: compara com uma vez em que a água entrou nas ruas da cidade. Não ameaça: relativiza.