Sandia Mountain rises from the desert floor of New Mexico like a magnificent
wave, cresting in a ridge of pine trees and rock. It is part of the Cibola National
Forest and a favorite getaway place for the nearly 500,000 people who live in
Albuquerque. They explore its natural wonders on foot, on mountain bikes
and on hang gliders.
The mountain is also close to the hearts of the 481 members of the Sandia
Pueblo, a 700-year-old Native American community. To them, the mountain
is sacred. Last month a judge ruled that a big chunk of Sandia’s wilderness
belongs to the pueblo. But nearby nature lovers don’t want to let go of the
land.
A Battle Over Boundaries
In 1748, when Spain ruled over parts of the Western U.S., a Spanish document
defined the borders of the pueblo’s land. The tribe says it was given control of
Sandia’s western slope. The U.S. government disagreed.
For years the pueblo has wanted more control of sacred areas on Sandia. “We
should be able to go there anytime we want,” says Alex Lujan, governor of the
pueblo, which sued1 the government to regain the land.
In August a judge took a close look at the 250-year-old document and agreed
with the Native Americans. He ordered the government to return 9,500 acres
of the national forest to the Sandia Pueblo.


So Long, Sandia?
Sandia Mountain’s frequent visitors are concerned that they will lose their
beloved playground. They say that parcels of land that have been returned to
Native Americans are now strictly off limits to others.
Samuel Wellborn, 11, is very concerned. He spends his Saturday mornings
hiking the mountain with his family. “The governor of the pueblo says they will
let us on the trails, and this will stand for all time, but the thing is, he won’t be
there forever,” says Samuel. He plans to write letters to pueblo officials urging
them to keep the trails open to everyone.
Meanwhile, a group of citizens is pushing to have the judge’s ruling reversed.
The Forest Service, which has controlled the land for 82 years, may challenge
it too.
Will last month’s decision turn stunning Sandia Mountain into forbidden
territory for hikers and hang gliders? Nothing would change under tribal
ownership, says Lujan. “All we want is to be good neighbors.”

1/ identify the type of document
extract from novel
newspaper article
the script of a radio interview
2/ pick out the following information about the native american community : name, age, population, location
3/complete the following tex about the location and of sandia mountain
sandia mountain in near the city of..... in the state of .....
4/ sandia mountain is
a desert
part of a forest
a rock
5/the document is about
a legal dispute about land
a religious dispute
a battle between spain and mexico

2 detailed comprehension
6/ find elements in the text to show what sandia mountain means for
a)the people of albuquerque
b)the people of sandia pueblo

7/ which of the following individuals or groups of people are native americans?
the pueblo
the judge
alex lujan
the government
samuel wellborn

8/ true or false? justify each answer by quoting the text

a) sandia mountain is popular with sports enthusiasts
b)the natural habitat no longer attracts visitors
c)a judge has sait port of the mountain belongs to the native americans
d)the citizens acept the judge's décision
e) the forest service disagrees with the judge's decision

9/ find three expressions in the tex to show that sandia mountain is a beautiful place
10/which of the following adjectives best descritbes the native american's attitude to sandia mountain's visitors? justify with an element from the texte

Où j'en suis dans mon devoir
Bonjour
Je n'arrive pas a bien comprendre ce texte est ce que quelqu'un veut bien m'aider.
Merci d'avance.