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A little over 80 years ago, a musician named Sergei Prokofiev was asked to compose a
symphony for children. With music, this Russian composer told the story of Peter, a
young man who lives with his grandfather in the mountains.
The dangers of a forest are many, that's why his grandfather never got tired of warning
his grandson that he should be inside the house. But Peter was very restless and he liked
to go out and play in the pond where a duck and a bird lived, who were his friends. The
day his grandmother found him outside the house, he was enraged and immediately
brought him into the house.
One day, Peter was accompanied by his cat watching through the window how the duck
and the bird argued in the pond. He suddenly saw how a wolf came out of the trees,
jumped and in a second swallowed the duck. Not content with having eaten the duck, the
wolf was trying to catch the bird as well.
Peter, determined to save him, he went for a rope, climbed the fence wall and from there
jumped onto a nearby branch. Climbing on the tree, he tied the rope and prepared a trap
for the wolf. Once the knot was tied, he whistled the bird so that it passed through the
center of the circle of the rope. The bird understood the signal and did as indicated. The
wolf followed him, but when he wanted to cross through the hoop, Peter pulled the rope
and lassoed him. That's how this young man, caught the fearsome wolf of the forest.
3. What would you have done if you had been in Peter's place?
4. What reaction do you think Grandpa had when he saw the wolf tied to the
rope?
5. If Pedro and his grandfather lived in the city in modern times, what would
they have to watch out for?
Pedro y el lobo
Hace poco más de 80 años, a un músico llamado Serguéi Prokófiev le
propusieron que compusiera una sinfonía para niños. Con música, este
compositor ruso contó la historia de Pedro, un joven que vive con su abuelo en
las montañas.
Los peligros de un bosque son muchos, por eso el abuelo no se cansaba de
advertirle a su nieto que debía estar adentro de la casa. Pero Pedro era muy
inquieto y le gustaba salir a jugar al estanque donde vivían un pato y un pajarito,
que eran sus amigos. El día que su abuelo lo encontró fuera de casa, se enfureció
y de inmediato lo metió a la casa.
Un día, Pedro se encontraba acompañado de su gato viendo a través de la
ventana cómo el pato y el pajarito discutían en el estanque. De pronto vio cómo
un lobo salía de entre los árboles, daba un brinco y en un segundo se engullía al
pato. No contento con haberse comido al pato, el lobo intentaba atrapar al
pajarito también.
Pedro, resuelto a salvarlo, fue por una cuerda, se subió al muro de barda y de ahí
brincó a una rama cercana. Trepado en el árbol, ató la cuerda y preparó una
trampa para el lobo. Una vez hecho el nudo, chifló al pajarito para que pasara por
el centro del círculo de la cuerda. El ave entendió la señal e hizo lo indicado. El
lobo lo siguió, pero cuando quiso cruzar por el aro, Pedro jaló la cuerda y lo
enlazó. Así fue como este jovencito, atrapó al temible lobo del bosque.
Ahora responde:
1. ¿Quién era Serguéi Prokófiev?
2. ¿Tenía razón el abuelo en no dejar que Pedro jugara en el bosque? ¿Por
qué?
3. ¿Qué hubieras hecho tú, de haber estado en el lugar de Pedro?
4. ¿Qué reacción crees que tuvo el abuelo cuando vio al lobo atado a la
cuerda?
5. Si Pedro y su abuelo vivieran en la ciudad en la época moderna, ¿de qué
tendrían que cuidarse?
The donkey was the first to leave his house. He had the idea of traveling to
Bremen and becoming a musician.
On his way he found the dog in the same situation and invited him to travel with
him. Together they continued the journey and met the cat and then the rooster,
who shared the same sorrows.
The trip to Bremen was long, so they decided to rest a bit. In the distance they
saw some lights and thought it would be a good idea to ask for a room. Leaning
out of the window, they saw that plenty of food and drink was laid out on the
table. Upon listening to the occupants of the house, they discovered that those
were thieves.
The animals agreed, and they entered suddenly: the cat meowing, the dog
barking, the donkey braying and the rooster crowing. Frightened, the thieves ran
away and the friends were able to enjoy the feast.
At night, while the animals were sleeping, one of the thieves returned to inspect
the house. He entered as stealthily as possible, but as he moved forward he
stepped on the cat's tail and it responded with a large scratch. Terrified, the thief
wanted to leave the house through the back door, but he bumped into the dog
that bit him with fright. Crossing the yard, he collided with the donkey and it
kicked him hard with its hind legs. The rooster, which by then was already awake,
did not stop crowing with great scandal.
The thief arrived with the rest and told them that they should not return to that
house, because there lived a terrible witch with sharp nails, fast and evil who had
attacked him. The bandits seeing him in such poor condition no longer wanted to
return.
The animals settled in that house and there they lived the rest of their days.
Now answer:
1. Why are they known as the "Bremen Town Musicians"?
4. When thieves left the house, what did the animals enjoy?
7. If the donkey had been alone, do you think it would have been able to
scare off the thieves?
El burro fue el primero en abandonar su casa. Tenía la idea de viajar a Bremen y volverse músico.
En su camino se encontró al perro en la misma situación y lo invitó a viajar con él. Juntos
continuaron el viaje y se encontraron al gato y luego al gallo, quienes compartían las mismas
penas.
El trayecto a Bremen era largo, así que decidieron descansar un poco. A lo lejos vieron unas luces
y pensaron que sería buena idea pedir posada. Al asomarse por la ventana, vieron que sobre la
mesa estaba servida bastante comida y bebida. Al escuchar a los ocupantes de la casa,
descubrieron que aquellos eran unos ladrones.
Por la noche, mientras los animales dormían, uno de los ladrones volvió para inspeccionar la casa.
Entró con todo el sigilo posible, pero al avanzar le pisó la cola al gato y este respondió con un
gran arañazo. Aterrorizado, el ladrón quiso salir de la casa por la puerta de atrás, pero tropezó
con el perro que con el susto, lo mordió. Al atravesar el patio, chocó con el burro y este le dio una
fuerte coz con las patas traseras. El gallo, que para esas alturas ya estaba despierto, no paraba de
cantar con gran escándalo.
El ladrón llegó con el resto y les contó que en esa casa no debían volver, porque ahí vivía una
terrible bruja de afiladas uñas, veloz y malvada que lo había atacado. Los bandidos al verlo en tan
mal estado ya no quisieron volver.
Los animales se instalaron en esa casa y ahí vivieron el resto de sus días.
One day out of many, the elves heard an old shoemaker lament to his wife about
the bad times they were going through, how expensive leather was and how little
money they received for their shoes. They were very distressed because they only
had a strip of leather to make one last pair of shoes.
The elves took pity and wanted to help them. They waited until the elderly couple
were asleep to start working. They cut, sewed and sang, until they finished the
pair of shoes.
In the morning, the surprise of the shoemaker and his wife was such that they
could not believe what their eyes saw: there were the most beautiful shoes that
anyone could have imagined. Placed on the sideboard, they soon caught the
attention of passers-by. A rich gentleman offered a good salary for them, and
with the money they were able not only to buy food but also a piece of leather
with which they could make up to two pairs of shoes.
The couple wanted to find out who had helped them, so the next night they went
into hiding to find out the mystery of the shoes. After a patient and silent wait,
they saw them arrive: they were some nice naked elves who happily made the
new pairs of shoes.
In gratitude to the elves, the next night, the shoemakers made them custom-
made clothes. The elves gladly received the gift and left to continue doing their
good deeds. With the money they received, the old couple were able to make
many more shoes and they never went hungry again.
Now answer:
1. How are the elves in this story?
4. Why did the shoemaker's wife make clothes for the elves?
Por la mañana, la sorpresa del zapatero y su esposa era tal, que no daban crédito a lo
que veían sus ojos: ahí estaban los más hermosos zapatos que persona alguna se
hubiera imaginado. Puestos en el aparador, pronto llamaron la atención de los
paseantes. Un rico caballero ofreció una buena paga por ellos, y con el dinero no solo
pudieron comprar comida sino una pieza de cuero con la cual podrían hacer hasta dos
pares de zapatos.
La pareja quiso descubrir quién los había ayudado, así que a la noche siguiente se
escondieron para averiguar el misterio de los zapatos. Después de una paciente y
silenciosa espera, los vieron llegar: eran unos simpáticos duendecillos desnudos que
alegres confeccionaban los nuevos pares de zapatos.
En agradecimiento a los duendes, a la siguiente noche, los zapateros les hicieron ropita a
su medida. Los duendes recibieron gustosos el regalo y se marcharon para seguir
haciendo sus buenas acciones. Con el dinero que recibieron, los viejos pudieron hacer
muchos zapatos más y ya no volvieron a pasar hambre nunca jamás.
Ahora responde:
They came across a heron that was peacefully resting on one of its legs. "Mrs. heron,
could you listen to us and decide which of us sings better?" the toad asked the bird. The
heron observed them indifferently, but agreed to be a judge.
The cicada began to sing, but the heron interrupted her: "My dear, I can't hear you from
where you are, could you come a little closer?" The cicada hesitated to approach,
because she knew that he was not safe, but the toad said: "What happens is that you are
afraid of losing." The toad approached the heron and began to sing. As the cicada was
very proud, in order not to lose the competition, it approached the bird.
While the toad sang engrossed, the heron gobbled up the cicada. And since the table
was served, he also ate the toad. The heron perched on its other leg and continued to
enjoy the afternoon.
Now answer:
La mejor voz
Una cigarra cantaba alegremente, cuando un sapo la interrumpió: “Yo canto
mucho mejor”. La cigarra, en vez de ignorarlo y seguir cantando en otro lado, le
respondió: “No, no es verdad, yo canto mucho más lindo”. El sapo insistió: “A los
animales les gusta más mi canto”. A lo que la cigarra contestó: “¿Cómo puedes
saber eso?”. “Me lo han dicho”, contestó el sapo. Así estuvieron discutiendo un
buen rato hasta que a la cigarra se le ocurrió la idea de elegir un juez que
determinara quién era mejor cantor.
Se encontraron con una garza que, apacible, descansaba sobre una sola de sus
patas. “Señora garza, ¿podría escucharnos y decidir quién de los dos canta
mejor?”, le preguntó el sapo al ave. La garza los observó indiferentes, pero
aceptó ser juez.
La cigarra comenzó a cantar, pero la garza la interrumpió: “Querida, no te
escucho desde donde estás, ¿podrías acercarte un poco más?” La cigarra dudo en
acercarse, pues sabía que no era seguro, pero el sapo dijo: “Lo que pasa es que te
da miedo perder”. El sapo se acercó a la garza y comenzó a cantar. Como la
cigarra era muy orgullosa, para no perder la competencia se acercó al ave.
Mientras el sapo cantaba absorto, la garza se engulló a la cigarra. Y como la mesa
estaba servida, se comió también al sapo. La garza se posó sobre su otra pata y
siguió disfrutando de la tarde.
They have accidentally lost their wedding ring. Oh, his lead
ring, oh, his lead ring!
A big sky without people mounts the birds in its balloon. The
sun, round captain, wears a satin waistcoat.
Look how old they are! How old are the lizards! Oh, how they
cry and cry, oh! Oh! how are they crying!
Now answer: