C1 · Stretch yourself
Rich, natural texts about places, history and ideas.
- Ocho kilómetros sin nada encima At the far southwest tip of the country there is a bay with nothing built on it, and then it is time to fly... ? Quiz included Audio
- Hierba Crecida a Propósito In Central Park, Polly learns the whole landscape was built by hand on bare rock, blasted with more... ? Quiz included Audio
- La estación por la que nadie pasa Polly follows the first subway line to its old end point, a curved and tiled station built as a showpiece... ? Quiz included Audio
- Polly toma el autobús One nervous first ride, a capybara who has seen it all, and the exact moment a new neighborhood starts... ? Quiz included Audio
- La Bahía de Nápoles Polly arrives in Naples and is welcomed into the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, the world's oldest marine... ? Quiz included Audio
- Sube el río y lo encontrarás The blue stone did not come from the sea. Polly follows the river up into the mountains, the way two men... Audio
- El camino que se queda sin espacio Polly reaches the southwest corner of the Dominican Republic, where the mountains push the road against the... Audio
- El lago que está debajo del mar Inland from Barahona lies the largest lake in the Caribbean, saltier than the ocean, in a valley lower than... Audio
- Un cerro lleno de agujeros Above one village the mountain is worked entirely by hand, because the only machine that could get the blue... Audio
- Cocodrilos en agua salada The salt lake holds the largest gathering of American crocodiles in the Caribbean, an island of rare... Audio
- Agua que se volvió dura In the workshops of Barahona the rough rock is opened, and inside is a blue that exists in exactly one... Audio
- Llegan los surfistas Trucks, jet skis and arrow-shaped boards roll up the clifftop road as the riders gather, and everyone... Audio
- Siete Faldas y Peces de Plata Polly rides the old funicular down to town, where gull ladies in seven layered skirts dry silver fish in... Audio
- El caballero y el ciervo In a tiny tiled chapel on the clifftop, Polly reads the eight-hundred-year-old legend of a rider saved at... Audio
- El cañón bajo el mar Flying over glassy water, Polly discovers the secret engine of Nazaré: the largest underwater canyon in... Audio
- El Farol Rojo Polly lands on the squat red lighthouse of Nazaré, where an old albatross with a spyglass warns her that... Audio
- El puente que cobró su precio Polly walks the pedestrian path of the Brooklyn Bridge and learns how building it underwater left more than... Audio
- La mano abierta del puerto Polly arrives in New York Harbor by ferry and studies the Statue of Liberty up close, a gift from France... Audio
- Dos especies que nadie había nombrado, halladas en la pared de un acantilado Scientists in Montenegro have described two snail species new to science, found on limestone cliffs in a... Audio
- El camarón que lleva un sol dentro de su pinza A small ocean shrimp snaps its claw so violently that it produces a flash of heat nearly as hot as the... Audio
- La guerra que Australia perdió contra los emús In nineteen thirty-two the Australian military was deployed against emus devastating the wheat crop in... Audio
- Resulta que los chimpancés tienen acento A new study of more than eleven thousand recorded calls finds that young chimpanzees in different parts of... Audio
- El banco que presta dinero a cambio de queso An Italian bank stores and ages more than half a million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, accepted as... Audio
- Por qué tu mapa se equivocaría antes de la hora de comer Satellites tick at a different rate than clocks on the ground, and without a deliberate correction your... Audio
- El resplandor que tu piel nunca deja de emitir Human skin gives off a faint light around the clock, invisible to the eye, as a Japanese team confirmed by... Audio
- Lo que de verdad lleva tus palabras a través de un océano Almost everything sent between continents travels not through satellites but through cables lying on the... Audio
- El río que Seúl mantuvo en secreto durante medio siglo Seoul spent decades entombing a river beneath a highway, then reversed course and dug it back into the... Audio
- Lo que el domingo sigue exigiendo An adult granddaughter returns home for Sunday paella and discovers that her octogenarian grandfather's... Audio
- Caminar sobre el fondo del mar Twice each day, the tide withdraws for kilometres along the Wattenmeer coast, inviting walkers onto the... Audio
- Tu móvil no está muerto. Solo tiene frío. A phone that shows forty percent battery and then dies the moment you step into the cold has not run out of... Audio
- La miel que ha sobrevivido a imperios Honey sealed inside Egyptian tombs thousands of years ago remains perfectly edible today, and the reason... Audio
- El pulpo que burló su propia cerradura An octopus named Inky vanished from a New Zealand aquarium overnight, and the ingenious route he took to... Audio
- El hotel que cruza fronteras mientras duermes On a European night train, a traveller falls asleep in one country and wakes in another, with the Alps... Audio
- El pueblo que vive dentro de un solo edificio Almost the entire population of Whittier, Alaska lives inside a single fourteen storey building, reached... Audio
- Un café, dos países In the Belgian Dutch town of Baarle, the international border runs straight through streets, houses, and... Audio
- El Castillo Que Su Rey Apenas Llegó a Conocer Bavaria's King Ludwig the Second poured a fortune into a fairy tale castle he would inhabit for barely a... Audio
- Diez kilómetros de altura Passenger jets cruise about ten kilometres up not for the view but because that is where thin air starts... Audio
- Lo que el fuego nunca se llevó Polly makes one last high pass over Kanazawa, waits out the rain that comes off the Sea of Japan almost... Audio
- Faroles en una calle que trabaja In Higashi Chaya, Polly finds a lantern-lit street of wooden teahouses that is still a working... Audio
- La cocina al amanecer Before dawn at Omicho market, Polly watches fish laid out on ice in a market three hundred years old, and... Audio
- Batido hasta casi desaparecer In a gold leaf workshop, Polly learns that Kanazawa makes almost all of Japan's gold leaf, and that a piece... Audio
- Las seis cosas que un jardín debería ser In Kenrokuen, Polly watches koi turn under a famous pond and learns how gardeners rig great cones of rope... Audio
- Tejados blancos y muros largos At Kanazawa Castle, Polly walks ramparts built by the richest lords in Japan and finds roofs tiled in lead,... Audio
- La ciudad que se salvó Polly arrives in Kanazawa, a city held between the Sea of Japan and the mountains, and finds an old wooden... Audio
- El círculo y el barco de la mañana On her last evening, Polly finds an ancient stone circle raised over four thousand years ago and sits... Audio
- El grano de noventa días At an old water mill, Polly learns how an ancient, fast-ripening barley became Orkney's daily bread and its... Audio
- La reunión en los islotes At a small chapel built by prisoners of war from two metal huts, an islander tells Polly how the most... Audio
- Construido con lo que tenían Polly finds one of the world's most important grey seal breeding grounds gathering on Orkney's skerries... Audio
- El pueblo bajo la tormenta In a harbourside workshop, Polly watches the straw-backed Orkney chair take shape, a design born entirely... Audio
- La silla junto al fuego A storm-uncovered mound turns out to be a five-thousand-year-old stone village, older than Stonehenge and... Audio
- Llega el barco de la mañana Polly arrives over a windswept, treeless archipelago and learns that beneath its ordinary green fields lie... Audio
- La niebla se cierra detrás de ella On her last afternoon, Polly climbs high over the whole island one more time before fog rolls in from the... Audio
- Un pueblo conectado a un volcán Walking through the village, Polly finds the same underground heat that cooked lunch also fills a giant... Audio
- Cena enterrada al amanecer Beside a steaming lake, Polly watches a cook lower sealed pots into holes heated only by the volcano below,... Audio
- Un cráter, dos colores Polly finds an ancient volcanic crater holding two lakes side by side, one blue and one green, joined... Audio
- El pájaro que dos veces se dio por perdido Deep in an old laurel forest, Polly searches for the priolo, a tiny grey and pink bird found nowhere else... Audio
- Los últimos dos jardines de Europa Polly lands on a terraced hillside where one of only two working tea plantations left in Europe still uses... Audio
- Nueve islas, tres placas Polly arrives over São Miguel, the largest of the nine Azores islands, and finds a coastline of black... Audio
- Subir de nuevo Polly climbs the staircase one last time at dawn and looks out at the pink granite islands across the strait. Audio
- Agua dulce al pie del acantilado marino At the foot of the staircase Polly finds cold fresh water coming out of the rock at sea level, and finally... Audio
- Nadie se pone de acuerdo en cuántos son Polly watches a fox measuring the steps, and discovers that even the official records disagree about how... Audio
- La roca que se fue Polly reaches the level of a lone tower of rock standing out in the sea, and learns it used to be part of... Audio
- El acantilado que se inclina sobre ti Further down, Polly finds the cliff hanging out above her head, and dark birds nesting on the ledges. Audio
- La escalera y la historia que cuentan de ella Polly starts down the staircase and hears the old legend that soldiers cut it in a single night. Audio
- El pueblo que está sobre el borde Polly reaches the southern tip of Corsica and finds a town built right on the lip of a limestone cliff, and... Audio
- Partir con la primera luz Polly says goodbye to Berta on the watchtower at dawn and lets the river lead her out of Albarracín. Audio
- El pastor de la puerta At dawn a flock of sheep pours through the old town gate, and Polly joins the shepherd, his mastiff and the... Audio
- El río que rodea el pueblo Polly spends a slow day down on the Guadalaviar, the river that wraps the town like a moat, and shares dusk... Audio
- Los animales pintados de las rocas rojas In the pine forest of red stone outside town, Polly finds paintings of animals made by human hands... Audio
- La muralla que sube la montaña Polly climbs the great wall above the town to a square stone watchtower and learns who built it more than a... Audio
- Berta y las casas inclinadas An old stone marten who lives inside the town walls shows Polly the crooked lanes of Albarracín, including... Audio
- El pueblo en el brazo del río Polly follows a looping river into the hills of eastern Spain and finds Albarracín, a pink town stacked... Audio
- Polly pregunta el camino Twenty minutes of proud wandering, one patient owl, and the discovery that a single question is worth more... Audio
- Polly pide un café A rainy afternoon pushes Polly into the corner cafe, where a badger with a bow tie, a first coffee order,... Audio
- Polly en el mercado Berta keeps her promise and walks Polly through the Saturday market, where a spiky fruit, a chatty goat,... Audio
- Polly conoce a alguien On moving day, Polly meets Berta the bear watering her geraniums, and a chat over the fence turns into a... Audio
- Mañana de Rosa Roja On the last morning, Polly watched the sun climb over the canyon. Audio
- La Última Curva Polly woke early. Audio
- Agua en el Desierto Polly rested beside the little water channel. Audio
- Los colores de la roca At midday, the sun reached down into the canyon. Audio
- Los Camellos de Piedra Polly hopped along the wall beside the little channel. Audio
- El Camino Estrecho In the morning, Polly hopped into the canyon. Audio
- La Grieta en el Desierto Polly flew over a desert of pink and gold mountains. Audio
- La Primera Luz On her last morning, Polly flew out to the end of the cape, called Cap de Sant Antoni. Audio
- El Pueblo de Piedra Dorada Polly flew down into the old town. Audio
- Los Molinos Viejos High on the flat top of the hills, Polly found a row of round stone towers. Audio
- La Cueva Tallada Polly flew down to the sea. Audio
- Cazadores del Cielo Polly climbed to the edge of the mountain. Audio
- El Jardín de la Montaña In the morning the air smelled sweet and dry. Audio
- La Montaña Elefante Polly flew in at dawn over a calm blue sea. Audio
- Tierra Nueva The ground opens in the south, and Polly watches fountains of melted rock build brand-new land, then learns... Audio
- La Tierra Respira Polly meets a geyser that erupts all day, learns why hot water shoots from the ground, and finds a country... Audio
- La Costura del Mundo Polly arrives over Iceland and finds the secret under the whole island: it sits on a giant crack where two... Audio
- Globos al amanecer On her last morning, Polly rises with the hot-air balloons at sunrise, sees her whole week below her at... Audio
- El cuaderno del guardabosques At a small research post, Polly watches collared lions move as dots on a screen and learns about the... Audio
- El Equipo de Limpieza Polly soars with the vultures, meets a beetle that steers by the Milky Way, and learns that nothing on the... Audio
- Tres Latidos Polly tries to keep up with a hunting cheetah, fails in three heartbeats, and discovers that the fastest... Audio
- El Cruce The herd reaches the Grumeti River, where crocodiles have waited most of the year, and Polly flies through... Audio
- Un Río de Animales Polly rides on the back of a wildebeest inside the great migration and learns how zebras, wildebeest, and... Audio
- La Llanura Sin Fin Polly arrives over the Serengeti at dawn and discovers the secret hiding under the grass: ancient volcanic... Audio
- Contemplando una galaxia Polly watches an observation of NGC 1068, an active galactic nucleus 47 million light years away, and... Audio
- Las Aves que Viven Aquí Polly explores the small fauna of the Atacama: the fog beetle that drinks from condensation, the gecko that... Audio
- Escalando el Lugar Más Seco Polly arrives at ESO's Paranal Observatory in the Atacama, the driest place on Earth, where four enormous... Audio
- El día en el lugar más seco Polly takes a daytime drive into the Atacama with Diego Castro, the site engineer, learning about flash... Audio
- Quinientos Años Luz Polly watches Camila observe an exoplanet transit, measuring the dip in starlight to learn what gases are... Audio
- Abriendo la Cúpula Polly watches the dome of UT1, one of the four 8.2-metre telescopes of the Very Large Telescope at Paranal,... Audio
- El Amur Polly reaches the Russian Far East on the sixth day of the Trans-Siberian, sees the Amur River bordering... Audio
- Lago Baikal Polly spends the fifth day of the Trans-Siberian running along Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest, and... Audio
- Husos Horarios Polly explores the dining car on the fourth day of the Trans-Siberian and learns that the whole train runs... Audio
- El frasco Polly watches a giant Pacific octopus named Pasta open a screw-top jar to retrieve a live crab. She learns... Audio
- La Secuoya Polly visits Mariposa Grove and climbs into the canopy of the Grizzly Giant, a giant sequoia nearly 3,000... Audio
- De Paseo con el Guardabosques Tomás Polly rides shotgun with Ranger Tomas Rodriguez through Yosemite for a morning, learning how rangers... Audio
- Sobre el Valle Polly arrives at Yosemite Valley from the air, taking in the U-shaped glacial geology, El Capitan with... Audio
- Regresando a Casa Polly says a quiet farewell to the Pressure Drop and its crew, reflects on a week of careful watching, and... Audio
- Mil Cien Atmósferas In the ship's dry lab, Polly sees what 1,100 atmospheres of pressure does to ordinary objects, a Styrofoam... Audio
- La Cocina del Barco Polly spends a morning in the ship's galley with Esteban, the cook, learning how an expedition vessel feeds... Audio
- Mil Novecientos Sesenta In the captain's mess, Polly studies a photograph of Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, the first humans to... Audio
- El Pez Caracol Polly meets the Mariana snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei), the deepest-living fish known. She learns about... Audio
- La Esfera Polly watches an engineer inspect the Limiting Factor's titanium pressure sphere, the cabin where the pilot... Audio
- La Caída de la Presión Polly arrives at the research vessel Pressure Drop in the western Pacific, where the deep-sea submersible... Audio
- La Carrera para Recordar Polly the parrot joins the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromsø, where runners mysteriously vanish into a WWII... Audio
- Carrera Contra el Tiempo Polly arrives in Tromsø for the Midnight Sun Marathon where she helps runners Astrid and Mikkel, but when... Audio
- A través del espejo Polly arrives in Tromsø for the Midnight Sun Marathon, befriending Astrid and helping Mikkel during the... Audio
- El Secreto del Búnker Polly arrives in Tromsø for the Midnight Sun Marathon and befriends Astrid, a 67-year-old runner, and they... Audio
- Los Corredores Desaparecidos Polly arrives in Tromsø for the Midnight Sun Marathon and befriends Astrid, a 67-year-old runner trying to... Audio
- La Sombra del Corredor Polly arrives in Tromsø during the midnight sun and meets Astrid, a 67-year-old marathoner trying to... Audio
- El Maratón del Sol de Medianoche Polly arrives in Tromsø, Norway during the midnight sun and meets Astrid, a 67-year-old marathoner... Audio
- El Nuevo Guardián del Reloj Polly and Václav successfully prevented a temporal catastrophe by properly recalibrating Prague's... Audio
- La Revelación de Medianoche Polly and Václav discover Prague's astronomical clock is actually a time gateway, and their attempt to... Audio
- La Conexión Alquímica Polly and Václav discover Prague is a vast astronomical instrument with hidden components scattered across... Audio
- La Advertencia del Astrónomo Polly and Václav discover that the brass components glow and reveal an astronomical alignment occurring... Audio
- La Cámara Secreta Polly arrives in Prague to find the famous astronomical clock mysteriously stopped, meets elderly... Audio
- El Dilema del Relojero Polly arrives in Prague and discovers the famous astronomical clock has mysteriously stopped working,... Audio
- Donde la Sal se Encuentra con el Cielo para Siempre Polly helped expose a mining company's environmental fraud at Bolivia's salt flats, leading to a community... Audio
- Cuando la Tierra y el Cielo se Unen Polly helps expose a mining company's environmental fraud at Bolivia's salt flats, leading to a spontaneous... Audio
- El espejo se quiebra Polly arrives at Bolivia's salt flats where she discovers lithium mining is contaminating ancient salt... Audio
- La Infiltración Polly arrives at Bolivia's salt flats where she discovers lithium mining is contaminating ancient salt... Audio
- La Noche de las Estrellas Fugaces Polly arrives at Bolivia's salt flats where she discovers lithium mining is contaminating the ancient salt... Audio
- El Secreto de la Pirámide de Sal Polly arrives at Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni where she meets Joaquín, a guide torn between tradition and... Audio
- Donde el Cielo se Encuentra con la Tierra Polly arrives at Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni salt flats where she meets Joaquín, a veteran guide facing a... Audio
- La Voz de la Montaña Polly helped Kaspar Brunner discover that his musician's dystonia enabled a revolutionary echo-based alpine... Audio
- Sinfonía de Piedra Polly helps Kaspar Brunner discover his musician's dystonia enables revolutionary echo-based alpine music,... Audio
- El Sonido del Silencio Polly helps Kaspar Brunner discover that his musician's dystonia enables him to create revolutionary music... Audio
- Resonancia y Resistencia Polly meets Emma Hartley, a researcher studying alpine acoustics, who helps Kaspar discover his musician's... Audio
- El Eco Quebrado Polly meets Emma Hartley, a British doctoral student studying alpine acoustics, who suggests that Kaspar's... Audio
- La Cámara de Resonancia Polly meets Emma Hartley, a British doctoral student studying alpine acoustics, who suggests that Kaspar's... Audio
- Susurros en la Niebla Polly arrives at Mount Rigi in Switzerland and meets Kaspar Brunner, an accomplished alphorn player... Audio
- El círculo se cierra en La Boquería Polly's investigation reveals an undercover operation targeting counterfeiters who've infiltrated... Audio
- El Cazador se Convierte en Presa Polly's investigation reveals an undercover operation targeting counterfeiters who've infiltrated... Audio
- El Sabor Amargo de la Traición Polly's investigation reveals that Valentina is an undercover agent pursuing counterfeiters who've been... Audio
- El Arte del Engaño Polly's investigation reveals that Valentina is an undercover agent pursuing a network of counterfeiters... Audio
- Sombras y Secretos Polly's investigation of the missing Manchego cheese takes a dramatic turn when Valentina reveals herself... Audio
- El Misterio del Manchego Desaparecido Polly arrives at Barcelona's La Boqueria market and meets Esteban, a veteran charcutier. When Esteban... Audio
- Polly en el Laberinto de La Boqueria Polly the parrot arrives at the vibrant La Boqueria market in Barcelona, where she meets Esteban, an... Audio
- La Despedida de Polly a Buenos Aires Polly, a curious parrot, visits Buenos Aires and helps transform a rivalry at a tango festival into a... Audio
- Polly y la Melodía de la Unidad Polly and her companions face an unexpected challenge when a rival group claims to host the true tango... Audio
- La Rivalidad Inesperada Polly, Diego, and Isabel face an unexpected challenge when a rival group claims to host the true tango... Audio
- El Vuelo Estratégico de Polly Polly the parrot helps Diego and Isabel counteract misinformation threatening a tango festival in Buenos... Audio
- El Enigma del Tango Polly the parrot joins Diego and Isabel in Buenos Aires, where they learn of a potential plot to disrupt a... Audio
- Un Encuentro Torbellino en La Boca Polly the parrot, exploring Buenos Aires, meets Isabel, a talented artist in La Boca, who is capturing the... Audio
- Polly y los Ritmos de Tango de Buenos Aires Polly the parrot arrives in Buenos Aires and meets Diego, a tango musician preparing for a local festival.... Audio
- La Despedida en la Ciudad de la Luz In Paris, Polly helps Isabelle solve the mystery of a missing painting and returns it to the artist. They... Audio
- El Baile del Descubrimiento In Paris, Polly helps Isabelle solve the mystery of a missing painting and returns it to the artist. They... Audio
- El Giro Inesperado en Montmartre In Paris, Polly the parrot and Isabelle solve the mystery of a missing painting. Returning it to the... Audio
- La Persecución a Través del Pont des Arts In Paris, Polly the parrot and Isabelle solve the mystery of a missing painting by confronting a mysterious... Audio
- El Enigma del Cuadro Desaparecido In Paris, Polly the parrot and Isabelle, a writer, meet Monsieur Dupont, an elderly artist, whose painting... Audio
- El Secreto del Sena Polly and Isabelle embark on a walk along the Seine, where they meet Monsieur Dupont, an elderly artist.... Audio
- Polly Aterriza en la Ciudad de la Luz Polly the parrot arrives in Paris, the City of Light, and lands in a charming café in Le Marais. There, she... Audio
- Los Secretos de Marrakech Revelados Polly the parrot and Fatima, guided by a mysterious map, explore the hidden depths of Marrakech, uncovering... Audio
- La Revelación del Mercado Oculto Polly and Fatima, guided by a mysterious map, uncover a hidden courtyard and a secret market in Marrakech.... Audio
- Un Giro en el Laberinto Polly and Fatima, guided by a mysterious map, uncover a hidden courtyard in Marrakech. As they continue... Audio
- El Secreto de la Fuente Susurrante Polly and Fatima, guided by a mysterious map, uncover a hidden courtyard in Marrakech. They decipher an... Audio
- El Mapa Misterioso y la Puerta Secreta Polly and Fatima, following a mysterious map, discover a hidden courtyard in Marrakech. They uncover an... Audio
- Un Encuentro Fortuito Polly the parrot, alongside Fatima, continues to explore Marrakech, where they encounter an elderly... Audio
- Polly en las Encantadoras Calles de Marrakech Polly the parrot arrives in Marrakech, where she meets Fatima, a traveler trying to navigate the city's... Audio
- Reflexiones Bajo las Estrellas Polly and Amir reflect on their adventure under the stars, cherishing the lessons learned and the deepened... Audio
- Secretos de la Tumba Inside the lost tomb, Polly and Amir discover a chamber filled with ancient treasures. However, the tomb is... Audio
- El Engaño del Desierto Despite initial frustration, Polly and Amir manage to find the hidden entrance to the lost tomb as night... Audio
- Hacia el Desierto Polly and Amir journey into the desert, guided by the clues from the box, to find the entrance to a lost... Audio
- El Enigma de la Máscara Encantada In Venice, Polly the parrot and historian Isabella continue their quest to uncover a legendary document.... Audio
- Un Manuscrito Misterioso Polly, a curious parrot, arrives in Venice and notices a young woman named Isabella, who holds a mysterious... Audio
- El Viaje Veneciano de Polly Polly, the curious parrot, arrives in Venice, a city of canals and rich history. As she takes in the sights... Audio
- Despedida de Marrakech Polly says goodbye to Marrakech, having helped uncover a treasure that preserves the city's history, and... Audio
- El Secreto Revelado Polly and her friends solve a riddle that leads them to a hidden key, unlocking the treasure chamber and... Audio
- Una Carrera Contra el Tiempo Polly, Leila, and Omar team up to find the treasure, racing through Marrakech as obstacles arise, including... Audio
- Encuentro con el Narrador Polly meets Adil, a storyteller in Marrakech, and learns about the tale of the lost treasure of Sultan... Audio
- Llegada a la Ciudad Roja Polly arrives in the vibrant city of Marrakech, soaking in the sensory-rich atmosphere of Jemaa el-Fnaa and... Audio
- Polly y el Lenguaje de los Ancianos Polly, the curious parrot, delves into the mystery of Echoing Canyon's cryptic echoes. Guided by local... Audio
- Polly y el Enigma del Cañón Resonante Polly the parrot, exploring the American Southwest, discovers a mysterious echo in Echoing Canyon that... Audio