Actividad Nº 2

Instrucción: Busca el significado de cada una de las palabras marcadas con la lista que se encuentra debajo del texto.

The story starts when John (Wilson) and Jenny (Aniston) relocate⁽¹⁾ to South Florida from Michigan and decide to adopt a dog rather than having kids right away, given their busy jobs at daily newspapers. But instead of a peaceful pet they end up with Marley, a dog who will eat anything, cries nonstop during thunderstorms⁽²⁾ , and grows into a giant lab who yanks⁽³⁾ the both of them along on the leash. John's friend Sebastian (Eric Dane) uses Marley as a chick magnet, while John and Jen suffer through failed obedience lessons, endless shredded⁽⁴⁾ sofas, and a long series of public misadventures that begin with the dog hightailing⁽⁵⁾ away from his owners.

After a while Marley becomes background decoration as John and Jen struggle⁽⁶⁾ to conceive a baby, successfully have a baby or three, move to Boca Raton, debate their career goals, squabble⁽⁷⁾ a bit, move to Pennsylvania, squabble a bit more. And while it's refreshing to see a bit of reality sneak⁽⁸⁾ into the story, especially when Jen gets frustrated after leaving her job to raise the kids, there's a reason movies don't usually detail the lives of regular people. Even the little bit of plot⁽⁹⁾ that comes from John's constant uncertainty⁽¹⁰⁾ about his career doesn't get properly fleshed out⁽¹¹⁾, and instead we get scene after scene of happy family, frustrated family, swimming family, football-playing family, with Marley always romping around in the background.

There's something comforting about this kind of moviegoing⁽¹²⁾ experience, spending a little while with a photogenic, utterly⁽¹³⁾ boring family. And the movie works pretty well in its individual moments, especially the more emotional ones that feature the dog at the focus. Grogan clearly understands, as do screenwriters⁽¹⁴⁾ Scott Frank and Don Roos, the amazing power a dog has to absorb and reflect human emotions. When Marley sits with Jen as she cries after a miscarriage⁽¹⁵⁾, or ruminates ⁽¹⁶⁾ next to John as they sit on the beach, the movie taps⁽¹⁷⁾ into the universal feelings of love a dog can evoke⁽¹⁸⁾, and manages to reach beyond⁽¹⁹⁾ its mundane story to have something to say.

a) leave as fast as possible

b) pull, or move with a sudden movement

c)destroy

d) the story that is told in a novel or play or movie

e) a storm with thunder and lightning and usually heavy rain.

f) failure of a plan

g) completely and without qualification

h) arther along in space or time or degree

i) to move to another place.

j) strenuous effort

k) to go stealthily or furtively

l) reflect deeply on a subject

m) deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning)

n) being unsettled or in doubt

ñ) someone who writes screenplays

o) strenuous effort

p) signal to turn the lights out

q) a quarrel about petty points