The Keeling Curve: B2 Spanish Reading
A B2 reading about CO₂ measurements at Mauna Loa, the seasonal cycle, and the value of a long scientific record.
La curva de Keeling: una montaña que registra el aire
Tap any word to see its translation
¿ ? . . , . .
, . 315 , , 315 CO₂. 1958 . , 420 .
. . , CO₂ . , . , . , .
: . , CO₂ . , . , CO₂ .
. , , . : .
. , . , .
, ¿ ? ¿ ? ¿ ?
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About this article
What you'll learn
Scientific vocabulary for measurement, ppm, photosynthesis, emissions, and trends; explanatory connectors and contrasts between cycles and persistent change.
The text follows Charles David Keeling's measurements from 1958 and explains how to read the graph's seasonal teeth and long-term upward trend.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
registro continuo
newcontinuous record
A series of observations maintained without long interruptions.
Useful for discussing data collected over a long period.
con instrumentos calibrados
newwith calibrated instruments
With devices adjusted against a known reference.
Useful for describing reliable measurements.
con el paso del tiempo
newover time
An expression for gradual change.
Useful for describing long trends.
no toda
newsome, but not all
The expression limits a claim and avoids generalization.
Useful for expressing partial absorption.
por sí sola
newby itself
It says that one isolated thing is not sufficient.
Useful for stating the limits of evidence.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
were around
rondaban
were around
Imperfect of «rondar» used for approximation.
Useful for giving a figure without false precision.
teeth
dientes
repeated teeth or spikes on the graph
Here it is a metaphor for regular rises and falls.
Useful for describing the visual shape of a line.
decomposition
descomposición
decomposition
The breakdown of dead organic matter by organisms and chemical processes.
A basic term in the carbon cycle.
remaining
restante
remaining
An adjective for the part left after another part is removed.
Useful for describing balances and quantities.
persistent
persistente
persistent
It describes something that continues over time.
Useful for separating a trend from a brief variation.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Past perfect
había viajado
had traveled
«Había» plus a participle places the journey before the past observation.
Useful for ordering two past events.
Causal «como»
Como el hemisferio norte tiene más tierra y vegetación que el sur
Because the Northern Hemisphere has more land and vegetation than the south
At the start, «como» introduces a known cause before its result.
Useful for explaining causes clearly.
«Soler» plus infinitive
suele alcanzar
usually reaches
«Soler» expresses a usual tendency, not an absolute rule.
Useful for describing patterns cautiously.
Purpose with «para»
Para atribuir el aumento
To attribute the increase
«Para» plus an infinitive expresses the purpose of the comparison.
Useful for explaining a method's goal.
Hypothesis with «si»
Si miraras la curva
If you looked at the curve
Imperfect subjunctive combines with the conditional for an imagined situation.
Useful for hypotheses and reflective questions.
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