La Comunidad Valenciana acaba de sufrir una de las mayores catástrofes naturales de su historia. Creo que todavía no somos conscientes de la gravedad de los recientes incendios en Valencia y Castellón. Han pasado los días y los incendios empiezan a olvidarse. Y los valencianos seguimos esperando explicaciones convincentes y depuración de responsabilidades.

Two  terrible fires devoured Valencia and Castellón last week, giving as a result 50,000 hectares destroyed, millions of animals killed and the death of a helicopter pilot. The first fire started on Thursday in the municipality of Cortes de Pallas caused by two technicians who were soldering solar panels at a private finca. The Cortes blaze destroyed 28,000 hectares before it was controlled on Tuesday morning. The second one started in Andilla and reached the province of Castellón, destroying  more than 20,000 hectares. One resident told an RTVE reporter it would take 20 years for the trees and other vegetation to grow back. Both areas were famous for their natural beauty.

Rafael Lisarde, the mayor of Yatova, one of the towns affected by the fires, said the problem was that the mountain has not been cleaned: “It becomes a tinderbox if it is not cleaned. I’ve been saying the same thing for years but it doesn’t have any effect.  I don’t want emergency fire brigades, I want brigades that expurgate the pines, that remove the bushes and that collect wood so that there are no fires. It would also create jobs for people in the village. What good does it do me when helicopters pass by with important people in them when the mountain in my village has already been burned?”

Andilla, one of the worst-affected municipalities, lost some 15,000 hectares of its forests to the fires. Its mayor, Jesus Ruis said: “The wealth that we have is the forest and there’s nothing left. It’s a disaster. Measures are put in place, but are they sufficient?”

A few kilometres north of Andilla, the municipality of Teresa lost three-quarters of its forest land. Mayor Ernesto Pérez said he was hurt by the lack of coordination: “Our district has gone down the drain. If heads have to roll, let them roll.”

The worst fires in recent decades occurred in July 1994, when eight fires destroyed more than 130,000 hectares of forest, mainly in Valencia, Murcia and Catalonia. The worst fire for human casualties was the blaze which killed 11 firemen in Ribas de Saelices in Guadalajara in 2005, destroying nearly 13,000 hectares of forest.

National and regional cuts and lack of leadership of our politicians have destroyed some of the most important forests in Comunidad Valenciana. Those fires and destruction are a good analogy of the economic and political situation we are suffering in our region. Ernesto Pérez was right: heads have to roll.

http://lacomunidad.elpais.com/grey-photographer/2012/7/1/el-incendio-valencia-insoportable-responsabilidad-ser

TEST YOUR ENGLISH

A. Are the following statements true or false?

- Two fires destroyed 50,000 hectares in Comunidad Valenciana.

- The fires only affected Valencia.

- Eleven firemen lost their lives in a blaze in Guadalajara some years ago.

- Valencian mountains are always clean and in good condition.

- It will take the forests more than 20 years to recover.

B. Translate the following sentences into English (Past simple)

B1- PET

- Hubo dos incendios la semana pasada.

- El fuego quemó el bosque.

- Los amigos de Mark no fueron al bosque.

- Nuestros amigos vinieron a la playa.

- Su (de él) hermano compró un helicóptero.

B2- FCE

- El bombero trabajó en el bosque durante nueve horas.

- ¿Por qué no viniste a España a finales del verano pasado?

- El helicóptero se averió así que no voló el viernes.

- Como hacía mucho viento el helicóptero no voló ayer.

- ¿Cuándo llegaron los padres de Jack al pueblo?

C1- CAE

- Uno de los alcaldes dijo que el fuego se extendió porque el monte no estaba limpio.

- Las brigadas de emergencia no pudieron trabajar debido a la falta de medios.

- Tuve unas palabras con ellos acerca de su comportamiento ayer.

- ¿Alguna vez ha intentado sobornarte alguien?

- ¿Pagaron la casa en efectivo?

RESPUESTAS A TEST YOUR ENGLISH Nº 4

A. Are the following statements true or false?

- The United Kingdom has some of the best universities in the world. T

- New York University is the best university in the world. F

- Brazil and Turkey have universities at the top 100. T

- China is not expanding its higher education. F

- The situation of the Spanish universities is dramatic. T

B. Translate the following sentences into English (Past simple)

B1- PET

- Shakespeare was born in England.

- When was the queen born?

- Jack´s friends played football yesterday.

- Our teacher brought an old book last week.

- His sister didn´t write a letter last Tuesday.

B2- FCE

- My boss didn´t fly to London because they cancelled the meeting.

- Why didn´t you come to the cinema last Saturday?

- The car broke down so we didn´t get to the meeting in time.

- As it was very hot they didn´t go to the beach in the end.

- How many oranges did you buy at the supermarket yesterday evening?

 C1- CAE

 - My brother had his car repaired at that garage last week.

- Mark´s friends took the plane to Atlanta, then they rented a car to get to Memphis and finally they drove across Tennessee for a week.

- When did your friends last visit Spain?

- We had an awful time trying to change the tyre in the snow.

- They won the lottery so they paid for the house up front.

NOTA: algunas oraciones y expresiones pueden ser traducidas de varias formas. Si tienes dudas, puedes consultarme a través de los mensajes de la sección o a través de mi correo: mserranohuguet@gmail.com