Day 71: Saving Axolotls Outside the Lab
At home in Mexico City, Michelle (A), who is writing an essay for a biology competition, asks her mother Mireya (B), a biologist who works in the canals of Xochimilco, to read her draft; chinampas are the area's farmed islands.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Spanish word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Spanish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Mamá, ¿me lees el ensayo? Mi tesis: gracias a los laboratorios, el ajolote ya está a salvo.
Mom, will you read my essay? My thesis: thanks to labs, the axolotl is safe now.
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B
Está muy bien escrito, pero el argumento cojea. Desaparecido el hábitat, ¿dónde los vas a soltar?
It's very well written, but the argument's shaky. With the habitat gone, where are you going to release them?
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A
Pues que vivan en acuarios. Lo importante es que la especie no se extinga, ¿no?
Well, they can live in aquariums. What matters is that the species doesn't die out, right?
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B
Casi todos los de laboratorio descienden de unos cuantos que se llevaron a París en 1864: puros primos.
Nearly all the lab ones descend from a handful that were taken to Paris in 1864: they're all cousins.
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A
¿Y eso qué? No hay ningún estudio que diga que no sirven para repoblar los canales.
So what? There isn't a single study that says they're no good for restocking the canals.
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B
Sí hay uno, y lo firmé yo. Soltados en canales con tilapias y agua sucia, casi ninguno sobrevive.
There is one, and my name's on it. Released into canals with tilapia and dirty water, hardly any of them survive.
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A
¿Neta? ¿Y me dejaste escribir tres páginas sobre una idea que tu equipo ya descartó?
Seriously? And you let me write three pages about an idea your team has already ruled out?
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B
Quería que lo descubrieras tú. Mañana vamos a los refugios chinamperos: ahí está tu conclusión.
I wanted you to find out for yourself. Tomorrow we're going to the refuges in the chinampas: that's where your conclusion is.
Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 72: Great-Grandma on the Ofrenda
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