Spanish Pronto Reading Practice

Welcome!

The Spanish Pronto Reading Practice is a way for Spanish students—beginners to advanced—to learn more Spanish words by reading real Spanish articles.

The article for this issue talks about World Animal Day and about what is being done in Mexico to try to improve the lives of its animals.

INSTRUCTIONS: Click on the article link below to open the original article in a separate window or tab. As you read the rest of this page, the translations, glossaries, and word lists will help you to understand the article—and to learn more Spanish words!

Some of the more interesting words you can learn from this article: congeladora (freezer), redes sociales (social media), San Francisco de Asís (St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals), lobo (wolf), roedores (rodents), Ciudad Universitaria (university campus), el DF (Mexico City [the Federal District]), and mascotas (pets)

Some words for advanced students (definitions below): pancartas, azoteas, normatividad, antirrábicos, and Semarnat


This Spanish reading practice is brought to you by these Spanish books available for purchase (click to open in a separate tab or window):

ABC para un mundo nuevo
("ABC for a new world")

Trabalengüero
("Tongue-twister anthology")


Festejarán a animales sin leyes de protección

Animals will be celebrated without protection laws

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/874576.html
 

Hoy es el Día Mundial de los Animales, una fecha que aunque no emana de ninguna institución ha sido impulsada por diversas ONG

Today is World Animal Day, a date that, although it does not arise from any institution, has been promoted by various NGOs
 

DESPROTEGIDOS El año pasado se impulsó una ley contra el maltrato animal, pero la iniciativa se quedó en la "congeladora" de la ALDF.

UNPROTECTED Last year, a law against animal mistreatmeant was promoted, but the initiative ended up in the Federal District Legislative Assembly's "freezer."
 

En los contactos de todos hay una amiga o asociación que postea noticias de maltrato animal o pide ayuda para adoptar a un can en las redes sociales. Sin embargo, dar un "like" o compartir una foto no se traduce en ayuda real a un animal, sobre todo porque el país carece de leyes para proteger a los animales domésticos y salvajes.

In everyone's contact list there is a friend or an association that posts news about animal mistreatment, or asks for help with adopting a dog on the social media. However, giving a "like" or sharing a photo does not translate into real help for an animal, especially because the country lacks laws for protecting domestic and wild animals.
 

Hoy es el Día Mundial de los Animales, una fecha que aunque no emana de ninguna institución ha sido impulsada por diversas Organizaciones No Gubernamentales.

Today is World Animal Day, a date that, although it does not arise from any institution, has been promoted by various NGOs
 

El 4 de octubre se eligió con base en la tradición católica, pues hoy se festeja a San Francisco de Asís, patrono de los veterinarios y ambientalistas, a quien se relaciona con los peludos, entre otroas cuestiones por una leyenda en la que el santo concilia a un lobo con un pueblo.
4cuatro
a"personal a"
ato
ambientalistas (m. or f.)environmentalists
AsísAssisi
base (f.)base
católicaCatholic
conwith
conciliareconciles
cuestiones (f.)matters
deof
elthe
eligióse eligió = was chosen
enin
entreamong
festejase festeja a = (he) is celebrated
FranciscoFrancis
hoytoday
lathe
leyendalegend
lobowolf
losthe
octubre (m.)October
otrasother
patronopatron saint
peludosfurry ones
porthrough, because of
pueblotown
pueswell
quewhich
quienwhom
relacionase relaciona con = (he) is related to
SanSaint
santosaint
tradición (f.)tradition
una
unaa
veterinariosveterinarians
yand

The legend of St. Francis of Assisi and the wolf: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/francis/stories.asp#wol

A nivel mundial, la World Animal Day (WAD) es una ONG creada especialmente para esta celebración, con la que se busca reducir el maltrato animal y crear conciencia sobre la educación cívica de la tenencia de perros, gatos, aves y roedores de compañía, así como inhibir la compra de animales salvajes.

aon
animal (m.)animal
así comoas well as
aves (f.)birds
buscase busca = (it) is sought
celebración (f.)celebration
cívicacitizen (adj.)
compañíacompany (de compañía = companion)
comprapurchase
conwith
concienciaconsciousness
creadacreated
crearto create
deabout, of
educación (f.)education
elthe
es(it) is
especialmenteespecially
estathis
gatoscats
inhibirto inhibit
lathe
maltratomistreatment
mundialworld (a nivel mundial = worldwide)
nivel (m.)level
ONG (f.)NGO (non-governmental organization)
parafor
perrosdogs
quewhich
reducirto reduce
roedoresrodents
salvajeswild
sobreabout
tenenciaownership
unaan
yand

En nuestro país, la WAD y organizaciones locales realizarán una serie de acciones para lograr el objetivo. Hoy, se realizará la jornada "inspiración animal" en el Ángel de la Independencia, donde habrá pancartas e información sobre el maltrato.

acciones (f.)actions
ángel (m.)angel
animal (m.)animal
deof
dondewhere
eand
elthe
enin
habrá(there) will be
hoytoday
independenciaindependence
información (f.)information
inspiración (f.)inspiration
jornadaday
lathe
localeslocal
lograrto achieve
maltratomistreatment
nuestroour
objetivoobjective
organizaciones (f.)organizations
país (m.)country
pancartasinformative posters
parato
realizaráse realizará = (it) will be carried out
realizarán(they) will carry out
serie (f.)series
sobreabout
unaa
WAD (f.)World Animal Day (organization)
yand

Wikipedia article about El Ángel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ángel

Other words to look for, in order of appearance: además (in addition), Facultad de Veterinaria (School of Veterinary Sciences), Ciudad Universitaria (university campus), exhibición (art show), honrar (to honor), se extenderá por (it will last for), domingo (Sunday), instalará ([it] will install), puestos (stands, booths), según (according to), cifras (data), los antirrábicos (dog pounds), el DF (the Federal District; i.e., Mexico City), se sacrifican ([they] are sacrificed), más de (more than), siete mil (seven thousand), perros (dogs), año (year), miles (thousands), mueren (they die), atropellados (run over), enfermedad (disease), calles (streets), azoteas (rooftop patios), la compra y venta (the purchase and sale), mascotas (pets), normatividad (guideline, policy), ni tampoco (nor even), hay (there is, there are), reglas (rules), la tenencia (possession, ownership), especies (species), peligro (danger), extinción (extinction), aumentaron ([they] increased), última (last), segundo lugar (second place), mundial (worldwide), riesgo latente [de extinción] (latent risk [of extinction]), Norma Oficial Mexicana (Offical Mexican Standard [governmental regulation]), Secretaría (Department), medio ambiente (environment), recursos naturales (natural resources), Semarnat (abbreviation for "Se-cretaría de M-edio A-mbiente y R-ecursos Nat-urales"), gobierno (government), reconoció ([it] recognized), nuevas (new), en comparación con (compared to), se incluían ([they] were included), ahora (now), más (more), esa (that).

Article about the concept of "latent risk of extinction": http://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=7545

Full article: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/874576.html

Three-page printable PDF file of this page: readingpractice_2013_007.pdf


Previous reading practices:
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_001.html Groucho Marx, Pt. 1 (Spain)
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_002.html Groucho Marx, Pt. 2 (Spain)
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_003.html Groucho Marx, Pt. 3 (Spain)
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_004.html Groucho Marx, Pt. 4 (Spain)
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_005.html Day of the Student (Argentina)
http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_006.html Using "cookie" to mean "galleta" (Spain)

Please mail comments, questions, or suggestions to: spanishpronto@earthlink.net

URL: http://www.spanishpronto.com/spanishpronto/readingpractice_2013_007.html
Copyright ©1998-2012
Revised -- 2012-10-07