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TOVÁBBRead this story of a writer’s journey in Mexico. Your task is to give short answers (maximum two words) to the questions that follow the text. Write your answers on the dotted lines as in the example.
The Magic of Mexico
As a child, the writer Preethi Nair (author of Beyond Indigo) was struck by a tragic tale of love. Now, she travels to the place where the story began.When I was little, my father used to tell me stories about Mexico, where he worked in the 1960s. He had travelled there from India, before settling in London. It was the first time he’d travelled abroad, and the contrast was so sharp that it left a lasting impression: he would talk about Mexico at every opportunity.
The Mexico he remembered was full of legends and magical characters, and these have influenced much of my writing. This year, finally, I set out to find the places he told us about. My aim was to go to Oaxaca, 500km southeast of Mexico City, but on my way I wanted to visit a typical Mexican town, and chose Puebla, an hour east of the capital.
A Mexican writer once said, “For Mexicans, colours shout so loudly that you cannot hear the silence of darkness.” This is so true. In Mexico City colour is everywhere, from children’s green school uniforms to clear blue walls. Only on the outskirts are houses uniform grey. My driver Jose says the poor don’t use colour on the outside of their houses. “Colour is symbolic of wealth.”
We head out towards Puebla, among the mountains, and Jose points out two snow- covered volcanic peaks. Popocatepetl is tall, while the White Lady is much smaller. As we drive, Jose tells me a Romeo and Juliet kind of story. It is the same one my father told me as a child.
Popo is away fighting, and his fiancée is wrongly informed that he is dead. Heart- broken, she dies. Popo returns, finds her dead body, and remains close by her for ever. Today he is an angry volcano, ready to erupt any moment and, if you look carefully, the White Lady has the form of a young woman lying down.
I arrive in Puebla on Sunday. The buildings are quite magnificent and the town is full of life with musicians playing and people dancing in the main square.
By the end of our journey through the Sierra Madre, we arrive in a dry, red desert area. We reach Oaxaca and head straight into town. The air in the market smells of hot chocolate and freshly baked bread and there are racks of fruit, spices and chillies everywhere.
When I finally come to the end of my stay I find it incredibly difficult to leave Mexico. I understand now, perfectly, why my father could never forget this country.
What is the title of Preethi Nair’s book?
- ____ Beyond Indigo ____
Which was the first foreign country her father ever went to?
- ____. ____
Where did he go after his stay there?
- ____. ____
Which town in Mexico does the author of the article mention first?
- ____. ____
Which is the first town she gives a description of?
- ____. ____
Which direction do they travel from Mexico City to reach Puebla?
- ____. ____
How many hours’ drive is Puebla from Mexico City?
- ____. ____
What does the taxi driver say you never see on the outside of poor people’s homes?
- ____. ____
Who did the writer first hear the story of Popo and his White Lady from?
- ____. ____
What is the White Lady?
- ____. ____
What can you hear in the main square of Puebla?
- ____. ____
What colour is the desert around Oaxaca?
- ____. ____