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EL BOLETIN DE INGLES
AMERICANO PREFERIDO POR LOS HISPANOPARLANTES |
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OM
News # 75 - Delivered to 32923 subscribers |
ISSN 1668-4877 - March 1, 2004 |
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Hello
everybody !! Some time ago,
Prof. Carmen Negrón suggested us to publish some information about
Puerto Rico where she teaches in college. Well, here you will find an
interesting article and a reading
comprehension exercise about this beautiful Caribbean island. Again
THANKS for recommending us and RATING our
efforts by
CLICKING
HERE. See you on
March 15.
Hola a todas/os !! Hace
un tiempo, la profesora
Carmen Negrón nos sugirió publicar alguna información acerca de Puerto Rico
donde dicta cursos universitarios. Bueno, aquí encontrarán un
interesante artículo y un ejercicio de lecto-comprensión sobre esta
bella isla del Caribe. GRACIAS
nuevamente por recomendarnos y POR
CALIFICAR nuestros esfuerzos haciendo CLIC
AQUI. Nos
vemos el 15 de marzo. |
IN
THIS ISSUE: |
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READING
COMPREHENSION
ACTIVITY
Treasures in Puerto Rico
(a
must for intermediate
ESL students and teachers)
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WITH
A POPULATION of nearly 4 million, Puerto Rico may be an economic
territory of the United States, but its people are fiercely independent.
Rarely will you find an American flag flying high, without a
corresponding Puerto Rican flag nearby, sometimes flying even higher. We
call this IDENTITY … and we love it!!
Read
this article carefully and try to find the answers to the questions below (answers in OM News #
76).
CON UNA POBLACION aproximada a los 4 millones, Puerto Rico podrá ser un
territorio económico de los Estados Unidos pero su gente es muy
independiente. Difícilmente encuentres una bandera norteamericana
flameando en lo alto sin la correspondiente bandera puertorriqueña
cerca de ella, a veces flameando aún más alto. Esto se llama IDENTIDAD
... y nos encanta!! Lee atentamente este artículo e intenta
responder las preguntas más abajo (respuestas en OM News # 76).
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TREASURES
IN PUERTO RICO
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Old
San Juan
To
protect the transportation of gold, silver and jewels, on its
route from America to Spain, the Spaniards built a series of
forts in the Caribbean. The beautiful city of San Juan was founded in
1521. A massive wall and forts were built around the city to protect it
from the enemy. The city was used as a stopover for ships that
came from Spain and a stronghold to prevent the enemy from taking
control of the island and making Puerto Rico an enemy base. These walls
and fortifications are part of the heritage left by Spain to
Puerto Rico. Today the cobblestone streets, interior
patios, hanging balconies, plazas, and chapels make of this historic
city a charming and picturesque place to visit.
Military
Adventures of San Juan
In 1595, Sir Francis Drake attacked San Juan in pursuit of gold
and silver stored in "La Fortaleza". The artillery in
"El Morro" effectively defended the city and punished
the invaders sending them away with many casualties. In 1598, Sir
George Clifford, Count of Cumberland, landed in San Juan and sieged
the city but could not take El Morro. After suffering exhaustion and
sickness they were forced to leave. Even the Dutch, Commanded by General
Boudewin Hendricksz, landed on San Juan in 1625, the Spanish resistance
at El Morro made it impossible for them to take over. The Dutch burned
down the city, including La Fortaleza, and left.
Some
Cool Places to Visit
A
leisurely walk through Old San Juan is one of the most pleasant
experiences anyone could have in Puerto Rico. The colonial architecture
of hanging balconies and cobblestone streets make you feel like you have
gone back in time. Here are only some of the nice places
to visit in Old San Juan.
• Paseo
de la Princesa.
A great place to spend weekend afternoons where local artisans
display and sell their work. Also there is live music early Sunday
evenings and on many other occasions.
• Massive
City Wall.
Construction
of this 42-foot-high wall that surrounded the city began in the 1630s.
It is made of solid sandstone blocks and held together with mortar,
limestone, sand and water.
• Puerta
de San Juan.
The San Juan Gate was
constructed in 1520. This strong, heavy wooden door was the official
entrance for those who came to Puerto Rico on wooden
sailing ships during the colonization.
• Catedral
de San Juan.
This beautiful Cathedral,
built in 1540 is a good example of Gothic architecture in the New World.
Here in a marble tomb lie the remains
of Juan Ponce de Leon.
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GLOSSARY
jewels:
precious or semiprecious stones (joyas); built:
constructed (construyeron); stopover: stopping place on a journey
(escala, en un viaje); stronghold: a fortified place (fortificación);
heritage: inheritance (herencia);
cobblestone streets: streets paved with rectangular stones (calles
empedradas); charming: interesting, fascinating (atractivas,
interesantes); in pursuit of: in search of (en busca de);
stored: kept (conservadas, almacenadas);
punished: penalized (castigaron);
casualties: soldiers injured, killed or captured in a military engagement
(bajas); sieged:
blocked by armed forces (sitió);
take
over: take control (toma de poder);
burned down: destroyed by fire (incendiaron);
leisurely: not hurried or forced (sin apuro, tranquilamente);
gone back in time: returned to old times (regresado al
pasado);
construction: building (la construcción);
mortar: a bond for covering a wall (mezcla de cemento);
limestone: a sedimentary rock (piedra caliza);
wooden: made of wood (de madera);
marble tomb: a grave in crystalline stone (tumba de mármol);
lie: rest in a horizontal position (yacen);
remains: dead body (restos).
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next update: march 15, 2004 |
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