p17rod7bd3ub4h8p1b9610c4ng61.PDF

20
Strangers
in a rented car
Picture the scene: You have been
studying for three years, preparing
yourself for a public examination
that could change all your life and
just a few minutes before you catch
the plane to Madrid, where the exam
is going to take place in seven hours,
the flight attendant tells you that
the flight has been cancelled because
your plane has broken down and
the Airlines can't provide another
one due to the transport strike.
It happened to me four years ago.
For this reason I can exactly tell
you how I felt: I was absolutely
petrified, furious and devastated.
Over the last three years, I hadn't
enjoyed any spare Sunday, any
weekend, any holiday, because of
being studying ten hours a day to
enter for a public examination. And
now there was a risk that everything
was spoilt.
I really felt I was in a nightmare,
but I couldn't wake up.
There was no plane to fly to Madrid
from Asturias and there was no point
in going to the railway station or to
the bus station because there was a
transport strike.
While other passengers asked the
poor flight attendant, I was trying
to find an alternative, calling around.
No way could we take a train or a
bus to Madrid. At the end I was so
depressed that I couldn't properly
think. Suddenly, over all that fuss,
Fernando, a mate who was also
going to take the public
examination, leaned towards me.
- We can't travel by plane, by train
or bus due to the strike - I told him
- I wish the plane was repaired
soon! Otherwise, we won't be able
to arrive in time to do the exam and
everything will be spoilt.
- There is another solution: hiring
a car - he suggested me.
- That's such a good idea! - I
exclaimed-. I'm all for hiring a car.
We can't simply wait here, crossing
our fingers, till they repair the plane.
Fernando and I headed for Avis
office and once we got our rented
car, we contacted other anxious
passengers offering them a trip to
Madrid. We told them that if they
shared with us the cost of hiring the
car and filling it up with petrol, we
would take them to Madrid. We told
them than the sooner we would set
off, the sooner we would arrive in
Madrid. Luckily, Fernando was
used to driving on long road trips
and we enjoyed the company.
As you can guess, that day the plane
didn't take off, so if we had waited
till the plane was repaired, we would
have lost the possibility of taking
our exam.
To cut a long story short, we arrived
in Madrid in time to do our public
examination. Despite being
exhausted, I did my best. A few
months later, I was told I have
passed and later, I was sent to the
Balearic Islands, to a nice little
island called Ibiza.
MAR SÁNCHEZ
Intermedi 2; grup C
THE PIANO. The silent passion.
Have you ever had such a passion that
you have been lost for words? Surely
you will feel that with this moving
film.
The film was directed by Jane Campion
in 1993 and was performed by Holly
Hunter, Sam Neil, Anna Paquin and
Harvey Keitel. This memorable film
got three Oscars in 1994 and a
particular strength was its amazing
soundtrack composed by Michael
Nyman.
The Piano film is a romantic drama set
in the mid nineteenth century in the far
New Zeeland colonies. The film tells
the story of a mute woman, Ada, who
leaves her native Scotland with her
daughter, Flora, and her beloved piano.
When she arrives in New Zeeland for
an arranged marriage, her husband
insists the piano is too weighty to be
carried from the beach to her new
house. So the piano is sold to Baines,
a neighbor who has turned into half-
Maori. Ada tries to get the piano back
and Baines asks her to have piano
lessons in exchange, which she agrees
but not knowing Baines's deepest
wishes of illicit sexual favors. Finally
everything will turn into a passionate
love story between Ada and Baines.
Holly Hunter, Ada, gives a stunning
performance; she does more with her
facial expressions than ten actors would
with a thousand words. I was impressed
by her steely determination and
presence. Through the piano she
transmits all her passion; it is her voice
and her identity.
The Piano film is a perfect combination
between silence and music, between
eroticism and femininity combined
with a great deal of emotional anguish.
This movie has been categorized as a
chick film and, not agreeing with this
classification, I would strongly
recommend it to anyone interested in
discovering a captivating film. It is a
definitive must-see.
FINA RIERA
Avançat 2; grup B
Una prenotazione...
SHININGSTONE IN THE DARK
It is told that many years ago, when
the fish still talked, there was a beautiful
kingdom in the deepest sea called
Shiningstone.
Almost all the sea creatures were very
happy because the most beautiful lightrock
in the world was shining in their
seas. But there was one ugly female
monster that couldn't stand all the
happiness surrounding her, she was
known as Shadoweegle. Every day she
woke up, she wanted to end up with
all the life in Shiningstone and become
the queen of the seas.
One day while three little fish were
swimming near the light-rock,
Shadoweegle appeared. All the little
fish in Shiningstone had been told to
swim as fast as they could when they
saw this monster, so although they were
very happy playing there, they quickly
began to swim. Despite the big effort
made by the smaller fish, he couldn't
swim fast enough and was captured by
Shadoweegle, who had already hidden
the light-rock and introduced the
darkness in Shiningstone. When the
other fish were safe, the elder one said
to his mate: -I wish I had been in his
shoes, and now he would be safe with
you. His mate said that it hadn't been
their fault and both began designing a
plan to rescue their friend.
The two brave fish followed the
monster until she arrived at her house.
The nearer the house they were, the
more terrifying the situation was. It
was all dark, dirty and cold. Besides,
there were sharks surrounding the area.
The monster put the little fish into a
cage and went to her kitchen to eat her
favorite meal: Octopus eyes. The two
clever fish took advantage of the
situation, came near their friend and
asked him if he had seen where the
keys were. The little fish told them that
Shadoweegle had eaten the keys, for
that reason the only solution to get out
of that scary place, was to kill the
monster. So they prepared a deadly
poison with the help of their friend The
Witch Watersnake.
When they had already put the poison
into the monster's dinner, they noticed
that the monster was crying. She was
saying: - I've realized that all I've done,
I have been very unfair. All the fish in
the sea must hate me. Besides, that
poor little fish … he must be terrified.
What have I done? I wish I were an
ordianry fish, or at least I wish I could
do something to replace all the damage
I've caused. After hearing all that, the
two little fish were determined to stop
Shadoweegle, but it was too late and
one of the poisoned octopus eyes fell
into the monster's mouth. Suddenly she
fell down. But fortunately, after her
fall, the monster started to cough and
the poisoned eye was shot out of his
mouth. The monster was safe and very
grateful to her new friends. She opened
the cage, apologized for all she had
done and returned the light to
Shiningstone. All the fish were so happy
that forgave the monster who was
happier than ever and became one of
the most prestigious life-savers in the
sea.
And with monsters, fish and the
shining-rock gleam, I hope you have
good dreams!
MARIA TUR TORRES
Intermedi 2; grup A