El vuelo reprogramado
After receiving the cancellation notice at the airport, Pablo reached Atocha with a small suitcase and his coat half-buttoned; the concourse smelled of machine coffee and recent…
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- 3 comprehension questions
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Tras recibir en el aeropuerto el aviso de cancelación, Pablo a Atocha con la maleta pequeña y el abrigo ; el olía a café de máquina y a lluvia reciente, mientras los anuncios se solapaban en los .
After receiving the cancellation notice at the airport, Pablo reached Atocha with a small suitcase and his coat half-buttoned; the concourse smelled of machine coffee and recent rain as announcements overlapped overhead.
Abrió de nuevo la app de la aerolínea: la pantalla y el aviso seguía allí; el vuelo de las diez por en Lisboa.
He reopened the airline app: the screen flickered, and the notice was still there; the ten o’clock flight had been cancelled because of fog in Lisbon.
Los altavoces anunciaron en voz metálica; Pablo apretó el teléfono contra la oreja, miró el panel de salidas y esperó veinte minutos atrapado en la .
The loudspeakers announced delays in a metallic voice; Pablo pressed the phone to his ear, looked at the departures board, and spent twenty minutes trapped in hold music.
«Solo quedan en la de mañana», dijo la agente, «si no, puede tomar un tren a Badajoz y un autobús de a Lisboa al ».
“Only seats on tomorrow’s rescheduled flight remain,” said the agent, “otherwise, you could take a train to Badajoz and a connecting bus to Lisbon at dawn.”
Pablo , corrió al de billetes de tren y mostró el DNI entre dos viajeros que por una maleta perdida.
Pablo hung up, ran to the rail ticket counter, and showed his ID between two travellers arguing over a lost suitcase.
La empleada , le reservó una plaza en el tren a Badajoz y le entregó un : «Tiene hasta las ocho para el billete en la app».
The clerk typed, reserved him a seat on the train to Badajoz, and handed him a code: “You have until eight to confirm the ticket in the app.”
el tren, compró un billete de autobús para la mañana y un bocadillo en la cafetería del ; guardó ambos billetes en el móvil.
He confirmed the train, bought a bus ticket for the morning and a sandwich at the platform café, then saved both tickets on his phone.
Cuando sonó la del andén 8, Pablo la maleta y caminó entre turistas que miraban interminables.
When platform 8 was called over the PA, Pablo picked up his bag and walked among tourists staring at endless screens.
El tren entró con un suave; subió, encontró su asiento junto a la ventana y por primera vez en horas.
The train rolled in with a gentle brake; he boarded, found his seat by the fogged window, and breathed properly for the first time in hours.
Mientras Madrid por la vía hacia el oeste, escribió a su hermana: «No , pero llego a Lisboa mañana; te aviso cuando tome el ».
As the train carried him west from Madrid, he texted his sister: “I didn’t fly, but I’ll reach Lisbon tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I catch the bus.”
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
B2 Spanish Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. What happened to Pablo’s original flight?
Correct: It was cancelled because of fog in Lisbon
The airline app and the agent both cite fog in Lisbon («niebla en Lisboa») as the reason the flight was cancelled, not a simple delay.
2. Why does Pablo leave the airport for Atocha?
Correct: To reserve a train to Badajoz before taking a bus to Lisbon.
The flight was cancelled. The airline agent mentions a train to Badajoz and a connecting bus to Lisbon, so Pablo goes to the rail ticket counter at Atocha.
3. Why does Pablo buy a separate bus ticket?
Correct: The train takes him only as far as Badajoz; he still needs a bus to Lisbon.
He confirms a train seat to Badajoz, then buys a bus ticket for the onward journey to Lisbon the next morning.
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