Reading and Speaking skills practice:
Fresh seafood and gastronomical festivities
…..
Chapter 6… Manuela and eternal love, from the book In the land of volcanoes, by edudelcorral
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
Mother was constantly busy, all day long. Besides all the household chores that our growing family entailed, she maintained a series of responsibilities, together with the Women’s Revolutionary Forces. She was not only their Regional Secretary, but also, one of the most firm believers in the ideals that the revolution represented. If all the above were not enough to trouble herself during the day, she additionally volunteered to help with different social activities, such as the intense and highly successful campaigns to eradicate illiteracy, in the rural areas of the country. As a consequence of all these activities, she was forced to spend a lot of time away from home, and in a certain way, from our lives as well. In quite a natural manner, it was my grandparents that assumed the role of second-parents in my life, as well as in the life of the rest of my siblings.
Talking about my mother, it was her who told me how my grandparents met. This happened on a sun-filled afternoon after lunch. My grandparents had left to spend the day in Chinandega, my great-grandparent’s home town. My sisters, my brothers, and I were spread out on the brightly colored hammocks, which hung, in the shade under the balmy palm trees. We were in the patio in the back of the house, and that patio was my favorite in the house. We were lying in the shade, as we enjoyed Mother’s company that lazy afternoon.
She was telling us the story of how my grandparents had met, and of course, we were all ears, for we had never heard it before. As she explained that afternoon, when Grandfather was only fifteen years old, he had been to the celebrated Sea Festival with his mother, doña Leonor. These festivities were held in the month of May, during The Festivities of the Holy Cross (called Las Fiestas de Santa Cruz) in the port town of Corinto. The festival consisted in a major gastronomical event, where you could find and enjoy, all these different and delicious dishes, mostly prepared with fish and seafood brought in fresh by the local fishermen, who caught them abundantly at that time of the year, in the waters nearby the port.
Vocabulary
chores [noun] [countable] (tasks, assignments, homework, errands) an ordinary job that must be done regularly.
You can go play after you’ve done your chores.
an unpleasant, boring, or difficult thing that must be done.
Taking care of the babies is an exhausting chore.
Something that is difficult or unpleasant to do or deal with (task, burden, necessity)
Cleaning out the basement is really a hard chore.
entail [verb]: (To involve, or to be the result of something) if a situation or action entails a particular thing, it involves having or doing that thing:
These cuts will entail some job losses.
entail doing something:
Building the airport entails reclaiming huge areas of land from the ocean.
maintain [verb]:
keep something the same:
Maintaining your current weight through exercise and healthy eating is important.
It’s sometimes hard to maintain the right balance between your work and your home life.
keep in good condition:
to make sure that something stays at the same level, rate, or standard
Some schools experienced difficulty in maintaining staffing levels.
Regular inspections ensure that high safety standards are maintained.
to make regular repairs to a building, road, vehicle, etc. so that it stays in good condition
a lovingly maintained houseboat
Adverbs frequently used with maintain
▪ beautifully, immaculately, lovingly, poorly, properly
to provide someone with the money and other things that they need in order to live
He was barely earning enough to maintain himself.
keep up to date
They maintain the website up to date with the last minute updates.
ideal [adjective] (suitable, convenient, proper, best, ideal, first class) of the best or most appropriate type
The fair provides an ideal opportunity for job seekers and employers to meet.
Upgrading your computer seems the ideal solution.
I’m still several pounds above my ideal weight.
ideal for: The sandy beaches are ideal for families with young children.
far from ideal (=not very good): Conditions were far from ideal for children in the school.
{only before a noun] (as good as you can imagine, and probably too good to be real
They present themselves as an ideal family.
In an ideal world, there would be no poverty.
assume [verb]: take an idea as true:
to believe that something is true, even though no one has told you or even though you have no proof
Everyone accepted she was telling the truth, although, in fact, this was quite a lot to assume.
assume (that): I’m assuming everyone here has an e-mail address.
I think we can safely assume that he is out of town.
assume someone/something to be/do something: I have always assumed her to be British.
to be based on the idea that something is true
This forecast assumes there will be no recession.
This score is assumed to represent the achievement of an average 7-year-old.
to officially start a new job or position
He formally assumes the presidency next week.
She has been invited to assume the role of mentor.
to start to control something although no one has officially asked you to
His first priority was assuming control of the army.
to begin to have a particular quality, shape, expression, etc.
The animals assumed their normal resting position.
Time with the family has started to assume greater importance.
To pretend to have a particular feeling or attitude
Fay assumed an air of innocence.
spread out [verb] if people in a group spread out, they move away from one another so that they cover a large area
Let’s spread out more and search the whole field.
to separate things that were together and put them separately on a surface
We spread our papers out on the table.
to cover a large area of land that you can see in front of you
She gazed at the city spread out below her.
to put people in many parts of a large area.The peacekeeping forces are now spread out over most of the country.
balmy [adjective] (warm, pleasant)
A balmy night
The balmy weather
all ears [expression]: ready to pay attention to what someone has to say
“Are you listening to me?” “Yes, I’ m all ears.”
celebrated [adjective] famous and praised by many people
She is a celebrated artist
celebrated for: The garden became celebrated for its exotic plants.
festivity: [noun]: [uncountable] (happiness, pleasure, joy) a happy feeling that people get when they celebrate a special event.
There was a wonderful air of festivity in the whole neighborhood.
festivities [plural] (party, afterparty, all-nighter, baby shower, carnival, festival ) a lively and enjoyable celebration.
Today’s festivities include a parade and an open-air concert.
In the land of volcanoes’ Chapters Purchase the book Talking easy English lessons Versión en español