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VOCABULARY ON THE TOPIC

Text 1

THE CLIMATE OF ENGLAND

 

The Gulf Stream, a warm current flowing from the Gulf of Mexico round the North of Europe, affects the climate of the West coast of Europe, the British Isles and Ireland. In these western countries, summers are not so warm and winters are not so cold as in the rest of Europe.

Spring is the season when nature returns to life. Vegetation grows rapidly, for there are periods of sunshine broken by occasional showers. Clouds are continually floating across the sky, and after the rain we see a magnificent rainbow.

It seldom gets unbearably hot in summer, as there is generally a cooling breeze from the South-West, but nevertheless the temperature may rise to ninety degrees in the shade (Fahrenheit, of course). The weather becomes sultry, the heat grows oppressive, and the air gets stifling. The sky is suddenly overcast with low, black clouds and distant peals of thunder indicate the approach of a thunderstorm. Later, dazzling flashes of lightning are followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder directly overhead, and it pours with rain. Anyone caught in the rain takes shelter, otherwise he may get wet to the skin (get wet through). After the thunderstorm the air is remarkably fresh. The thunder has cleared the air. We are in for a spell of good weather again.

In autumn the leaves turn yellow and reddish, and fall to the ground. Then most birds migrate to warm countries. Autumn is the season of mist, of windy days, of biting winds, of beautiful sunsets, and miserable chilly days when it drizzles. A spell of sunny weather in October is called an Indian Summer.

The climate of the South of England is milder than the climate of Scotland. In the North, the winters are harder. When there are eight degrees of frost in England, they say it is freezing hard, and everyone complains of the cold. This is because their damp climate makes them feel the cold more.

On a frosty morning the country is covered with hoar-frost. Icicles hang from the roofs of house. The rivers and lakes are frozen over. The snow falls, but sometimes it does not last long. The thaw sets in, the snow turns to slush, and walking is extremely unpleasant owing to the puddles of water in the streets, and to the constant fear of being splashed with mud by a passing car.

The English often grumble about the weather but you should not pay too much attention to an Englishman’s complaints about his own climate. The devil is not so black as he is painted.

 

Additional Texts

AUTUMN

 

In September summer yields to autumn. It is the season of gradual transition from the warmth of summer to the cold of winter. When autumn begins it is still warm, when it ends it is cold. First it gets cooler, then colder. Autumn often opens with fine weather. September has fewer rainy days than October. The sun sends down the soft light. The sunrays although bright are not so warm as they were in summer. The green leaves turn yellow. The countryside is clothed in gold and brown. When the light wind blows the leaves begin to fall from the trees in a shower of gold and red, covering the ground with a beautiful, soft, coloured carpet.



Warm days of early autumn are called "Indian Summer" or "Golden Autumn". People enjoy being out-of-doors in such weather. They go to the country to admire the landscape and go to the forest to pick nuts and berries and gather mushrooms.

But the weather is rather changeable. It often rains and frequently drizzles. The weather becomes nasty. In late autumn the landscape becomes grey and dull. A cold wind drives heavy low clouds across the sky. The roofs are wet and the streets are muddy. People are dressed in raincoats and carry umbrellas as they don't want to get soaked to skin.

Autumn brings with it the harvest time when the crops are gathered in and the fruit is picked. Apples, pears, plums are ripe now. The farmers work hard. It is necessary to finish work before the weather gets rainy and cold.

Autumn is the season of beautiful sunsets and bright colours and the season of fogs, biting winds and miserable chilly days. People prefer to stay indoors as it is so unpleasant to go out.

WINTER

 

The weather depends on the season and the climate of the country. The weather changes with the changing of the season. Really winter-like weather sets in in December. In winter the sky is pale and grey, low heavy clouds move across it. The sun doesn't shine very often. When the sun shines everything glitters in the rays of the sun. Frost paints all the trees silver, the air is frosty. Ponds, rivers and lakes are frozen over and covered with deep snow. It often snows very hard, snowflakes fall thick and fast, covering the ground with a vast white sheet.

As usual the roads are slippery and one must be careful when crossing the roads. But sometimes there are sunny days. The snow on the roofs begins to melt and icicles hang from the roofs of the houses. When it gets warmer, it often sleets. The unpleasant time comes when the thaw begins.

On the frosty morning we can see hoar-frosten branches of the trees. The ground rings like iron under people's feet. Toward the end of winter the weather grows milder, the sky becomes blue and the days grow longer. Gradually winter is replaced by spring.

 

SPRING

 

The most pleasant season in Europe is spring, which lasts from March till June. The earth is warmed by the rays of the sun. It gets gradually milder. The sky is blue and cloudless. Under the bright sunrays snow and the ice sheet on the rivers and lakes begin to melt and soon there is no more snow and ice but plenty of water. Little streams are running merrily in the street, woods and fields. The days are growing longer. The sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets at 7 p.m.

Nature awakens from her long winter sleep. The white snowdrops appear. The air is fresh, it smells of damp earth and the young buds on the trees. The birds have come from warm lands, they are getting their nests for summer and are singing songs among the trees. The trees are filled with new life and soon they will come into leaf. The fields and meadows are dressed in green. Soft spring showers of late April and early May water the earth and make the grass grow.

But really spring-like weather sets in in May. Different kinds of fruit trees flower at the same time. The orchards are in blossom. The countryside is a lacework of half-open leaves. It doesn't often rain but sometimes first thunderstorms break out.

Some people call spring the season of hope and happiness.

 

 

SUMMER

 

The warm spring sunrays gradually become hotter and hotter and little by little summer replaces spring. Summer sets in in June. The days are the longest as the sun rises early and sets late in the evening. The trees are in leaf, flowers begin to blossom and their sweet perfume fills the air. Summer brings us a lot of flowers, berries, fruit, vegetables. It's the farmer's busy season as he must work in the fields.

In June summer is in its beauty. On most days the sky is cloudless, the sun shines brightly. Everything looks so beautiful and attractive that one can't admiring its beauty. It's very pleasant to get out of town on days like these. The river glittering in the sun is calling us to go bathing, boating, fishing. Many of us are fond of lying in the sun. Picking berries and mushrooms is one of the most favourite pastimes of many people.

But if the summer is hot and dry and there are long periods without rain, the heat becomes oppressive. The dust covers the grass and the leaves. But all of a sudden black clouds overcast the sky and at the same time we have a storm with thunder and lightning and sometimes with hail. It usually brings relief. The rain cools the air and lays the dust.

The hot sun ripens the corn and fruit. Everything is ready for the harvest. It is the time when the most people have their holidays. Some of them are fond of country landscape, others - seacoast.

 

WEATHER TALK

 

- Lovely day today, isn’t it?

- It is. There’s hardly a cloud in the sky in fact. It seems too good to last.

- We’ll have a heat wave, I fear. It must be 25 degrees in the shade.

- It is very close today. Not a leaf is stirring.

- There’s hardly a breath of air.

- By the way, I’ve just read the weather-forecast in my newspaper here.

- What does it say?

- “Pressure will remain high to the south-west of the British Isles. There will be occasional rain or drizzle, but bright weather with a few scattered showers will spread to England and Wales”.

- I fear a thunderstorm is coming.

- The sky is overcast and the sun is going in.

- It looks like rain. Actually it’s beginning to rain. And I have left my umbrella at home. It never rains but it pours!

- Fortunately enough, I’ve got my folding umbrella with me. Let me put it up. It’s coming on to pour.

- What a tremendous clap of thunder!

- And what a dazzling flash of lightning! But the English have a saying about the weather: If you don’t like it now, just wait a bit.

- Look! It’s clearing up. The clouds are lifting.

- It has stopped raining. Look at this magnificent rainbow!

- Bright sunshine again. Now I know why English weather is sometimes worth talking about.

 

VOCABULARY ON THE TOPIC

 

Adjectives that describe weather and its phenomena: fine, (un)pleasant, lovely, splendid, marvellous, gorgeous, promising, mild, sunny, beastly, nasty, wretched, settled, rainy, wet, damp, stormy, hot, foggy, windy, chilly, dull, gloomy, muddy, cloudy, close, stuffy, stifling, dusty, cold, frosty, severe, slippery, …

 

Nouns that describe weather phenomena: precipitation, rain, drizzle, snow, fog, mist, slush, lightning, a flash of lightning, thunder, a clap of thunder, a peal of thunder, thunderstorm, frost, hoar-frost, snow-flakes, snowfall, snowstorm, icicle, …

 

Verbs that describe weather phenomena: to rain, to rain heavily, to fall heavily (about rain), to pour, to drizzle, to snow, to thaw, to sleet, to thunder, to lighten, to freeze, to freeze hard, to freeze over (about lakes, rivers, etc.), to sparkle, to melt, to float, to shine, to blow, to overcast, to lift (about the clouds), to clear up, to keep fine (rainy, etc.), …

Asking about the weather: What is the weather like? What weather are we having today? I wonder what the weather is going to be like?

 


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 3694


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