Unit 5 Reading: Casa do Penedo
Follow the article from the house’s 1973 origin to its visitors, activities, and future plans.
The article says Casa do Penedo began in spring 1973, when Vitor’s parents saw four rocks and decided to build a house between them. Construction took about a year. They wanted a holiday or weekend retreat in nature that would not spoil the landscape. The article connects their birth in the 1930s and 1940s with a wish to relive a simpler past. Vitor says his father believed television harmed family life and did not want a telephone. The house has no electricity, television, or telephone, but it does have water and gas. Vitor broadly describes this as living without technology and supports his view by noting that people in many parts of the world still lack access to electricity or technologies. A Japanese television programme about the architecture later increased interest. Tourists came, and some even crossed fences to take a picture. A guided tour explains the house’s history and architecture, but the family asks visitors not to photograph the interior because it is still their holiday home. Visitors can enjoy the mountain landscape, watch the stars, swim in a pool on a rock, or spend a day learning a shepherd’s work and how to care for sheep. At the time of the article, accommodation on the mountain is a future plan intended to let more people stay longer.
Key terms
| Aspect | Article detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Spring 1973; four rocks; a decision to build between them |
| Construction | About one year |
| Purpose | Holidays or weekends in nature without spoiling the landscape |
| Family viewpoint | A simpler past; the father opposed television and telephone |
| Utilities | Water and gas present; electricity, television, and telephone absent |
| Aspect | Article detail |
|---|---|
| Public interest | A Japanese television programme attracted more attention and tourists |
| Tour | The guide explains the history and architecture |
| Privacy | No indoor photos because the house remains a family holiday home |
| Activities | Landscape, stars, rock pool, and a one-day shepherd experience |
| Future | Planned mountain accommodation so more visitors can stay longer |
- 1Viewpoint: Vitor presents the house as an example of living without technology.
- 2Specific evidence: The article reports no electricity, television, or telephone, but it reports water and gas.
- 3Careful summary: Keep Vitor’s description attributed and preserve the full utility list.
- 1Cause: A Japanese television station made a programme about the architecture.
- 2Result: Interest and tourist visits increased.
- 3Development: The fence-and-photo detail shows how intense that interest became.
- 1Signal: The article uses future wording about providing accommodation.
- 2Limit: Future wording does not prove that the accommodation already exists.
- 3Summary: The family plans accommodation so future visitors can stay longer.
About a year gives an approximate construction time.
The article reports events and services, while Vitor and his father supply personal views.
The mountain accommodation is presented as an intention for the future.
Rules
- 1Keep historical details attributed to the article and personal views attached to Vitor or his father.
- 2Preserve approximation words such as about instead of converting them into exact totals.
- 3Separate the family’s reasons for the house from its present utilities and visitor activities.
- 4Read without technology as Vitor’s broad description alongside the specific report of water, gas, and missing electricity or communication services.
- 5Use verb tense and future forms to distinguish completed facts from planned accommodation.
- 6For a cohesion gap, choose a detail that develops the surrounding topic before the paragraph changes direction.
Practice
5 easy · 5 medium · 5 hard
Up to 10 random questions per test