LA WEB DE READING
COMPREHENSION PREFERIDA POR LOS HISPANOHABLANTES
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"DOG" EXPRESSIONS
Source:
Voice of America
Now, the VOA Special English
program "Words and Their Stories".
Americansusemanyexpressionswith the
word"dog".
People in the UnitedStateslovetheirdogs and treat
themwell. Theytaketheirdogs
for walks, let
themplayoutside and
givethemgoodfood and medical
care. However, dogswithoutowners to
care for themlead a
differentkind of
life. The expression, to
lead a dog's life,describes a person
who has an unhappyexistence.
treat them well: los tratan bien; for walks: a dar paseos; let them play outside: les permiten jugar afuera; medical care: atención sanitaria; however: sin embargo; without owners: sin dueños; who care for them: que se interesen por ellos; lead a different kind of life: llevan una clase de vida muy diferente; to lead a dog's life: llevar una vida de perros;
Somepeoplesay we live in a dog-eat-dogworld. That meansmanypeople are competing for the samethings, likegoodjobs. Theysay that to be successful, a person has to worklike a dog. This meanstheyhave to workvery, veryhard. Suchhardworkcanmakepeopledog-tired. And, the situationwould be evenworseiftheybecamesick as a dog.
dog-eat-dog world: mundo competitivo (un perro muerde a otro perro); like good jobs: como los buenos puestos de trabajo; to be successful: para tener éxito; to work like a dog: trabajar como una bestia (como un condenado, como una mula, etc. según cada país); very hard: muy intensamente; such hard work: el trabajo tan intenso; can make people: pude hacer que la gente se sienta; dog-tired: rendido, exhausto; would be even worse if: sería aún peor si; sick as a dog: muy enfermo;
Still, peoplesayeverydog has its day. This means that everypersonenjoys a successfulperiodduringhis or herlife. To be successful, peopleoftenhave to learnnewskills. Yet, somepeoplesay that youcanneverteach an olddognewtricks.Theybelieve that olderpeopledo not like to learnnewthings and will not change the waytheydothings.
still: a pesar de todo; every dog has its day: todos tenemos un momento de gloria (cada perro tiene su día); enjoys: goza de; new skills: nuevas habilidades, destrezas u oficios; yet: no obstante; you can never teach an old dog new tricks: adaptarse a las nuevas tendencias, cambiar de costumbres (enseñar nuevos trucos a un perro viejo); will not change: no cambiarán; the way they do: la forma de hacer (las);
Somepeople are
compared to dogs in badways. Peoplewho
are unkind or uncaringcan be described as meanerthan a
junkyarddog. Junkyard
dogslive in placeswherepeoplethrowawaythingstheydo not want. Meandogs are often
used to guard this property.
Theybark or
attackpeoplewhotry to enter the
property. However, sometimes
a personwho
appears to be mean and threatening
is really not so
bad. We sayhisbark is worsethanhisbite.
compared to dogs: comparadas con los perros; unkind: poco amable, descortés; uncaring: indiferente; meaner than a junkyard dog: más feroz que un perro guardián; throw away: descarta; mean dogs: perros feroces; to guard: custodiar, vigilar; bark or attack: ladran o atacan a; who try to enter: que intentan ingresar a; mean and threatening: perverso y amenazador; his bark is worse than his bite: perro que ladra no muerde (su ladrido es peor que su mordedura);
A
junkyard is not a funplace for a dog.
Manydogs in the UnitedStatessleep in
safelittlehousesneartheirowners'
home. These
doghousesprovideshelter.
Yettheycan
be cold and lonely in the
winter.
junkyard: galpón, depósito de chatarra; fun place: lugar divertido; safe little houses: casetas libres de riesgos; their owners' home: en la casa de sus dueños; doghouses: casetas para perros; provide shelter: dan protección; can be cold: pueden tener frío; lonely: solos y tristes;
Husbands and wives
use this doghousetermwhenthey
are angry at each
other. For example, a womanmightgetangry
at herhusband for
cominghomelate or
forgettingtheir
weddinganniversary. She mighttellhim that he
is in the
doghouse.She may not
treathimnicelyuntil he apologizes.
However, the husbandmaydecide that it is
best to leave
thingsalone and not createmoreproblems. He
mightdecideto
letsleepingdogslie.
doghouse term: palabra "perrera"; angry at each other: enojados, enfrentados; might get angry at: podría enojarse con; wedding anniversary: aniversario de bodas; might tell him: podría decirle; to be in the doghouse: estar castigado, no ser bien visto; she may not treat him nicely: es posible que ella no lo trate bien; until he apologizes: hasta que se disculpe; to leave things alone: dejat las cosas como están (esperar que pase la tormenta); and not create: y no generar; to let sleeping dogs lie: no hurgar en la herida (dejar tranquilos a los perros que duermen);
"Dog"expressionsalso are used to describe the weather. The dogdays of summer are the hottestdays of the year. A rainstormmaycool the weather. But we do not want it to raintoohard. We do not want it to raincats and dogs.
the dog days of summer: los días más calurosos y más largos del verano; the hottest: los más bochornosos; rainstorm: tormenta; may cool: puede refrescar; to rain too hard: llover intensamente; to rain cats and dogs: diluviar, llover a mares.