Advanced - Selena A:

(E0135)

Esa mujer tiene el trasero de Selena. That woman has the rear-end of Selena.

B:

´ ¿El trasero de quien? The rear-end of whom?

A:

´ es Selena? Fue una cantante ¿No sabes quien internacionalmente conocida. You don’t know who Selena is? She was an internationally known singer.

B:

No ten´ıa ni idea, pero si hablamos de traseros ´ grandes entonces pensar´ıa en Jennifer Lopez. I had no idea, but if we’re talking about big rear-ends, then I would think of Jennifer L´opez.

A:

´ Pues precisamente fue Jennifer Lopez quien se hizo famosa encarnando el papel de Selena, de su vida, de su carrera. Well, it was precisely Jennifer L´opez who was made famous playing the role of Selena, of her life, of her career.

B:

´ fue Selena? ¿De verdad? No lo sab´ıa, ¿y quien Really? I didn’t know. So who was Selena?

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

A:

Selena ha sido una figura importante y de orgullo para muchos hispanos en Estados Unidos, le llamaban la “Reina del Tex-Mex”. Selena was an important figure and source of pride for many Latinos in the US; they called her the ”Queen of Tex-Mex.”

B:

´ ¿Tex-Mex? Me imagino que esto se refiere a ´ Texas y Mexico , ¿cierto? Tex-Mex? I suppose that refers to Texas and Mexico, right?

A:

S´ı, fue una cantante de origen hispano que viv´ıa en Lake Jackson, Texas, y empezo´ a cantar con sus hermanos en el restaurante que su padre dirig´ıa. Yes, she was a singer of Latino origin who lived in Lake Jackson, Texas, who started singing with her brother and sister in the restaurant her father was running.

A:

Se llamaban “Selena y los Dinos”, hizo su estreno ˜ comercial a los doce anos. They were called ”Selena y los Dinos,” and she make her commercial debut at the age of twelve.

B:

´ ¿Y cuando se hizo internacionalmente conocida? So when did she become internationally known?

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

A:

Pues en 1989 firma con EMI y saca su primer disco a la venta, ”Selena”. Well in 1989 she signed with EMI and her first record ”Selena” went on sale.

A:

´ Practicamente a partir de este disco aparece ˜ en el mercado un nuevo disco: ”Ven cada ano conmigo”, ”Entra a mi mundo”, etc. Ever since that record, a new record appeared on the market practically every year: ”Come with me,” ”Enter into my world,” etc.

B:

´ ¿En Mexico era muy famosa? Was she famous in Mexico?

A:

˜ pero no hablaba Sabes, ella cantaba en espanol ´ el idioma, y su padre le dec´ıa que en Mexico iba a ser muy criticada por no hablar el idioma, siendo que era mexicano-americana; You know, she sang in Spanish but she didn’t speak the language, and her father told her that in Mexico she was going to be criticized a lot for not speaking the language, being that she was Mexican American;

A:

aun ´ as´ı sin hablar el idioma conquisto´ al publico ´ ´ mexicano, algo practicamente imposible para cualquier cantante de Texas.

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

but even still, without speaking the language, she won over the Mexican audience. something practically impossible for any other Texas singer.

B:

´ en Mexico ´ ¿Entonces fue famosa solo y en Estados Unidos? So she was only famous in Mexico and the US?

A:

´ No, en otros pa´ıses tambien, porque en 1993 ´ consiguio´ un Grammy al mejor album de musica ´ mexicano-americana. No, in other countries as well, because in 1993 she won a Grammy for the best album of Mexican American music.

B:

Pero, ¿por que´ hablas de ella en pasado?, ¿fall´ ecio? But why to you talk to her in the past tense? Did she pass away?

A:

Su vida fue una tragedia porque fue asesinada por Yolanda Sald´ıvar, la presidenta de su club de fans. Her life was a tragic one, because she was assassinated by Yolanda Sald´ıvar, the president of her fan club.

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

A:

Selena confio´ en ella para dirigir algunas de sus tiendas, pero su padre se dio cuenta de que la estafaba. Selena trusted in her to run some of her stores, but her father found out that she was embezzling.

A:

La cantante fue a visitarla para hablar cara a cara y recibio´ un disparo por la espalda. The singer went to visit her to talk face to face and was shot in the back.

B:

¿Que´ edad ten´ıa? How old was she?

A:

´ ten´ıa veintitres ´ anos. ˜ Tan solo She was only twenty three.

B:

Uau. Wow.

Key Vocabulary

trasero

Noun (m)

butt

saber

Verb

to know

conocido

Adjective

well-known

Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

encarnar

Verb

to play

orgullo

Noun (m)

proud

dirigir

Verb

to run

estreno

Noun (m)

first time

sacar

Verb

to publish

estafar

Verb

to swindle

conquistar

Verb

to win over

estafa

Noun (f )

swindle

asesinato

Noun (m)

murder

fama

Noun (f )

fame

triunfar

Verb

to triumph

´ exito

Noun (m)

hit

Supplementary Vocabulary

Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.