Text interpretation: Under the bridge, no number

Text interpretation aimed at 7th grade students, aiming at learning the news genre. The text used in this activity is “Under the bridge, no number”.

You can download this Portuguese activity in an editable Word template, ready to print in PDF and also the answered activity.

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• Word: Text Interpretation: Under the bridge, no number – 7th grade – Editable template
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SCHOOL: DATE:

PROF: CLASS:

NAME:

Read the text below carefully:

under the bridge, no number

Katia Calsavara

The address of the R families. and S. is a hole under an unnamed viaduct, next to the Casa Verde bridge, in the North Zone of São Paulo. Believe it or not: the hole is in the structure of the viaduct itself, like an armadillo burrow.

There is no sunlight there, and the floor is made of dirt. Electric light, only at night, when street lamps are lit. “But it's better than living in the favela. I dream of a real house”, says Juliana S., 12.

Inside the hole, two families share the space. On one side of the bridge is Juliana's family, with seven people. On the other side, that of Daniel R., 11, who lives with his mother, two brothers and five cousins, who are always “accommodated” in the “house”.

“I tell my friends that I live in this hole. Why do I hide it? But they laugh at me,” says Jaqueline S., 9.

street is backyard

There is no space for so many people. The children huddle to sleep on mattresses scattered on the floor. In addition to the poor hygiene conditions, they are at risk when playing in an area so close to the street, where cars pass at more than 100 kilometers per hour. Their “backyard” is a lawn of the marginal Tietê.

The boys shine shoes to help with the expenses, or they sell tea towels. “I take around 30 reais on Fridays. Grease at Bom Retiro”, says Rafael. To take a shower, they need to heat water, which they pick up at a post near the “house”. “I take a shower when I can,” says the boy.

According to a survey carried out by Siurb (Secretariat of Urban Infrastructure), this year, around 1480 families (or 5600 people) live under viaducts in São Paulo.

(Source: Folha de São Paulo newspaper), Oct. 27. 2001.).

Questions:

1) What is the subject covered in the news?

2) The two families, mentioned in the news, face different problems due to the fact that they live in a hole, located under an overpass. Check the alternative that no presents a problem faced by them:

a) poor hygiene conditions.

b) flooding caused by rainwater.

c) risk of death from being run over.

d) lack of sunlight.

3) Reread this excerpt from the news:

“I tell my friends that I live in this hole. Why do I hide it? But they laugh at me”, says Jaqueline S., 9.”

The part, underlined above, in Jaqueline's testimony, reveals that her friends are:

a) solidary

b) lovely

c) prejudiced

d) pious

4) In the sentence "In addition to the poor hygiene conditions, they are at risk when playing in an area so close to the street (…)”, the highlighted word refers to who?

5) When placing in the news the testimonies of children who live in the hole, under an overpass in São Paulo, the reporter uses a certain punctuation mark. What sign is this? What was he employed for?

By Denyse Lage Fonseca – Graduated in Languages ​​and specialist in distance education.

At answers are in the link above the header.