Download МОЗЫРСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЙ

МОЗЫРСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЙ
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
SPEECH PRACTICE
TOPIC: SEASONS AND WEATHER
МОЗЫРЬ, 2003
TOPICAL VOCABULARY
1. air:close air; fragrant air; fresh air; frosty air; transparent air; air is getting
stifling; there is a nip in the air – воздух щиплет (при морозе)
e.g. It was not exactly cold or frosty but there was a nip in the
air.
2. autumn: autumn month, early autunm, last autumn, late autumn, next
autumn; in (the) autumn (the definite article is used before the names of
the seasons when there is a limiting attribute mentioned in the sentence or
understood)
e.g. In autumn birds fly away.
My son started going to school in the autumn (of 1960).
3. avalanche
4. blizzard
5. breeze:breeze has a sting in it; fresh breeze; gentle (light) breeze
6. cloud: dark (black) cloud; dust cloud; fleecy cloud; low cloud; rain-cloud;
lowering (storm, thunder) cloud; bank of clouds; clouds drift (float, sail)
across (over) the sky; covered with clouds; cloudy
7. cloudburst (downpour, shower): heavy cloudburst
8. dew; early dew; dew falls
9. dew-drop
10.drizzle (fine, thin rain); to drizzle: it drizzles
e.g. It has been drizzling since early morning.
11.dust: covered (powdered) with dust; dusty
12.earthquake
e.g. The village was destroyed by an earthquake.
13.flood: flood-time, in flood
14.fog: black fog; dense (thick) fog; pea-soup fog; fog clears away (up)
(lifts); in the fog
e.g. They lost their way in the dense fog.
15.foggy: foggy day
16.gale: fresh gale
17.hail: shower of hail; to hail: it hails
18.haze: in a haze; hazy: hazy distance
e.g. Only a black dot of some kind cloud be seen in the hazy
distance.
19.hoar-frost (rime – poet.)
e.g. “… and there is hoar-frost on the finger-post, and thaw
upon the track..” (C. Dickens)
20.hurricane
21.ice; drift ice; eternal ice; ice field; thick (thin) ice; ice floe; sheet of ice
e.g. Big ice floes were drifting down the river.
e.g. The little pond has become a sheet of ice.
22.icebound
e.g. The ship was icebound off the shores of Greenland.
23.icicle; icicles glitter in the sun; icicles hang from
e.g. Long icicles, glittering in the sun, hung from the roof
of the hut.
24.lightning: flash of lightning; lightning strikes; summer (heat) lightning
e.g. Suddenly there came a flash of lightning and a clap of
thunder. The old tree was struck by lightning.
25.mire; miry: miry ground; miry road
26.mist (Haze suggest a light veil in the air caused by smoke or vapour,
mist always suggests moisture; and fog is a thick mist, a cloud extended
immediately above the surface of the ground.); swirling mist; thick mist;
mist clears (away, up) (lifts); misty:it is misty; mist rises
e.g. A thick mist rose from the lake.
27.mud:splashes of mud; muddy: muddy ground (road)
e.g. A car covered with splashes of mud sped by.
28.nature:awakening (revival) of nature; law of nature; natural phenomenon
(pl. phenomena)
29.puddle (pool) (The word puddle means a small area of dirty standing
water, especially rain water. The word pool may also mean a small area of
still water naturally formed and permanent пруд,
e.g. It had been raining hard and there were
puddles everywhere. He plunged into the pool.)
30.rain: chilly rain, dense rain, heavy rain (heavy fall of rain), occasional
rain, slanting rain, steady (continuous) rain; caught in (overtaken by) the
rain; in the rain
e.g. “After a while I went out and left the hospital and
walked back to the hotel in the rain.” (E. Hemingway)
into the rain
e.g. You’d better stay indoors and not go into the rain.
It has left off raining
e.g. it looks as if it had left off raining.
it looks (feels) like rain
e.g. You’d better not go out just now, it looks like rain.
it pours with rain (it pours)
pouring (torrential) rain
e.g. There was nowhere to shelter from the pouring rain.
rain beats on (against) the window-panes; rain pelts down (drums)
rain or shine
e.g. I have decided to go to the country today, rain or shine.
sprinkle of rain
the rains (the rainy season)
e.g. He came to India before the rains.
to rain: it rains; it rains hard; it rains cats and dogs
(Am. it rains pitchforks)
rainbow
raindrop
rainfall: abundant rainfall
e.g. There are abundant rainfalls in the Caucasus in autumn.
rainy
e.g. It was a chilly, rainy day.
31.sky:blue sky, clear sky, clouded (cloudy) sky, cloudless sky, leaden sky,
mackerel sky,night sky
sky darkens
e.g. The sky darkened quickly and soon the first
heavy raindrops fell.
sky is overcast
starlit sky
e.g. A wonderful starlit sky extended as far as the eye
could reach.
32.sleet: sleet falls; to sleet: it sleets
33.slush (Mud is slimy soft wet soil; slush is watery mud or thawing snow,
and mire (a more elevated word) is a wet spongy kind of mud which often
makes the roads impassable.)
slushy
e.g. The road is still slushy after the rain.
34.snow: new-fallen snow
e.g. There were loads of new-fallen snow on the branches
of all trees in the garden.
snow-capped (snow-topped)
snowdrift
e.g. There were big snowdrifts all down the street.
snow falls; snow melts; snow lies deep; snow turns to slush
snow fields
sprinkle of snow
e.g. Though the sun was shining a light sprinkle
of snow began to fall.
untrodden snow
e.g. The untrodden snow of the Arctic.
to snow: it snows: it snows heavily (hard)
snowbound; snowbound road
snowfall: heavy snowfall
e.g. There were several heavy snowfalls in January.
snowflake
snowstorm: blinding snowstorm
e.g. The travellers were delayed by a blinding snowstorm.
35.spring; in (the) spring; spring flowers; spring months; spring time
36.squall
37.storm: overtaken by (caught in) a storm
e.g. The fishermen were overtaken by a storm in the
open sea.
storm bursts out
storm is brewing
e.g. Look at that black cloud! A terrible storm is brewing.
stormy: stormy sea, stormy sunset
38.summer: hot summer, rainy summer; in (the) summer; Indian summer;
summer months
39.tempest (Tempest is mostly used with reference to the wind, denoting an
extensive, violent wind attended by rain, snow or hail. Storm may mean a
heavy fall of rain, snow or hail hence we speak of a snowstorm,
thunderstorm, sandstorm, etc.)
40.thaw: thaw sets in
to thaw: it thaws
41.thunder
clap of thunder
e.g. Then came a flash of lightning and a tremendous
clap of thunder.
peal (roll) of thunder
thunderbolt
thunder rumbles and crashes
to thunder: it thunders
thunderstorm: approach of a thunderstorm; occasional thunderstorm;
local thunderstorm
e.g. Local thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow.
42.whirlwind
43.wind: biting (keen, sharp) wind, bleak wind, chilli wind, dry wind, cutting
(piercing) wind, fair wind, fitful wind, fresh wind, wet wind, north (east)
wind
against the wind
e.g. It is very difficult to walk against the wind.
before the wind
e.g. Dry yellow leaves were rolling before the wind.
breath of wind
e.g. There was not a breath of wind in the still air.
gust of wind
e.g. A sudden gust of wind blew the boy’s cap off his head.
in the teeth of the wind
e.g. Walking in the teeth of the wind he made slow progress.
wind drops (falls, abates); wind blows; wind howls; wind rises;
wind drives away (disperses) the clouds
e.g. The wind had driven the clouds away and the sun
peeped out.
windswept
e.g. The windswept field looked deserted and forlorn.
windy
e.g. The day was windy and cold.
44.winter: hard (cold) winter, mild winter, severe winter; in (the) winter;
winter comes (on) (draws on); winter months; winter time
wintry: wintry sun
e.g. The wintry sun was cold and low.
1. calm
2. chill (a moderate though disagreeable degree of cold); to chill
chilled to the bone
e.g. Seeing that the man was chilled to the bone, we asked
him to draw his chair nearer to the fire.
chilly
e.g. The moon was still bright in the chilly morning air.
3. clear; to clear up: it clears up
e.g. A wind is rising, it will clear up.
4. climate: continental (extreme) climate, damp climate, mild climate,
equable (moderate) climate, hot (torrid) climate; climatic conditions
5. cold,n: piercing cold, severe cold
cold adj: beastly (bitterly) cold
cold snap; it is cold
6. cool n: evening cool (freshness)
cool adj: it is cool
7. damp n
damp adj (raw)
8. dark n (darkness)
after dark; before dark; in the dark
e.g. I could not make out the face of the newcomer in
the dark.
dark adj: dark night
grow (get, become) dark; it is dark
pitch dark
e.g. It was pitch dark in the forest.
9. degree: fall (rise) two (three, etc.) degrees; two (three, etc.) degrees above
(below) zero; two (three, etc.) degrees in the shade; two (three, etc.)
degrees of frost
10.dry
11.dusk: at dusk
e.g. The forest looked mysterious at dusk.
12.fine: it keeps fine
13.to freeze (congeal)
freezing point
e.g. What is the freezing point of water?
water freezes
e.g. We could not wash because the water in the basin
had frozen.
14.frost
e.g. “The frosts of winter had ceased …” (C. Bronte)
black frost, ringing frost, white frost, night frosts, first autumn frosts
frost breaks
e.g. The frosts have broken and a thaw has set in.
frost locks the river
e.g. The frosts had locked the river and one could cross
it on foot.
hard (keen, sharp, bitter) frost
frosty: frosty trees
e.g. The frosty air was transparent.
15.heat: burning heat
heat breaks
e.g. In the middle of August the heat broke, and
rainy weather set in.
heat grows (becomes, gets) oppressive (sultry)
oppressive (close, stifling, sultry) heat
e.g. He could not stand the oppressive heat of New York
in July.
to heat; heated air
heatwave
e.g. A heatwave is expected in July.
16.hot: it is hot
17.light n; daylight
e.g. It was broad daylight when he awoke.
light adj
e.g. The classroom was large and light.
(The adjective light in the meaning of bright should not be confused with
its homonym light, meaning having little weight, not heavy легкий,
e.g. The box is not so light as you think. A light breeze is blowing.)
18.moist
moisture: moisture in the air
e.g. The fog had lifted but one could still feel the moisture
in the air.
19.raw
e.g. I don’t want to go out in such raw weather.
rawness
20.season: fruit season; harvest season
21.shade (The noun shade should not be confused with the noun shadow
тень. Shade is a partly dark area which is not exposed to sunlight.
Shadow is the image of an object cast by it on the ground or on the
surface of another thing when it cuts off the direct rays of the sun,
e.g. The sun is very hot, let’s walk in the shade.
The shadow cast by the rock on the surface of the
sea made the water seem violet.)
in the shade; shades of night
22.temperature: average annual temperature; high (low) temperature; room
(indoor) temperature
temperature drops (falls, goes down); temperature rises (goes up)
temperature in the shade; temperature in the sun
23.twilight (Twilight denotes the faint light between sunset and full night or
between full night and sunrise, while dusk is the darker part of twilight,
usually the time just before it gets quite dark.)
at twilight; in (the) twilight
24.warm; warmth
25.weather
e.g. What cold weather we are having!
bad (fine) weather
e.g. The weather being fine, we decided to go swimming.
beastly (nasty, wretched) weather
e.g. It was beastly weather, foggy and rainy.
damp (raw, moist, wet) weather (When applied to weather or the state of
the atmosphere wet means rainy; damp means penetrating and
disagreeable; moist means slightly wet because of the presence of vapour;
raw means wet and cold.)
dull weather, fair weather; frosty weather, lovely (glorious) weather,
severe (cold) weather, stormy weather, sultry weather, sunny weather,
unsettled weather, wet (rainy) weather, windy weather,
fine weather for young ducks
foggy (misty, hazy) weather
e.g. The weather was foggy and the plane was not allowed
to take off.
in bad (fine) weather
spell of bad (fine, sunny) weather
e.g. I think we are in for a spell of cold weather
sudden change in the weather .
weather becomes (gets) fine (cold);
weather clears up
e.g. If the weather clears up, we shall go for a ride.
weather forecast
e.g. What is the weather forecast for tomorrow?
weather permitting
e.g. Weather permitting, the schooner will leave the harbour.
weather report
What is the weather like?
26.wet: beastly wet
to get wet (through)
e.g. It was beastly wet yesterday, and I got wet through.
27.zone: the cold zone, the dry (drought) zone, the torrid zone, the temperate
zone, the frigid zone
e.g. There is hardly and vegetation in the frigid zone.
***
Whenever the weather is cold,
Or whenever the weather is hot,
We’ll be together whatever the
weather,
Whether we like it or not.
Whenever the weather is hot,
Or whenever the weather is cold,
We’ll be together whatever the
weather,
Whether we’re young or we’re old.
Whenever the weather is good,
Or if ever the weather be bad,
We’ll be together whatever the weather
Whether we’re happy or sad.
Winter
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat.
January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
Spring
March brings breezes loud and shrill,
Stirs the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
***
Man is a fool
When it’s hot, he wants it cool;
When it’s cool, he wants it hot;
He always wants what he has not.
Summer
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Full the children’s hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots and pretty flowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
***
When the weather is wet
We must not fret, When the weather is cold
We must not scold.
When the weather is warm
We must not storm, But be thankful together
Whatever the weather.
Autumn
Warm September brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
TALKING ABOUT WEATHER
a)
A: Fairly mild for this time of the year.
B: Yes. Quite different from the
forecast.
A: They say we are in for snow/rain.
B: Let’s hope it keeps fine for a
weekend.
c)
A: Nice and bright this morning.
B: Yes, much better than yesterday.
A: The wind will probably get up later.
B: As long as it doesn’t rain.
b)
A: It seems to be clearing up.
B: Makes a change, doesn’t it?
A: Apparently it’s going to turn colder.
B: Still another month should see us
through the worst of it.
d)
A: It’s good to see the sun again.
B: A big improvement from what
we’ve been having.
A: It’s supposed to cloud over this
afternoon.
B: I didn’t think it would last.
EXPRESSING DEGREE OR CERTAINTY
a)
b)
A: Is it going to rain?
A: It looks like rain.
B: Yes, I’m sure it is./Sure.
B: Yes, it does./I know.
A: Shall we take umbrellas then?
A: Shall we stay at home then?
B: Yes, certainly./Of course./I think so. B: Perhaps./I’m not sure./There is no
doubt about it./No doubt.
c)
A: This winter is going to be cold.
B: Are you sure?
A: Yes, absolutely./I’m quite sure.
d)
A: I think, it’s going to be sunny and
pleasant in the afternoon.
B: It might be./Could be.
I’m not sure.
EXPRESSING OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM
***
A: I’m really looking forward to summer.
B: No, not me. I can’t stand/hate heat.
***
A: I’m always fascinated by a forest in any season.
B: But it miserable/boring/terrible in late autumn.
***
A: It’ll be wonderful to go skiing like this.
B: I don’t think so. It’s too snowy.
***
A: I’m always interested in weather forecasts.
B: I never believe them.
Exercises.
Use your ENGLISH-ENGLISH dictionary:
What does forecast (outlook (for tomorrow), scattered rains, patches of
fog, sunny spells, blustery showers, hail) mean?
Fill the gaps with suitable words.
1) Summer is over and it has become quite …
2) I was really sick last summer during the … . I can’t stand heat.
3) Autumn forests are especially beautiful when leaves on the trees
are … and …
4) The sky is … it looks like rain.
5) Many parts of the country will have some sunshine during the day
with … of clouds in the evening.
6) Today’s weather is a bit … from what we had yesterday.
7) It’s very exciting to hear … of thunder and watch … of
lightning during a …
8) The snow thaws and … in spring.
9) We are in for a … of good weather again.
10) It’s very … in Texas.
Read the text about the weather in Britain. Fill in the blanks with these
words and expressions:
Skies, but, fairly, temperature, short rains, know, changeable, people, winters
sometimes, long, at a time, often, weather, does
The Weather in Britain
In Britain. The … is very …: it … a lot, but the sun often shines too. …
can be …very cold, with an average … of 5C in the South; there is often snow.
Summers can be cool or warm, but the temperature … not usually go
above 30C. It is … cloudy, and there are grey … for days and weeks … . Days
are …. In summer and … in winter. There is something fog, … not so often as
foreigners think. British … never … what tomorrow’s weather will be like.
Respond with certainty or uncertainty to the following:
1) Do you think it’s too damp to sit on the grass?
2) Look! It’s coming on to pour.
3) The sky is overcast and the sun is going in.
4) At last it’s clearing up!
5) Do you believe weather forecasts?
Respond to the same with optimism or pessimism.
Write:
a) a list of adjectives characterising good weather;
b) a list of adjectives characterising bad weather.
Match the phrases in Column A with the phrases in Column B.
A
1. Fairy cool for summer time.
2. Lovely day, isn’t it?
3. Marvelous weather, isn’t it?
4. Rather cold today, isn’t it?
5. Nice and sunny today.
B
a) Yes, quite different from the
forecast.
b) Yes, much worse than yesterday.
c) Yes, makes a change, doesn’t it?
d) Apparently it’s going to turn
6. It seems to be clearing up.
warmer.
e) A big improvement from what
we’ve been having.
f) Yes, it’s good to see the sun again.
Finish each sentence on the left below with the correct verb on the right.
a) We get wet when it
b) When it’s very cold, everything
c) Children enjoy playing games when it
d) It’s cold in England when a north wind
e) It’s warm and pleasant when the sun
f) When it rains very heavily, it
shines
rains
blows
freezes
pours
snows
Put each of the following adjectives in the correct space in the passage
below.
I always watch the weather forecast on television to see what tomorrow’s
weather will be like. In England the weather changes very often. It’s very
(a)______. Sometimes it rains for a day or two, but after the (b)______ weather,
often with noisy thunderstorms, it is sometimes (c)______ for a long time, with
no rain at all. On some days the sun shines and the sky is (d)______, but on
other days it is so (e)______ but the temperature usually reaches 250 , so it’s
quite (g)______. In winter it is sometimes quite (h)_______ and pleasant but
sometimes it’s very (i)_______ or even (j)_______. The English climate isn’t
very good for holidays but it makes the countryside green.
Comment on the weather in each of these cases:
1) The temperature is -5C and there is a bitterly cold wind.
2) The temperature is +24C and the sun is shining in a blue sky.
3) Dark clouds are gathering.
4) It is raining hard.
5) It is raining but the sky is getting brighter.
6) You’re comfortable indoors in bad weather. It is miserable and
windy out.
Take it in turns to greet someone and make a comment about the weather,
using the situations below. The other person returns the greeting and also
replies to the comment about the weather.
1) You meet your friend Kate in the park. It’s +30C. 2) You meet your friend
Ann at the bus-stop. It’s raining. 3) You meet a visiting lecturer Mr. Brown
outside the
University. You’re both wearing thick coats, gloves and scarves. It’s winter. 4)
John meets Mr. Brown in the street. John is wearing a T-shirt and dark glasses.
5) You meet a friend of yours on the way to the University. There are heavy
black clouds in the sky. 6) You’re on an exchange programme in Britain.
You’ve got to know a lot of young people there. One of them is Roger. Today
you meet him outside the University. It’s very windy and cold. 7) You meet
Harry, a British student, near the underground station. It’s a cold winter day.
The weather is miserable. But the outlook for tomorrow is rather favourable.
Harry is glad to meet you. He says he hopes that the cold weather won’t stay too
long.
Complete the following statements:
1) We’d better stay at home. There is a thunderstorm approaching. Look, …
2) I suppose the weather will turn to fine because …
3) It’s pouring. What a pity I’ve left my umbrella at home, now …
4) The air is wonderfully fresh because …
5) I don’t like autumn because …
6) When the thaw sets in, it is extremely unpleasant to walk because …
7) What is the weather forecast for tomorrow? They say that …
8) The weather is changing. I’m sure we …
9) What nasty weather! It has been drizzling since morning, and …
10) How fresh the air is! It comes from the orchards. …
Say what you saw when you looked out of the window (everyone gives his
own version).
Game. Chain story.
Every student receives a slip of paper with a word (noun/verb/adjective).
The teacher starts the story: “It was a stormy night in November!” A student
continues (using his word).
Read the dialogue. Make a brief summary of the dialogue. Roleplay it.
THE SEASON OF CHANGE
Mrs. Smith
Good evening, Mrs. Jones. It’s becoming quite chilly all of a
sudden, hasn’t it?
Mrs. Jones Yes, I think the summer is over at last and winter’s on the way.
Mrs. Smith The nights are certainly drawing in. it gets dark soon after tea-time
now. I suppose we’ll be lighting the fires again in a few weeks.
Mrs. Jones
I’m really looking forward to sitting by a blazing coal fire again. I
don’t mind winter nights as long as the house is cosy and warm, and I adore the
crisp, fresh autumn air.
Mrs. Smith
So do I. I much prefer autumn and winter to summer. I can’t
stand heat. Do you remember that heat-wave we had in July? It got so hot that I
couldn’t go to sleep at night and the milk turned sour before you could put it in
the fridge.
Mrs. Jones
I used to love the summer, but now I’m growing older I like it
less and less.
Mrs. Smith
Well, we’re all getting older; there’s no doubt about that. The
summers seem to flash past faster and faster every year.
Mrs. Jones
Have you noticed the old oak trees in the lane? The leaves have
turned yellow already. They look quite beautiful.
Mrs. Smith
When the leaves change colour, everyone says how beautiful
they look. My hair was yellow once and now it’s going grey, but no says it looks
beautiful any more.
Mrs. Jones
Never mind, Mrs. Smith. The trees will be losing their leaves in a
few weeks. At least you aren’t going bald.
Translate into English
1) –Прекрасный день сегодня, не правда ли? – Да, чудесная погода. Я как
раз собираюсь погулять. – После всех дождей, которые у нас были, это
очень приятная перемена. 2) – Здравствуйте! Какая ужасная погода! – Да,
проливной дождь. – Вы знаете прогноз погоды на завтра? – Да, завтра тоже
дождь весь день. – Как жаль. 3) Как хорошо, что стало прохладно, не
выношу жары. 4) Люблю сидеть у горящего камина. 5) Согласно прогнозу
погоды на севере местами снег. 6) Лето пролетело, как один миг. 7) Скоро
осень, уже стали желтеть листья. 8) Если в следующее воскресенье будет
хорошая погода, мы отправимся на пикник за город. 9) Моросит дождь, и
на улицах грязь. 10) Я забыла свой зонтик, и, если пойдет дождь, я
промокну насквозь. 11) Погода ухудшилась со вчерашнего дня. Моросит.
Дует холодный ветер. 12) Пруд еще не замерз. 13) Похоже на дождь. Как
переменчива погода в апреле! Только что светило солнце. 14) – Днем было
так тепло, а сейчас подмораживает. – Думаю, что ночью будет 7-100 ниже
нуля. 15) – Как долго идет дождь? – Уже два часа. Я не могу выйти из
института. У меня нет ни зонтика, ни плаща.
Read the following story which is not finished, give a title and your own
ending to it:
The morning we left Liverpool the weather was very fine and we were
going to have a very pleasant time. The captain told us it would be warm and
calm all the way to New York. I still remember some of the passengers. There
was an old lady who was going to start a new life in Boston. Then there was a
man who was going to start a new life in Canada. They both went down with the
ship. The first and second days were very nice. I thought I would soon have a
fine suntan. Then, on the second evening the captain told us that the weather was
going to be a bit worse than expected, but it wouldn’t last long.
It turned very nasty on the third day. None of us had an idea how bad it
was going to get. By the evening, it was really terrible.
Everybody stayed in their cabins on the fourth day. The storm was
impossible to describe by then. Suddenly I felt a jolt.
Read the following text and underline the English equivalents for:
1) меня настигла гроза; 2) внезапно пошел дождь; 3) большие темные тучи,
собравшиеся на северо-западе; 4) к сумеркам; 5) в нашем умеренном поясе;
6) дождь лил бурными потоками; 7) молния, которая ослепляла меня; 8)
темные тучи быстро опускались вниз на лес; 9) удары грома отдавались в
небе.
It chanced that one day towards dusk I was overtaken by a storm. I had
seen the great dark clouds massed in the North-West but after a while I felt
something strange in the air and looking up saw that the dark clouds were on a
sudden charging down upon the forest. The rain came suddenly and then the
thunder, not a single peal but roll upon roll reverberating down the sky, and
lightning that blinded me, darting and slashing fiercely. I was deafened and
confused by the noise, and the lightning startled me. The rain fell not as in our
temperate zone, but with angry vehemence, in sheets, storming down as though
the heavens were emptying themselves of flooded lakes.
(S. Maugham)
Explain in English the meaning of the italicized words.
The Rainy Day
The day is cold, and dark and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary…
(H.W. Longfellow)
Translate the following into Russian.
1) The dull sky soon began to tell its meaning by sending down drops of rain,
and the stagnant air of the day changed into a fitful breeze which played about
their faces. The quick silvery glaze on the rivers and pools vanished, from broad
mirrors of light they changed to lusterless sheets of lead, with a surface like a
rasp. (T. Hardy)
2) There had been short thaws when the wind blew warm and the snow softened
and the air felt like Spring, but always the clear hard cold had come again and
the winter had returned. In March came the first break in the winter. In the night
it started raining. It rained on all morning and turned the snow to slush and made
the mountain-side dismal. There were clouds over the lake and over the valley.
It was raining high up the mountain. (E. Hemingway)
Study the following examples and say if fast changes in weather influence
you and your health. In what ways? Do rains and low temperature make you
depressed?
GIVING WEATHER FORECAST
***
The windy and cloudy conditions over northern and central Europe
will slowly move south. A series of fronts will cause Europe to be cloudy and
wet. Southern France may have bad weather towards the end of the week.
Most of Europe will remain usettled with windy periods. The boundary
between mild air to the south and wintry conditions to the north will be almost
stationary over northern Denmark and southern Sweden.
France will be rainy with strong westerly winds in southwestern coastal
districts. Snow will fall in the western Alps above 1500 metres. Southern and
southaetern Europe will be partly cloudy. The western Black Sea areas will have
occasional showers.
***
Early rain will clear from northern Scotland to bring sunshine and
scattered showers. The rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England
will be overcast, with outbreaks of rain. South-east England will be sunny at
first, with increasing cloud in the afternoon. Central and southern England will
soon cloud over but remain dry; the rest of England and Wales will be dull.
Outlook: Showery in the North and West but some sunshine, too. Cloud
and rain spreading south-east to clear later tomorrow, followed by a bright day
on Thursday.
***
The day will again see some areas of persistent freezing fog, with
northern England and southern Scotland most at risk. There should be some
improvement during the day, but not further patches of thick freezing fog are
likely in the evening. However, many parts of the country will have some
sunshine during the day and, away from the foggy areas, afternoon temperatures
will be up to seasonal normal.
Outlook: little change.
***
Bright or sunny spells with blustery showers over Scotland and NorthEast England. Some showers heavy in places, perhaps thundery, especially in
the north and west.
England, Wales, and southern Scotland will have a very windy day with
blustery showers which will be most frequent and heavy along exposed western
and southern coasts, where some will be accompanied by hail and thunder.
Eastern parts stand the best chance of seeing some sunshine.
Read the following texts. Give the weather forecast for today. What
weather is going to be today in the evening? What weather is expected to be in
your country tomorrow? Write your forecast and check it tomorrow.
Weather Forecast
The time is now five minutes to nine on this Tuesday morning, and now
over to John Halls at the London Weather Centre.
“Good morning, and here’s the weather forecast, fist for England and
Wales. It’s raining over much of Southern England at the moment and the rain
will also spread into Central England during the afternoon, where at the moment
it’s dry but cloudy. In both areas the rain should have died out by this evening
but it will be rather cold and windy.
East Anglia looks as though it will have turned colder and there’ll be fog
in places as well.
Wales will be dry for most of the day but there’ll be occasional rain or
drizzle this evening.
In the North of England the day will start off cold and windy, with bright
spells. In the evening the wind will drop, cloudy weather will set in.
Northern Ireland will have cloud and a little rain and it’ll be rather cold –
8 Celsius (46 Fahrenheit) with light to moderate north-easterly winds.
Southern Scotland is starting bright and cold but it will cloud over during
the afternoon and there will be some outbreaks of rain. And there may be snow
over the hills.
Central and Northern Scotland are starting frosty with icy patches on the
roads. Temperatures will range from 5C to 7C (that’s 41 to 45F).
And with that look at the weather this morning, this is John Halls at the
London Weather Centre.
(from Fast Forward)
The Weather in East Texas.
In East Texas near the Gulf of Mexico the climate is hot and often very
humid. Temperatures in summer are between 30 and 40C; 25C is a normal
winter temperature, it is sometimes cold, but only for two or three days at a
time; it snows perhaps once every twenty years, it quite often rains heavily for
two or three days or more, but most of the time it is sunny with bright blue skies.
Occasionally there are droughts-periods when there is no rain for a long time.
It’s not usually very windy, but there are hurricanes every few years. (from
Cambridge English Course)
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
You must know from your geography lessons that climate is the average
weather conditions of a place; it is made up of the average summer and winter
temperature, the amount of sunshine, the direction of the winds, the average
rainfall and so on. Climate may be hot, cold, dry, wet, mild, tropical, subtropical and continental.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time or over a
certain short period. Weather is connected with atmospheric pressure,
temperature, rainfall, cloudiness, and wind. Weather can be good, bad, fine,
excellent, beautiful, rainy, snowy, stormy, dry, hot, cold, cool, warm, pleasant.
Samuel Johnson, an English author of the 18th century, said: “When two
Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather”. This is true because the
weather on the British Isles is always uncertain. “Other countries have a climate;
in England we have weather”. This statement is often made by Englishmen to
describe the meteorological conditions of their country.
Because the weather can change quickly in Britain it’s useful to be able
to find out what kind of weather to expect in the next day or two. Information
about the weather that’s likely to come is called a weather forecast, though it’s
often included with information about recent weather in a weather report.
There are regular local and national weather reports on television and
radio during the day and in the evening. You can also get weather reports by
phone.
Mark the difference between:
a) climate and weather;
b) a weather forecast and a weather report;
c) climate in England and on the continent.
Read the text. Answer the questions after it. Do you share the opinion that
it is not difficult to see the beauty in every season?
Spring is the loveliest season of the year. But not from the very beginning.
People suffer a great deal from bad weather in early spring. That is why in
England they call the first spring month “windy and blustery March”.
There are two English sayings characterizing March as a cold and
unpleasant month: “March comes in like the lion and goes out like the lamb”
and “Never cast a clout till March be out”.
It is April that brings in fine weather and people call it “the sweet month”.
It brings the lengthening of the days – the translucent quality of the light at
dusk, the gusty, showery winds. “April showers bring May flowers,” they say.
The air is rich with fragrance of young grass and the breath of the early spring
flowers foremost among them “the herald of spring – the snowdrop”.
Dickens called summer the prime and vigour of the year. Summer is a
luxuriant season: the larks send their thrilling songs from the blue sky; the
robins fill the forests with their voices. The meadows are fragrant with hosts of
wild flowers such as bluebells, buttercups, poppies, daffodils and daisies.
The air rings with the shrill sounds produced by insects. Everywhere
dragonflies, bees and bumblebees dart with a buzzing sound; beetles and furry
caterpillars hasten to and fro about their business, gnats and butterflies fly in
hosts. Autumn is dear to man due to its mellow fruitfulness. All fruit are filled
with ripeness to the core. The mossy cottage-trees bend with apples, pears and
plums. The vine is heavy with grapes. The watermelons, pumpkins and
cucumbers swell on their beds. And in the woods the hazel shells are plump with
sweet kernels. Autumn is a maturing season.
Autumn is a season full of significance for man. His efforts are never in
vain. Nature will always kindly and generously reward man for his exertions.
After the pleasant time of harvesting the picture changes – in comes the
late autumn with its rains, gusts of wind, grey cloudy skies and mists. The roads
are muddy, there are pools everywhere. The flowers begin to wither, the trees
shed their leaves. Here and there one can see a solitary vine clinging to the
mouldering wall. But at every gust the dead leaves fall. The days are dark and
dreary.
Both sides of autumn – the merry harvesting time and the dreary rainy
time – have always attracted poets, painters, and composers. After autumn
comes winter.
Winter is a season of black and white. The colours are washed away from
the trees leaving the naked branches black while snow is covering the earth.
Winter is a season of black and white. The colours are frozen. The snow
covers the fences and hedges so that they no longer mark the road over the plain.
The clouds are grey like ashes. The red sun flashes through the grey clouds on
the windows and they glimmer red.
But the pictures of winter are not always gloomy and dreary. The sun in
winter can shine from a clear blue sky and the snow sparkles then under it like
jewels.
Winter sports are magnificent: skating, skiing, tobogganing are the
favourite winter sports of young people.
Winter is not the same everywhere of course. In Siberia for instance and
North Canada winter is snowy, severe, cold and long lasting. The temperature
falls as low as 50 -600 Centigrade. Blizzards rage for days covering vast areas
with a thick layer of snow. On the shores of the Black Sea, however, winter only
means rains and winds. It never snows there.
Each season of the year possesses its own charm, has its own beauty and
significance to man.
1. Which description do you like most?
2. Which season possesses the greatest charm and value for you? Why?
3. Would you like four seasons to be substituted by one? Which and why?
(Why not?)
4. According to statistics people who live in countries with clearly
determined seasons and leave for the countries without sharp boundaries
between seasons have much shorter life spans. Can you suggest and
explanations to this phenomenon?
5. Can you make your own, perhaps better description of the beauty of the
seasons using the words in bold type?
Which season is described in each of the following extracts? Pick out from
the texts all the words and phrases that can prove your statement. Give your
own short descriptions of the same seasons, using the vocabulary you have
picked out:
1. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and
sweet-smelling flowers – when recollection of snow and ice, and bleak winds
has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the
earth, - and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and cornfields ring with the
hum of labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their
branches to the ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in
every light breath that sweeps above it, tinges the landscape with a golden hue.
A mellow softness appears to hang over the whole earth; the influence of the
season seems to extend itself to the very wagon, whose slow motion across the
well-reaped field, is perceptible only to the eye, but strikes with no harsh sound
upon the ear. (Ch. Dickens)
2. The scene upon the lake was beautiful. On side of it is bordered by a
steep crag, from which hung a thousand enormous icicles all glittering in the
sun; on the other side was a little wood, now exhibiting that fantastic appearance
which the pine-trees present when their branches are loaded with snow. On the
frozen bosom of the lake itself were a multitude of moving figures, some
sweeping in the most graceful circles and others deeply interested in a less
active pastime, crowding round the spot where the inhabitants of two rival
parishes contended for the prize at curling. (W. Scott)
3. It was one of those gray days, very still, when the few leaves that are
left hang listless, waiting to be windswept. The puddle road smelled of rain;
rooks rose from the stubbles as if in surprise at the sound of horses’ hoofs; and
the turned earth of ploughed fields had the sheen that betokened clay. To that
flat landscape poplars gave a certain spirituality; and the russet-tiled farmhouse
roofs a certain homeliness. (J. Galsworthy)
Read and retell the text.
When I got out of plane, I found that there was a slight drizzle. It lasted
all day and all next day. Yet at least a dozen people explained to me in those two
days that it never rained in Lima. I decided that never simply meant “hardly
ever”, and I
ought to consider myself lucky to have got there on one of those few occasions.
But that was not all what they meant: it never – absolutely never – rained in
Lima. They had no seasons there; winter or summer made no difference; the
temperature never changed; it was always rather warm and always cloudy; the
sun never shone and it never rained. At the end of the second day I asked one of
my friends if there was not some contradiction between the proud claim that it
never rained in Lima and the fact that it had never stopped since my arrival. He
was puzzled:
“Rain? What do you mean? Where?”
It was quite clear that one of us was mad. I fondly hoped it was he. I went
into meteorological detail in the hope that he, too, had noticed the rain. At last
he understood what I meant and he began to laugh:
“But that’s not rain …”
“It’s amazing, though,” I replied, “how closely it resembles rain. It soaks
you through in no time. But I’ll take your word for it. It’s not rain.”
“Really it isn’t,” my friend exclaimed. “It’s humidity.”
The humidity, it was explained to me, is usually around 95 per cent in
Lima, and is often higher. But before I had time to study the subject and find out
when rain is not rain, I got the most terrible lumbago of my life. I had lived
twenty-two years in Britain, the classical center of rheumatism, without once
feeling even a twinge, but now I was out of action for days. Sitting down or
standing up became a complicated, prolonged, and most painful operation;
turning over in bed required the skill of a circus acrobat.
My sympathetic friends gave me advice and offered various medicines. I
was given liquids and ointments to rub in my back; curious mixtures prepared
by Indian witch-doctors, allegedly brewed from snake poison; I was advised to
carry strange feathery objects in my pocket and murmur Indian prayers. I did as
I was told and everything helped: modern science as well as Indian magic. The
pain eased: but it kept returning until three days after the rain (which had, of
course, never started) had at last stopped.
(from Lovely Day, Isn’t It? by
Mikis.)
Read an extract from Jack’s letter. Describe the weather on one of your
trips to ...
Today is a beautiful day! Our winter was severe with lots of snow. And
since the warmer weather, we’ve had very gloomy days with lots of rain. We
had terrible flooding last week nearby towns and many basements had several
inches of water even in Champaign and Urbana. But we have had good weather
for about five days now. The weather man says it’ll be nice through tomorrow,
and then the rains will come again for four or five! So I must get some outdoor
work done today. I hope they’ll have good weather in Kansas during the
meetings. Kansas is a tornado country!
SPRING
Teddy: Mummy, why does it rain?
Mother: To make everything grow. To give us apples,
corn and flowers.
Teddy: I know that, but then why does it rain on the
road?
SPRING VOCABULARY
March
April
May
thaw
sunny
bright green grass
bright green leaves
cat-kins
snowdrop
mimosa
lily of the valley
tulip
март
апрель
май
оттепель
солнечно
яркая зеленая трава
яркие зеленые листья
сережки (на ветке)
подснежник
мимоза
ландыш
тюльпан
May-bug
to make a starling-house
The butterflies fly.
Streams are babbling.
The lilac is blooming.
The trees are in bud.
The day becomes longer, the night –
shorter.
The birds are flying back from the
warm countries.
Thunder and Lightning.
It lightens.
There’s a thunderstorm hanging about.
It sounds like thunder.
That’s a thunder-cloud over there.
It’s coming over quite dark.
Flash of lightning lit the sky.
Peals of thunder were heard.
How loud and frightening the
thundering is.
Dazzling flashes of lightning were
followed by a clap of thunder.
It is really the lightning that is
dangerous.
The fury of the storm was gradually
dying down.
The storm has gone down a great deal.
The storm has spent itself.
майский жук
делать скворечник
Летают бабочки.
Журчат ручьи.
Цветет сирень.
Появляются почки на деревьях.
День становится длиннее, а ночь
короче.
Птицу возвращаются из теплых
стран.
Гром и Молния.
Сверкает молния.
Надвигается гроза.
Похоже на гром.
Вон там грозовая туча.
Делается совсем темно.
Небо озарила вспышка молнии.
Слышны были раскаты грома.
Как ужасно гремит гром.
За ослепляющими вспышками
молнии последовал удар грома.
В действительности опасной
является молния.
Ярость бури постепенно утихала.
Буря значительно утихла.
Буря улеглась.
MARCH 21
SPRING BEGINS
Spring is the first season of the astronomical year, coming between winter
and summer. Its start can be precisely defined astronomically. The ecliptic, the
plane in which the sun seems to revolve around the earth and in which the earth
really revolves around the sun, is divided into four 90 sections, each beginning
with a definite point: two solstices and equinoxes. The amount of time taken by
the sun to cover each of these divisions is termed a season. The season of spring
begins at the spring equinox when the sun, as seen from the earth, passes
through the intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator, having then a
longitude of exactly 00. its rays extend from the North to the South Pole, and day
and night are an equal 12 hours throughout the world.
In antiquity the start of the year was often reckoned from the spring
equinox, which was also chosen as the point from which to calculate – in an
eastward direction – the 12 zodiacal constellations, starting with Aries. The
spring equinox has since been known as the first point of Aries, and spring is
therefore said to begin when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries.
Spring. A transitional period between the extreme temperature cycles of
winter and summer, is the chief season of planting and germination, when life,
light, and apparent order in the universe once more prevail over what the
ancients regarded as the chaos of the dark, barren winter season. Spring
profoundly influenced the ancients and played an important role in mythology,
folklore, and art. Ancient painters and sculptors often depicted spring as a
female figure carrying flowers. The early Christians regarded the seasons as
symbolic of the course of human life, seeing spring as rebirth or resurrection
after the death that winter seemed to symbolize. The season is marked by all
kinds of beginnings: seed planting, graduations, weddings. It embraces such
characteristically springlike observances as Arbor Day, Bird Day, May Day, and
Walpurgis Night, the celebration known to Americans of Scandinavian descent
as “spring festival”.
SPRING TIME
Some years it seems like it will never arrive; while in others it arrives
without warning. For anyone living through a long, cold winter, the start of
spring is an eagerly-awaited event.
There is no official start to spring in the calendar, but the beginning of the
season is marked by various traditional festivals, such as Easter. This is a very
important event for Christians, and part of its significance is the celebration of
the new life and renewal which takes place at this time of the year. The date for
Easter varies from year to year and it falls between late March and early April.
For many people, spring starts when British Summer Time begins, and the
clocks are put back by one hour. This normally takes place at the end of March
and it adds an extra hour of daylight to the day. After the long dark nights of
winter, which are a feature of the northern hemisphere, the hour change heralds
the approach of the longer, sunnier days of summer.
But it is in nature that the real spring changes take place. The first sign is
the appearance of new flowers like snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils. During
winter, most plants loose their foliage or lie dormant under the ground, so these
flowers bring the first bright colours to the landscape. As the spring progresses,
new leaves start to appear on the trees and gradually, the brown colours of
winter are replaced by greens and the vivid pinks, whites and yellows of fruit
tree blossoms.
Spring is the best time of the year to explore a countryside. People’s
behaviour changes with the season, and as they come out of their houses to
enjoy the better weather, life returns to streets and public places. Spring offers
the best of everything: the weather is warm and pleasant; and the countryside is
at its best.
Do you know what lightning is? It is electricity in the air. But electricity
in the air has no wires, so it jumps from one place to another.
It jumps from cloud to cloud or from a cloud to the ground. Lightning
warms the air through which it goes. This makes the big noise that is thunder.
During a thunderstorm you can tell how far away the centre of the storm is in
this way. Light travels very quickly. It can go round the world seven times in
one second, so lightning reaches your eyes instantly. The sound of thunder,
though, is very much slower. It travels only one mile in five seconds.
You will see the flash at once. As soon as you see the flash, start counting.
If you can count up to five before you hear the roll of thunder, then the
thunderstorm centre is one mile away. If you can count up to ten, it is two miles
away. If you can count up to fifteen before you hear the thunder, you are three
miles from the centre of the thunderstorm.
Each extra five seconds between the flash and the bang means that you are
one mile further away.
There are many people who actually tremble with fear at the sound of a
clap of thunder during a thunderstorm. There is absolutely no reason to have any
fear of thunder. By the time the sound of thunder reaches you, the bolt of
electricity which caused it has already done its work. You hear the thunder after
the lightning flash simply because sound travels much more slowly than light.
Should you be afraid of lightning? Well, there is no question that lightning
can cause damage, and in some rare cases it has even been known to kill people.
But your chances of being struck by lightning are quite small.
Lightning, of course, is a form of electricity, and this is what can make it
dangerous. It is a giant spark of electricity that we see as a bright flash of light.
It may jump across the space between two clouds, or from cloud to earth, or
even from earth to cloud!
During a storm, different electrical charges (positive or negative) are built
up by the clouds and the earth. When the difference between the charges
becomes great enough, a spark – which is lightning – jumps the space between.
During and after an electrical discharge, currents of air expand and
contract. The expanding and contracting currents violently collide, and produce
the noise we call “thunder”.
In my opinion the most pleasantest season of the year is spring. At the
beginning of spring it is cold, but at the end of March the snow melts quickly
and one can again see patches of earth. The weather gets warmer, and as the
snow thaws long icicles glitter in the sun. The rooks, the first spring birds, have
come back from the warm countries and are making nests in the trees. The banks
of the river are covered with melting snow, which has lost its whiteness and
looks grey. The air is fresh. It smells of the damp earth and the buds of the
trees. The first flowers appear, the grass sprouts and shoots up visibly. The sun
grows warmer and warmer and as the snow melts under the bright sunrays
brooklets begin to run. It is quite warm now. Ice on rivers and lakes begin to
melt and cracks. Big pieces of ice drift down the river. One can’t help admiring
this wonderful sight. Soon there is no more ice, it has all turned to water and we
say that the river is in flood…
And here is the first butterfly … The buds gradually burst into tiny young
leaves, and light breeze stirs them. Spring is the season of planting, ploughing
and sowing. The apple-trees are in blossom, filling the air with fragrance. And
bees begin to gather honey. Tractors are used to plough and sow the seed. The
sky comes blue and great white clouds drift over it. In May spring is full bloom.
It is pleasant to see the tender green of budding leaves and the lovely sight of
flowers in bloom … What can be more beautiful than a lilac bush in spring?
Yes, I like spring best of all, it is the season when nature reawakens, and the
world looks renewed, fresh and filled with joy.
Discussion. Speak on the following using the vocabulary given.
1. What is your favourite season?
2. When does nature awaken from her long winter sleep?
3. Why do we like spring so much?
4. Is spring a busy season?
5. Which spring month (months) do you like better?
SUMMER
SUMMER VOCABULARY
June
July
August
to go fishing
fishing-rod and line
hook
worm
to go boating
to dive
to swim
to plat football
to play volleyball
to play tennis
to play table tennis
net
forest
to catch butterflies
swarm of bees
sun hat
sun glasses
lake
sea
water skis
life-buoy
flippers
swimming suit
to sunbathe
shell
to travel
excursion
compass
июнь
июль
август
ловить рыбу
удочка
крючок
червяк
кататься на лодке
нырять
плавать
играть в футбол
играть в волейбол
играть в теннис
играть в настольный теннис
сачок
лес
ловить бабочек
пчелиный рой
панама
очки от солнца
озеро
море
водные лыжи
спасательный круг
ласты
купальник
загорать
ракушка
путешествовать
поход
компас
mountains
map
rucksack
tent
sport shoes
hammock
to have a rest
suit-case
raspberries
raspberry-cane
strawberry
poplar
dandelion
sunflower
bluebell
dahlia
corn-flower
clover
wheat
fields
to mow
meadow
weed
spade
mattock
to water
to weed
to gather the harvest
The day is long.
The night is short.
Horses are grazing.
Grasshoppers are jumping.
Butterflies are fluttering.
Dragon-flies are flying.
warm weather
What lovely weather!
The weather is beautiful today.
After the thunderstorm the air is
remarkably fresh.
What an astonishingly beautiful
morning!
It is an exquisite July morning.
It is nice and warm today.
горы
карта
рюкзак
палатка
кроссовки
гамак
отдыхать
чемодан
малина (ягоды)
малина (растение)
клубника
тополь
одуванчик
подсолнух
колокольчик
георгин
василек
клевер
пшеница
поля
косить
луг
сорняк
лопата
тяпка
поливать
полоть
убирать урожай
День длинный.
Ночь короткая.
Пасутся лошади.
Прыгают кузнечики.
Порхают бабочки.
Летают стрекозы.
теплая погода
Что за чудесная погода!
Сегодня погода хорошая.
После грозы воздух удивительно
свеж.
Какое удивительно прекрасное утро!
Это исключительно июльское утро.
Сегодня довольно тепло.
It’s unbearable hot today.
How sultry the weather has become.
The heat is so oppressive.
How stifling the air is! (It’s
suffocating!)
I’m simply melting.
I feel oppressed with the heat.
I’m roasted alive.
The heat is abating.
Сегодня невыносимо жарко.
Какой душной стала погода.
Зной действует так угнетающе.
Какая духота!
Я просто таю от жары.
Меня угнетает жара.
Я жарюсь заживо.
Жара спадает.
JUNE 21
SUMMER BEGINS
Each of the four seasons has a precise beginning astronomically. Summer
begins at the summer solstice (Latin sostitium, from sol, meaning “sun”, and
sistere, meaning “to stand still”) located halfway between the spring equinox,
the start of spring, and the autumnal equinox, the start of fall. The time span
needed by the sun to cover 900 section from the summer solstice to the autumnal
equinox is termed the season of summer.
Summer is also said, somewhat anachronistically, to begin when the sun
enters the zodiac sign of Cancer, “the Crab”.
Because of the extended days of sunshine and the resulting period of high
temperatures, summer is the prime growing season for plant life. Like the other
seasons, it influenced the development of mythology and folklore. For example,
Midsummer with its elaborate solar rites was an especially important festival in
ancient and medieval times and continues to be celebrated with bonfires and
special traditions even today. There are still many other festivals and events also
associated with summer, taking their impetus in whole or in part from the
characteristic climate of the season. In ancient and medieval art summer was
frequently personified as a woman carrying sheaves of grain and sickle.
One day in June there is a beautiful rainbow in the sky. It is a rainy day,
but the sun shines. The boys and girls say, “Look at the beautiful rainbow.”
The rainbow is very proud. It says to the clouds, “Dull things!” And to the
sun, “You are not so beautiful as I am. You shine, but you have only one colour.
Look at my colours!”
“I like your colours, pretty rainbow!” says the sun with a smile.
Then the sun goes away behind the clouds. At once the rainbow goes out
of sight. The rainbow does not know that it gets its colours from the sun. There
can be no rainbow without the sun.
One bright windy day the wind says to the sun, “I am stronger than you.”
“You are not stronger than I,” says the sun.
“I am,” says the wind. “See how the trees bow before me. See how the
leaves tremble. They know that I can make trees fall to the ground. You cannot
do this because you are not so strong as I am”.
The sun says, “I can make the trees and flowers grow. You are not so
strong as I am. You cannot make a tree grow.”
Then the wind says, “Let us see who is stronger”.
“Let us do that,” says the sun, “but how can we?”
“Do you see that man?” says the wind.
“Yes,” says the sun.
“If you can make him take his coat off,” says the wind, “you are stronger
than I, but if I can make him take it off, I am stronger than you. I shall begin
first”.
So the wind blows and blows and blows.
“Oh! How cold that wind is!” says the man.
The wind blows again, but the man does not take his coat off.
Then the sun says, “Now I shall shine.” And the sun begins to shine down
on the man with all its might.
“Oh!” says the man.
“How hot it is!” And then the man takes his coat off. So who is stronger?
I like summer. In fact I prefer it to any other season. By the end of June
the days become considerably warmer. Summer has come. Summer time is
holiday time. Like most people, I like to have my holidays in summer. I think a
holiday away from the sea or river is no holiday. Many people like sailing. So
do I. what can be more enjoyable than a sail down the river … Look at their
smiling faces! Sailing on the sea is great fun. It is excellent exercise and a test of
courage. Sea-gulls are following the boat. I also like to lie in the sun and bathe
in the sea. The beaches are always crowded in summer. Some of my friends are
fond of fishing, and some think that summer is the best time for boating. It is
nice to put up tents and to make a bonfire. Soup is especially tasty when cooked
in a pail. A rest in the shade after dinner is most pleasant. The break is over;
they are going hiking.
But the weather is not always fair and sunny in summer. Sometimes the
wind blows up. Suddenly black clouds cover the sky, it becomes hot and stuffy.
A thunderstorm begins. Gusts of wind stir the trees. It lightens and it thunders.
On a day like this we say it’s raining cats and dogs. There are a lot of puddles
everywhere and streams of water run down the road. The earth is wet and
muddy. The storm is over. The sun comes out. But after the rain everything
looks fresh and lovely again. The sun shines brightly and sparkles on the water.
Rain is good for the orchards, apples begin to ripen in August, and it does one
good to see fruit trees bend under the load. Another favourite pastime in
summer is gathering mushrooms. I like to hunt for them in the wood. Isn’t it a
pleasant thing to put such a wonderful mushroom into one’s basket? Yes, I think
summer is the most pleasant time of the year.
Discussion. Speak on the following using the vocabulary given.
1. Why do people try to spend more time in the open air in summer? Do you
like to go fishing and boating?
2. Is summer the best season for tourism? Where are you going to spend this
summer?
3. What summer sport do you go in for?
4. Why do most people enjoy summer time?
5. Summer is the hottest season of the year in Belarus, isn’t it?
AUTUMN
LEAVES
The winds that blow –
ask them, which leaf of the tree
will be next to go!
OCTOBER’S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER
O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather.
When loud the humblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And Golden Rod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When gentians roll their fringes tight,
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October’s bright blue weather.
O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October’s bright blue water.
Helen Hunt Jackson
RAIN
Then it came, twistling in the wind,
Rain, lashing, clubbing my bag,
Drenching my hat, the dye trickling
In streams into my mouth,
Wrinkling, torturing, freezing on the road
Lashing, splattering, cascading and dropping,
In effervescent globules down my neck.
When suddenly after three hours,
It stopped. I could see that, but I still
Heard it silently tapping, tap, tap, tap,
And then suddenly silence.
Just silence.
AUTUMN VOCABULARY
September
October
November
umbrella
dirt
clouds in the sky
the first snow
The day becomes shorter.
The night becomes longer.
Leaves are falling.
The moon is showing.
russule
brown-cap boletus
chanterelle
edible boletus
milk-mushroom
orange-cap boletus
toadstool
fly-agaric
honey-agaric
to dry mushrooms
to make jam
to preserve fruit
The sky was suddenly overcast with
low, black clouds.
The clouds are dispersing and the sun
is appearing again.
The sky veiled itself since the
morning.
The sky was covered with dense
clouds.
Heavy grey clouds covered the sky.
The clouds are getting more numerous.
The sky was overcast and the clouds
hung low.
The clouds have gone. The stars are
coming.
Oh, what a wind!
сентябрь
октябрь
ноябрь
зонт
грязь
тучи на небе
первый снег
День становится короче.
Ночь становится длиннее.
Падают листья.
Проглядывает луна.
сыроежка
подберезовик
лисичка
белый гриб
груздь
подосиновик
поганка
мухомор
опенок
сушить грибы
варить варенье
консервировать фрукты
Внезапно небо покрылось низкими,
черными тучами.
Тучи расходятся и опять появляется
солнце.
Небо заволокло тучами с утра.
Небо было покрыто густыми
облаками.
Тяжелые серые тучи покрыли небо.
Тучи скапливаются.
Небо было покрыто низкими
тучами.
Облака рассеялись. Появляются
звезды.
О, какой ветер!
The wind is getting stronger.
Ветер крепчает.
Do you hear how the wind howls?
Вы слышите, как воет ветер?
A cold wind blew full in the face
Холодный ветер дул прямо в лицо.
(directly in our teeth).
A cold biting wind almost swept me
Холодный резкий ветер едва не
off my feet.
сшиб меня с ног.
There isn’t a breath of air.
Нет ни дуновения ветерка.
A soft wind scarcely stirred the leaves. Слабый ветер едва шевелил листья.
The wind has abated.
Ветер стих.
a puff (breath) of wind
дуновение ветерка
a breeze (a slight, moderate wind)
бриз, легкий ветерок
a gale (a strong wind)
сильный ветер
a gust of wind (a sudden violent rush
порыв ветра
of wind)
a hurricane (a very strong wind)
ураган, буря
a blizzard (a blinding snow-storm)
снежная буря, буран
a squall (a sudden violent storm of
шквал, шторм
wind rain)
Does it rain?
Идет дождь?
It wouldn’t hurt you to take an
Не будет лишним взять с собой зонт.
umbrella.
It looks (feels) like rain.
Похоже, что будет дождь.
I fear it’ll rain.
Боюсь, не было бы дождя.
These clouds omen (promise) rain.
Эти тучи предвещают дождь.
Will that cloud release its rain?
Будет дождь из этой тучи?
The rain has sat in.
Пошел обложной дождь.
It keeps on raining.
Дождь все продолжается.
It’s raining cats and dogs (coming
Льет как из ведра.
down in sheets, raining pitchforks).
It’s a pelting rain.
Идет проливной дождь.
It’s beastly wet.
Ужасно сыро (мокро).
It rained now and then.
Перепадали дожди.
It drizzled a little and then ceased.
Дождь покапал и прошел.
A drizzling piercing rain continued all
Целый день шел пронизывающий
day.
мелкий дождь.
The rain was accompanied by a strong
Дождь сопровождался сильным
wind.
ветром.
Will it clear up do you think?
Как вы думаете, прояснится?
It’s leaving off.
Дождь перестает.
The rain has laid down the dust a little.
Дождь слегка прибил пыль.
I was caught in the rain.
Меня захватил дождь.
I’m simply soaked through (drenched).
Я промок насквозь.
I haven’t a dry stitch on. I’m wet like a
Я промок до нитки, до костей.
drowned cat.
SEPTEMBER 23
AUTUMN BEGINS
Astronomically the start of the third season of the year, which comes
between summer and winter, can be pinpointed precisely. Autumn starts at the
autumnal equinox (Latin aequinoctium, from aequus meaning “equal” and nox
meaning “night”) situated halfway between the summer solstice, that the start of
summer, and the winter solstice, the start of winter. The period from the
autumnal equinox to the winter solstice has been designated the season of
autumn.
Autumn is also said to begin when the sun appears to reach the zodiac
sign of Libra, the Scales. That statement is somewhat misleading today since
precession – the backward movement of the equinoctial points – has caused a
retrograde motion of 300 for over the past 2,000 years. Thus the autumnal
equinox, which used to be found in Libra, is presently in the sign of Virgo, “the
Virgin”. Only at the completion of a 25,800-year cycle will the autumnal
equinox once more be located in Libra. The season of autumn has always played
a vivid role in the life of the farmer. As the period of harvest, vintage, and fruit
gathering it has left an imprint not only on day-to-day living but also on the
development of folklore, mythology, and art. The intimate intertwining of art
and nature can be seen in the detailed depictions of the autumn months in the
French cathedrals; at Reims, for example, in one of the carved stone scenes
portraying the calendar year, fermenting wine is being transferred from vats to
casks. The season itself was often personified as a female figure bearing grapes.
The harvest moon, the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, appears
above the horizon at about sunset for a number of days each fall, thereby
providing sufficient light for farmers to continue harvesting well into the night.
AUTUMN TO FALL
Autumn. Some of us call it Fall. And the latter name is believed to have
originated not because of the fall of leaves from the trees, but because it is the
season when the sun falls below the equator to spring back up again six months
latter.
In polar regions, it is the season of nightfall as local inhabitants prepare
for the extended winter night. Indeed, the autumnal equinox at the Pole is the
day when the sun falls below the horizon, not to return for six dark months.
And, if we define the period such that the equinox is at the mid-point (the
solar seasons), the Fall season encompasses those days when the day length is
falling most rapidly, perceptibly so in the higher latitudes.
The Autumn can have so many different meanings. A time of harvest and
abundance; a time of storing and saving for the long winter season ahead. A
time of festivity and reunion. Like every season, autumn has its unique events
and sights, sounds and smells.
Indian Summer. The last warmth of the sun. chilly mornings and glorious
warm afternoons. Pickling, canning, drying … and nibbling as you work.
First days of school. New long crayons by the box. Unsharpened pencils.
Packages of paper and pens. New friends and old ones back again. New books,
new horizons. Remembering your seat and schedule. Finding that classroom.
Running through crispy fallen leaves.
Washing windows and hanging “storms”. Stacking picnic tables and
chairs. Digging out skates and skis. Mulching, pruning, planting bulbs. The last
lawn mow – hurray!
Packing summer clothes. Unpacking the winter ones. No whites after
Labour Day. Shorts weather, jacket weather, sweater weather, great coat
weather, then boots and parkas. A cuddly warm sweater and thick warm socks.
Leaves scurrying down the street before the wind. The cold shiver from an
arctic blast. The Rainy Season. The touch of frost on grass and window pane.
The smell of burning leaves. Warm winds from the south, coat-tightened blasts
from the north. Pleasant breeze, cooling wind, chilling gale. The edgy-ness of
distant storms brewing. First ice on the pond, then the stream, then the lake and
river. The first flurries of snow, the first white ground cover.
A Vee of geese honking their goodbyes to the land. Birds flocking,
numbering in the hundreds … then no longer seen. Wasps and bees drunkenly
flitting from fallen fruit to fermented fallen fruit. Squirrels gathering their cache,
scurrying from here to there. Crows, cardinals, jays and assorted little brown
birds, lonely calls wondering where everyone went.
Snakes and frogs looking for a hole for slumber. Bears and foxes seeking
dens. The groundhog burrowing a little deeper and not leaving a wake-up call
for February 2nd. Rabbits and owls and weasels changing colour, adding white to
their wardrobe. Caterpillars feasting on the last of the summer bounty before
drifting into a transforming sleep. Flies clustering in barns and attics, seeking the
last warm spot away from the winds of winter.
But most of all, Autumn means coloured leaves: a spectrum of shades
between the green shades of summer and the dull browns of winter. Crimson,
fiery red, maroon, ruddy orange, pure orange, yellow orange, soft yellows and
bright yellows. Red maples, yellow birch, scarlet sycamores, aspen golds.
Mottled leaves of several colours in transition. Each deciduous tree, each bush,
strutting its own autumn wardrobe. Naked willows dancing in the wind. In their
midst, the smug conifers stand. “Evergreen”, they say to us, “ever green”.
Ahhh, those bright autumn spells that bring out the most vivid of hues.
Days so delightful you can almost taste the colour. And those cold, crisp nights
when the air has its own special vintage to entice us back outdoors one last time.
A bouquet matched in no other season – aged in Northern realms and blended
just right.
Very often you see clouds in the sky. Sometimes clouds look like cotton
and sometimes they look like grey smoke. Why is it so?
We must know that clouds are made of millions of rain-drops of bits of
ice, so small and light that they float in the air like little balloons. All these raindrops or ice-drops make a cloud.
Even when the sky looks grey with these clouds, the sun is still there
above the grey raindrops. On fine days when there are no clouds in the sky, it
looks very blue.
Sometimes the clouds are very low, so low that they lie on the ground, the
trees, the plants, the grass. We call that fog.
When the little drops of water that make clouds or fog are near each other,
they make bigger drops. Those drops are heavy. They cannot float in the air, so
they fall down.
And that is rain.
Strange as it may seem, but my favourite season is autumn. Autumn is a
rainy season, the sky is covered with grey clouds and the weather is mostly dull,
but sometimes there is a spell of sunny weather in September, which we call
Indian Summer. Autumn is the harvest season. I like to do farm work. Day and
night people are busy on the fields. Combines are used to gather in the grain.
Best of all I like the work in the orchard picking fruit. What should we do
without apples, pears and grapes! They get ripe in September and October. It’s
pleasant to pick such nice apples, especially when one has such a nice partner.
Do you like watermelons? I do, but it’s not easy picking them. They are very
heavy. One’s mouth waters at the sight of such beautiful bunches of grapes.
The forest is very colourful in autumn. The ground is covered with
autumn leaves. Red and yellow leaves fall on to the water. Gradually the days
become shorter and shorter. The air becomes colder. The seldom shines. Isn’t it
sad to see birch-trees lose their leaves? Thick mists rise from bodies of water.
Autumn has set in … Summer days are rare … It often drizzles. The streets are
wet and people pick their way between the puddles … but if one is in a hurry he
jumps over the puddles. Everyone wears raincoats and many carry umbrellas.
It’s terribly wet, isn’t it? It’s dirty. Many people think that autumn is a gloomy
season, but I find it colourful and bracing, even in the rain.
Discussion. Speak on the following using the vocabulary given.
1. Why do you think Pushkin loved autumn? Why do many poets and
writers call autumn the best season of the year?
2. Do you like Indian summer? Why? Do you like late autumn?
3. What do you usually do on a nasty rainy day?
4. What changes happen to the nature by the end of October?
5. What autumn holiday do you know?
WINTER
Mountains and plains,
all are captured by the snow –
nothing remains.
WINTER MEMORIES
Within the circuit of this plodding life
There enter moments of an azure hue,
Untarnished fair as is the violet
Or anemone, when the spring strews them
By some meandering rivulet, which make
The best philosophy untrue that aims
But to console man for his grievances.
I have remembered when the winter came,
High in my chamber in the frosty nights,
When in the still light of the cheerful moon,
On every twig and rail and jutting spout,
The icy spears were adding to their length
Against the arrows of the coming sun,
How in the shimmering noon of summer past
Some unrecorded beam slanted across
The upland pastures where the Johnswort grew;
Or heard, amid the verdure of my mind,
The bee’s long smothered hum, on the blue flag
Loitering amidst the mead; or busy rill,
Which now through all its course stands still and dumb
Its own memorial, - purling at its play
Along the slopes, and through the meadows next,
Until its youthful sound was hushed at last
In the staid current of the lowland stream;
Or seen the furrows shine but late upturned,
And where the fieldfare followed in the rear,
When all the fields around lay bound and hoar
Beneath a thick integument of snow.
So by God’s cheap economy made rich
To go upon my winter’s task again.
Henry David Thoreau
AFTERNOON IN FEBRUARY
The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.
Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red.
The snow recommences;
The buried fences
Mark no longer the road o’er the plain.
Henry W. Longfellow
WINTER VOCABULARY
December
January
February
snowy wind
winter sports
sledge
skates
to go skating
декабрь
январь
февраль
легкая поземка
зимние виды спорта
салазки
коньки
кататься на коньках
skating-rink
каток
figure-skating
фигурное катание
ice dancing
танцы на льду
hockey
хоккей
puck
шайба
tobogganing
санный спорт
to toboggan
кататься на санках (с горки)
skis
лыжи
to go skiing
кататься на лыжах
to play at snowballs
играть в снежки
snowman
снеговик
mittens
варежки
cap
шапка
scarf
шарф
fur-coat
шуба
valenki
валенки
fire-place
камин
fire-wood
дрова
stove
печка
to feel cold
мерзнуть
to warm oneself
греться
the longest night
самая длинная ночь
the shortest day
самый короткий день
Winds are blowing.
Дуют ветры.
Is it cold today?
Сегодня холодно?
It’s perishing cold. (It is precious
Ужасно холодно.
cold.)
It’s below freezing point.
Температура ниже нуля.
It’s a sharp frost, isn’t it?
Сильный мороз, не правда ли?
It was a ringing frost.
Был трескучий мороз.
The frost breaks.
Мороз прекращается.
The air was frosty.
Воздух был морозный.
My hands are numb with the cold.
У меня руки онемели от холода.
Cold makes my hands cold and stiff.
У меня руки коченеют от холода.
I am unable to hold anything in my
Я ничего не могу держать в руках –
hands, so stiff they are.
так они окоченели.
Put your muffins on.
Надень варежки.
I feel chilly (cold).
Мне холодно.
The cold searched my marrow.
Я продрог до мозга костей.
We didn’t feel the cold though it froze Мы не чувствовали холода, хотя был
keenly.
сильный мороз.
There’s been a drop in the temperature.
Температура упала.
It’s uncommonly cold after the rain,
Необыкновенно холодно после
isn’t it?
It froze hard yesterday.
We are in for a cold winter.
We might have another spell of cold
yet.
The air was stingingly cold, but not at
freezing point.
There’s is a nip in the air. (The air has
a sting in it.)
We had a cold snap yesterday.
The snow is falling thick.
We had a heavy snowfall yesterday.
How big the flakes are!
The snow is just sprinkling.
It’s a rather snowy winter.
Last year we had a green winter.
Outside we could see the new fallen
snow.
Snow-drifts surrounded us from all
sides.
дождя, не правда ли?
Вчера сильно морозило.
Нам предстоит холодная зима.
Возможно будет еще один период
холодной погоды.
Воздух был очень холодный, хотя
температура была выше нуля.
Воздух щиплет.
Вчера у нас было холодновато.
Идет сильный снегопад.
Вчера у нас был сильный снегопад.
Какие большие снежинки!
Идет легкий снежок.
Зима довольно снежная.
В прошлом году у нас была
бесснежная зима.
На дворе можно было видеть
свежевыпавший снег.
Со всех сторон нас окружали
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DECEMBER 22
WINTER BEGINS
Like the other three seasons, winter has an exact astronomical beginning.
Whereas spring and autumn commence at the spring and autumnal equinoxes
respectively, winter and summer begin at their respective solstices. The winter
solstice is situated midway between the autumnal equinox, the start of autumn,
and the spring equinox, the start of spring. The amount of time the sun requires
to traverse the 900 section from the winter solstice to the spring equinox is
known as the season of winter.
Winter is also said to begin when the sun enters the 10 th sign of the zodiac
– Capricorn, “the Goat”.
As the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, it greatly impressed the
ancients, who regarded this period of the year as a time of crisis during which
the deities of the upper world struggled against the spirits of chaos and evil to
assure the return of light, warmth, and fertility. Many pre-Christmas seasonal
traditions marked the winter solstice, as people of various cultures observed
what they deemed to be a significant religious occasion. Huge bonfires were an
integral part of elaborate solar rites. As the days slowly lengthened and gave
promise of eventual spring, a less solemn and more festive mood ensued. The
Romans feasted at the Saturnalia; worshipers of the Persian sun-god Mithras
celebrated December 25 as the dies solis incicti rwti, “birthday of the invincible
sun.” The date of Christmas was probably fixed arbitrarily for this same day
because it coincided with and offered competition to these pagan festivities.
The winter solstice played an important role not only in mythology and
religion, but also in art and literature. Early basilicas and medieval cathedrals,
for example, were frequently adorned with symbolic representations of the
seasons and of the individual months; some of the carved stone scenes depicting
the calendar year show winter as a season of contrasts between the laborious
preparations for the rough wintry days ahead and the Christmastide revelries.
When the air is very cold, the raindrops freeze. They freeze into hard little
balls. We call that hail.
In winter the water freezes in the clouds, and then falls in little flakes.
That is snow. Millions and millions of snow-flakes come down. They are white,
cold and soft.
And what is ice? It is cold and hard. If it is very thin, you can see through
it. If it is thick, it is very strong. The ice is so strong that you can skate on it. But
do you know what ice is? It is water. If you put ice in a warm place it will melt
and you can see that it is only frozen water.
I like winter best. I know it is the season of snowstorms and ice. Of frozen
rivers and pounds. But for me winter has it’s own interest and beauty. Winter, as
a rule, begins in December. In winter the sky is grey and covered with low
clouds, snowflakes fall from the sky and we say, “It snows”. The snow lies deep.
In winter the sun shines rarely, its rays are pale, it sets early and rises late. The
winter days are short and the nights are long, so we switch on the light early.
Sometimes the wind blows and snowstorms begins. The rivers and lakes are
frozen and covered with ice, it is very cold, the air is frosty and trees are covered
with hoarfrost.
In winter people have a wonderful holiday – New Year.
Isn’t it pleasant to dance round a brightly decorated fir tree, wishing to one
another “A Happy New Year”? but winter is one of the best seasons for sports,
would you like to go skiing? Sledding …? Or playing hockey? May be dashing
through the snow in a one-horse sleigh? On Sunday you can see a lot of people
with skis at the railway stations, all hurry to get out of town to some nice spot in
the country for skiing. Figure skating is another favourite winter sport. You can
skate either on the skating rink or on the frozen river or pond. Winter brings a
lot of fun and I like this season very much.
There was a time when great rivers in Europe, including the Thames,
froze regularly in winter. Vegetables, fruit and corn could not grow properly
because frost killed the plants. It was the time when the weather was so harsh
that it came down in history as the Little Ice Age.
This Little Ice Age happened just a few hundred years ago and it was at its
worst in seventeenth century, when William Shakespeare and Isaak Newton
were alive.
Even though he was a scientist, Isaak Newton didn’t leave us records of
the weather of that time. But Shakespeare did. In one of his plays he wrote about
very cold winter weather:
When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick, the shepherd, blows his nail,
And Tom bears long in to the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail.
In the first 1,000 years after Christ, the Thames froze, at least eight times.
In the winter of 1149-50 the river froze so hard that men could cross it on
horseback at London. In 1269-70 the ice covered it so far downstream that
merchants had to send their goods by land from the Channel ports instead of
going upriver by barge as they normally did.
Between 1407 and 1565 the river froze a total of six times. People rode
horses and drove carts across the ice on several of toll collections on the bridges.
Henry Vlll drove a carriage on the river, either in the winter of 1536-7 or
the following year, and his daughter Elizabeth l, took a walk on the ice covering
the Thames in the winter of 1564-65.
In the seventeenth century, the frozen river became almost a regular
winter sports arena. The first “Frost Fair” was held on the Thames in 1607-08.
booths sold food and wine and there was bowling, shooting and dancing on the
ice. The histories tell us that king Charles ll, watched the first English skaters
enjoying their new sport introduced from the continent during the winter of
1662-63. The ice was nearly 30 centimetres thick in places, and the river was
completely frozen over for two months.
WINTERTIME
A Sad Tale of the Seasons of Life
Once upon a time, there lived and old rabbit. She had lived her life, and
now as she sat in the pale winter sun, she looked at the tree that grew nearby. Its
tall, spindly branches stretched up to the empty sky, devoid of even one leaf.
The sun, too, seemed pale and weak. Soon, it would sink down in the west,
ruddy and lazy with age. It would settle, as she did, to nestle in the mountains.
And the sun would go to sleep.
She looked at the snow, how it blanketed the ground, wrapping the earth
for a long winter nap. Once, thought the rabbit, this barren earth was full of life.
It was then she remembered the spring. She had been a sprightly doe, then,
young and full of ambition. The tender buds were just right for nibbling, and all
the bucks had a gleam in their eye. This was the spring, to frolic, to romp, to
bear. Food was plentiful, and the days only grew warmer. The trees grew fuller,
and the food, more plentiful. This was spring. The old rabbit sat in winter,
noting the movement of a few leftover birds. Some never completely flew south.
She never could figure out why. Surely there was springtime elsewhere, with
more plentiful food. Yet they stayed, enduring the cold famine of winter.
Summer was nice. That was the time all the plants and animals were at
their fullest. The kits were born, and they loved to play in the sun. food was
everywhere! The days were long. The doe remembered the carefree life she
lived. She remembered her loves, and the joy of her children. They, too, grew up
and bore their own. In summertime, life was easy. Then came autumn.
With autumn, the more observant noticed the days growing shorter. But
nature put on her spectacular show. She dressed the trees in splendid gowns. The
fields put forth their harvests in preparation of the feast. Those who had never
known the winter only thought life was getting better. Those who had, enjoyed
the feast, doing so in the knowledge that it would be the last one for a long time.
Or that it was the last one ever.
And now it was winter. The rabbit had lived a good, long life. She
remembered many springs, and many children, each living their own seasons.
She remembered one, like an apple blossom, who never got to see her June. Yet
the feasts were still good.
The sun sank low, and the old doe knew she had to sleep as well. Before
she left, she took one last look at the tree. She knew, that unlike her, the tree
would wake in the spring.
Discussion. Speak on the following using the vocabulary given.
1. Which holiday marks the beginning of every new year?
2. What is the typical weather in winter in your place?
3. It is very healthy for adults and children to spend free time outdoors in
winter, isn’t it? What winter sports are popular in Belarus?
4. Were you fond of playing snowballs and making snowmen when you
were a child?
5. Most people prefer winter to any other season of the year. What about
you?
Discussion.
1.
1) Do you think climate and weather are the same? If not, which is the
difference?
2) What is mild (continental, severe) climate like?
3) What kind of climate is more suitable for living, in your opinion? Why?
4) Why do many people like summer (autumn, winter, spring)?
5) Which is the most beautiful season in your place?
6) Which is your favourite season?
7) Why do we say autumn is the season of plenty?
8) Can you stand heat (cold)?
9) Would you like to live in a place where it is always hot? Why?
10)
Some people can predict weather. How do they do it?
11)
Can you predict weather?
12)
What kind of weather is very good for skiing (picnics, having
vacations, reading up for the examinations)?
13)
What do people mean when they say: “Everything is good in its
season”, “Every cloud has a silver lining”?
2. Speak as long as you can on the following:
1) Nice and bright this morning.
2) It looks like rain.
3) We are in for a spell of nasty weather again.
Writing.
Write a composition about the climate of your country according to the
following plan:
1. Belarus is a small country.
2. Its climate in the North, South, West and East.
3. The climate of the place you live in.
WHY
DO WE HAVE DIFFERENT SEASONS?
Since earliest times, man has been curious about the changing of the
seasons. Why is it warm in summer and cold in winter? Why do the days
gradually grow longer in the spring? Why are the nights so long in winter?
We all know the earth revolves around the sun, and at the same time it
revolves on its own axis. As it moves around the sun, it’s also spinning like a
top. Now if the axis of the earth (the line from the North Pole through the South
Pole) were at right angles to the path of the earth around the sun, we would have
no such things as different seasons, and all the days of the year would be of
equal length.
But the axis of the earth is tilted. The reason for this is that a combination
of forces is at work on the earth. One is the pull of the sun, the other is the pull
of the moon, and the third is the spinning action of the earth itself. The result is
that the earth goes around the sun in a tilted position. It keeps that same position
all year, so that the earth’s axis always points in the same direction, toward the
North Star.
This means that during part of the year the North Pole tilts toward the sun
and part of the year away from it. Because of this tilt, the direct rays of the sun
sometimes fall on the earth north of the Equator, sometimes directly on the
Equator, and sometimes south of the Equator. These differences in the way the
direct rays of the sun strike the earth cause the different seasons in different
parts of the world.
When the Northern Hemisphere is turned toward the sun, the countries
north of the Equator have their summer season, and the countries south of the
Equator have their winter season. When the direct rays of the sun fall on the
southern hemisphere, it is their summer and it is winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. The longest and shortest days of each year are called “the summer
solstice” and “winter solstice”.
There are two days in the year when night and day are equal all over the world.
They come in the spring and fall, just halfway between the solstices. One of the
autumnal equinox, which occurs about September 23, and the other is the spring
equinox, which occurs about March 21.
WHAT
MAKES THE WEATHER?
What is the weather anyway? It is simply what the air or atmosphere is
like at any time. No matter what the air is – cold, cool, warm, hot, calm, breezy,
windy, dry, moist, or wet – that’s weather. Weather may be any combination of
different amounts of heat, moisture, and motion of the air. And it changes from
hour to hour, day to day, season to season, and even from year to year. The daily
changes are caused by storms and fair weather moving over the earth. The
seasonal changes are due to the turning of the earth around the sun. why weather
changes from year to year is still not known, however.
The most important thing to “cause” weather is the heating and cooling of
the air. Heat causes the winds as well as the different way in which water vapour
appears in the atmosphere.
Humidity, the amount of water vapour in the air, combined with the
temperature, causes many weather conditions. Clouds are a kind of weather
condition, and they are formed when water vapour condenses high above the
ground.
When the cloud droplets grow larger and become too heavy to be held up by the
air currents, they fall to the ground and we have the weather known as rain. If
the raindrops fall through a layer of air which is below freezing, the drops freeze
and our weather is snow.
One of the ways the weather forecaster studies the weather is t look at the
“fronts” that exist. Fronts are boundary lines between the cold air moving
southward from the north, and the warm air moving from the tropics. Most of
the severe storms which cause rain, snow, and other bad weather are in some
way related to these fronts.
WHAT
MAKES WIND?
Sometimes when we are outdoors, a sudden and mysterious thing takes
place. A wind begins to blow. We cannot see it, but we feel it, and we have no
idea what started it.
A wind simply the motion of air over the earth. What causes the air to
move? All winds are caused by one thing – a change in temperature. Whenever
air is heated it expands. This makes it lighter, and lighter air rises. As the warm
air rises, cooler air flows in to take its place. And this movement of air is wind!
There are two kinds of winds, those that are part of a world-wide system
of winds, and local winds. The major wind systems of the world begin at the
equator, where the sun’s heat is greatest. Here the heat rises to high attitudes and
is pushed off toward the North and South poles. When it has journeyed about
one-third of the distance to the poles, it has cooled and begins to fall back to
earth. Some of this air returns to the equator to be heated again, and some
continues on to the poles.
These types of winds, which tend to blow in the same general direction all
year round, are called “prevailing winds”. But these world-wide winds are often
broken up by local winds which blow from different directions.
Local winds may be caused by the coming of cold air masses with high
pressure, or warmer air masses with low pressure. Local winds usually do not
last long. After a few hours, or at most a few days, the prevailing wind pattern is
present again.
Other local winds are caused by the daily heating and cooling off the
ground. Land and sea breezes are examples of this kind of wind. In the daytime,
the cool air over the ocean moves inland as the sea breeze. At night, the ocean is
warmer than the ground, so the cooler air moves out to sea as the land breeze.
HOW
DO TORNADOES START?
Of course we are all quite accustomed to thunderstorms. These are usually
local storms. But there are certain kinds of storms that may cover thousands of
square miles. One such type is called a “cyclonic storm” or “cyclone”. In a
cyclone, the winds blow toward the center of an area of low pressure.
A curious thing about them is that the winds blow in spiral fashion. In the
northern hemisphere such storms turn counterclockwise, in the southern
hemisphere they turn clockwise!
A tornado is simply a special kind of cyclone. A tornado arises when the
conditions that cause ordinary thunderstorms are unusually violent. There is an
updraft of air. There are winds blowing in opposite directions around this rising
air. This starts a whirling effect that is narrow and very violent. When this
happens, centrifugal force throws the air away from the center. And this leaves a
core of low pressure at the center.
This low-pressure core acts like a powerful vacuum on everything it
passes. This is one of the destructive things about a tornado. It can actually suck
the walls of a house outward in such a way that the house will collapse. The
other destructive thing about a tornado is the high winds that may blow around
the edges of a whirl. These winds can reach 300 miles per hour and blow
anything down.
WHAT
CAUSES HAIL?
One of the most unusual weather conditions we can experience is a
hailstorm. It is quite a thing to see and hear hailstones coming down, sometimes
with such force that great damage is done. Animals, and even men, have been
killed by hail! A hailstorm usually occurs during the warm weather and is
accompanied in many cases by thunder, lightning, and rain. Hail is formed when
raindrops freeze while passing through a belt of cold air on their way to earth.
Single raindrops form very small hailstones. But an interesting thing can
happen to such a raindrop. As it falls as a hailstone, it may meet a strong rising
current of air. So it is carried up again to the level where raindrops are falling.
New drops begin to cling to the hailstone. And as it falls once more through the
cold belt, these new drops spread into a layer around it and freeze, and now we
have larger hailstones.
This rising and falling of the hailstone may be repeated time after time
until it has added so many layers that its weight is heavy enough to overcome
the force of the rising current of air. Now it falls to the ground.
In this way hailstones measuring three or four inches in diameter and
weighing as much as a pound are sometimes built up. Snow, too, freezes around
hailstones when they are carried into regions where it is forming. So the
hailstones are frequently made up of layers of ice and snow.
Frozen rain is sometimes called hail, but it is really “sleet”! And soft hail
which sometimes falls in winter is only a form of snow.
WHY
DON’T ALL CLOUDS PRODUCE RAIN?
Have you ever flown through clouds in the airplane, or perhaps been high
up on a mountain where the clouds swirled all about you? Then you must have
got a pretty good idea of what a cloud is: just an accumulation of mist. As you
know, there is always water vapour in the air. During the summer there is more
of this vapour in the air because the temperature is higher. When there is so
much water vapour in the air that just a small reduction in temperature will make
the vapour condense (form tiny droplets of water), we say the air is saturated. It
takes only a slight drop in temperature to make water vapour condense in
saturated air. So when saturated warm air rises to an altitude where the
temperature is lower, condensation takes place and we have a cloud. The
molecules of water have come together to form countless little droplets.
What happens if all these water droplets in a cloud meet a mass of warm
air? They evaporate – and the cloud disappears! This is why clouds are
constantly change shape. The water in them is changing back and forth from
vapour to liquid.
The droplets of water in a cloud have weight, so gravity gradually pulls
them down and they sink lower and lower. As most of them fall, they reach a
warmer layer of air, and this warmer air causes them to evaporate. So here we
have clouds that don’t produce rain. They evaporate before the drops can reach
the earth as rain. But suppose the air beneath a cloud is not warmer air? Suppose
it’s very moist air? Naturally, the droplets won’t evaporate. Instead, the droplets
will get bigger and bigger as more and more condensation takes place.
Pretty soon, each tiny droplet has become a drop and it continues falling
downward and we have rain!
WHERE
DOES ONE DAY CHANGE ANOTHER?
There are places in the world where it suddenly becomes tomorrow or
yesterday if you cross an imaginary line. This line is drawn on maps and is
called the International Date Line. It runs through the Pacific Ocean from north
to south. On the eastern side of the line, the time is always 24 hours behind the
time of the western side. When you cross the line in an aircraft or aboard ship,
you immediately gain or lose a day.
Keep a weather eye open. – A sailor must always keep an eye on the weather
to be ready to reduce the sails. This idiom means to stay watchful or vigilant.
Indian summer – From American English. Refers to the experiences of the first
non-native American pioneers. A warm, sunny autumn is an ‘Indian Summer’.
Every cloud has a silver lining. – Bad things always have a good side. Open
your coat or jacket and you can see the lining inside.
It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good. – Nobody can benefit from
whatever is happening.
It’s a storm in a tea-cup. – Used when people become very upset about
unimportant matters.
He’s a fair-weather friend. – Yes, when you’re ‘down on your luck’ you find
out who your friends are.
Let’s save it for a rainy day. – It’s always a good idea to save some money (for
example) for when times are bad.
Let’s take a rain-check. – American English. Used a lot in girl-meets-boy
situations when both lead such busy lives they can’t find time to out together.
The phrase means ‘Let’s contact each other if it’s raining and we have nothing
better to do.’
Make hay while the sun shines. – hay is basically dried grass which the farmer
must cut when the weather is dry. Take advantage of the situation when the
conditions are right.
Any port in a storm. – If you are in a difficult situation you cannot be choosy
about who to ask for help.
It’s raining cats and dogs. – Yes, cats and dogs do rain in England!
Brass monkey weather! – Very cold weather. Many English idioms are
connected with maritime history (with the sea), in this case cannon balls used on
warships were kept on a brass metal rack (support) called a monkey. The iron
cannon balls were forced out of the rack and rolled on the deck when very cold
weather caused the brass to contact.
He’s feeling under the weather. – He’s feeling depressed – usually because he
is not well e.g., he has a cold.
He was angry because I had stolen his thunder. – We all get a buzz out of
telling people some exciting news. We are angry when another person jumps in
and tells the news before us. A secret of construction of thunder sound-making
machine used in a play in the 17th century was stolen by the makers of a rival
play.
We’ll have to weather the storm. – It is safer for a ship to stay at sea during a
storm than to try to enter a harbor, which can be dangerous. There is no choice
but to put up with the discomfort of the storm. Politicians spend their lives
weathering political storms or scandals of one kind or another.
The Moscow State Ballet took London by storm. – The people of London
were greatly impressed by the Moscow State Ballet and it was ‘the talk of the
town’.
I was snowed under with work. – I had a lot of work to do.
As pure as the driven snow. – Snow-white.
As right as rain. – ‘Right’ in this case means ‘straight’. The idiom means ‘in
perfectly good health’.
As quick as lightning. – Self-explanatory.
To make heavy weather of something. – When a ship makes heavy weather of
a storm it has a particularly rough passage, or journey. When we have a great
deal of difficulty with something then we make heavy weather of it.
He has his head in the clouds. – He cannot think about everyday matters.
He’s under a cloud. – He’s in trouble, in disgrace, or under suspicion of doing
something wrong.
Let’s see which way the wind blows. – Let’s see the way things are doing.
The trouble will soon blow over. – ‘Blow over’ means ‘pass by’. A storm
‘blows over’ when it has gone.
If people carefully observe nature it can tell them many interesting and
useful things. Do you know that thanks to observing nature you can forecast
weather? “How?” you may ask. By watching birds and animals, insects and
flowers.
 Horses run fast before a violet storm or before windy conditions.
 Pigs gather leaves and straw before a storm.
 Flowers close up before a storm.
 If the bull leads the cows to pasture, expect rain; if the cows precede the
bull, the weather will be uncertain.
 Expect rain and maybe severe weather when dogs eat grass.
 Wolves always howl more before a storm.
 Ants are busy, gnats bite, crickets sing louder then usual, spiders come
down from their webs, and flies gather in houses just before rain and
possible severe storms.
 Evening red and morning gray are sure signs of a fine day.
 Evening gray and morning red, put on your hat or you’ll wet your head.
 When small clouds join and thicken, expect rain.
 Dandelion blossoms close before a storm.
 If autumn leaves are slow to fall, prepare for a cold winter.
 Birds on a telephone wire indicate the coming of rain.
 Before a storm, cows will lie down and refuse to go out to pasture.
 When spiders weave their webs by noon, fine weather is coming soon. If
wasps build their nests high, the winter will be long and harsh.
 A month that comes in good, goes out bad.
 A warm Christmas – a cold Easter.
 The sky turns green in a storm when there is hail.
 The first frost in autumn will be exactly six month after the first
thunderstorm of the spring.
 Birds flying low, expect rain and a blow.
 If the raven crows, expect rain.
 When the geese cackle, it will rain.
 When the ducks quack loudly, it’s a sign of rain.
 The hooting of the owl brings rain.
 If the sparrow makes a lot of noise, rain will follow.
 When parrots whistle, expect rain.
 Fish bite best before a rain.
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When fish break water and bite eagerly, expect rain.
Bubbles over calm beds of water means rain is coming.
Marshes give off an eerie light before a rain.
Wells give murky water before a storm.
Look for foam on the river before a rain.
When bubbles are rising on the surface of coffee and they hold together,
good weather is coming. If the bubbles break up, weather you don’t need
is coming.
When boiling water vanishes more rapidly, expect rain.
If pavements appear rusty, rain will follow.
Water rises in springs and wells indicates rain.
Wells gurgle and yield muddy water before a storm.
Soot falls down before a rain.
If burning coals stick to the bottom of a pot, it is the sign of a tempest.
Fires burning paler than usual and murmuring within are significant of
storms.
Burning wood pops more before rain and snow.
Cockroaches are more active before a storm.
Locusts sing when the air is hot and dry.
Open crocus, warm weather, closed crocus, cold weather.
Tulips open their blossoms when the temperature rises, they close again
when the temperature falls.
The daisy shuts it’s eyes before rain.
If the marigold should open at six or seven in the morning and not close
until four in the afternoon, we may reckon on settled weather.
When pipes smell stronger, it’s going to rain.
If the perfume of flowers is unusually perceptible, expect rain.
If a dog pulls his feet up high while walking, a change in the weather is
coming.
Cats scratch a post before wind, wash their faces before a rain, and sit
with backs to the fire before snow.
Cats with their tails up and hair apparently electrified indicate
approaching wind.
When spiders’ webs in air do fly, the spell will soon be very dry.
If garden spiders forsake their webs, it indicates rain.
When the sun sets bright and clear, an easterly wind you need not fear.
If the moon rises clear, expect fair weather.
When the moon rises red and appears large, with clouds, expect rain in
twelve hours.
When the moon is darkest near the horizon, expect rain.
If salt is sticky, and gains in weight; it will rain before too late.
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Tobacco gets moist before a rain.
If there is dew on the grass in the morning – fair weather.
When dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.
Mist rising from the pond, fair weather tomorrow.
When corn fodder stands all dry and crisp, go on your outing, there’s no
great risk.
 Doors and drawers stick before a rain.
 Knots get tighter before a rain.
 Ropes shorten before a rain.
 Guitar strings shorten before a rain.
 If smoke falls to the ground, it is likely to rain.
 Campfires are more smoky before a rain.
 If toads appear in large numbers, expect rain.
 If frogs make a noise at the time of cold rain, warm dry weather will
follow.
 If many earthworms appear, rain will follow.
 When frogs jump across the road, they are looking for rain.
 If wooly fleeces spread the heavenly way, be sure no rain disturbs the
summer day.
 A round-topped cloud and flattened base, carries rainfall in its face.
 When the mountains and cliffs in the clouds appear, some sudden and
violent showers appear.
 Cumulus clouds in a clear blue sky, it will likely rain.
 The higher the clouds, the fairer the weather.
 When the smoke rises but not too high, clouds won’t grow and you’ll be
dry.
If you want to forecast weather, you must know something about winds
too.
The South wind brings wet weather,
The North wind is wet and cold together,
The West wind always brings us rain,
The East wind blows it back again.
Study nature, observe it and you’ll understand that it needs your love
and protection.
Read the jokes. Do you know any jokes connected with the topic?
Tips for forecasting:
Get a rock from somewhere, and place it somewhere like in your yard or
something. That’s all you have to do, and you’re ready for forecasting!!! If you
don’t want to use a rock, you can use a horse, works just as well!
If it’s dry – Weather’s clear
If it’s wet – It’s raining
If it’s white – It’s snowing
If it’s gone – Tornado
* Weather Forecaster – A person to whom one and one is two … probably.
***
The teacher asked pupils to write a composition about the football match
they watched last. Little Tommy promptly handed in his work and the teacher
was very much surprised. This is what he read in Tommy’s composition.
“Rain. No Game.”
***
- What is the difference between weather and climate?
- Climate lasts all the time, but weather only a few days.
***
Old Gentleman: Why are you carrying that umbrella over your head? Do you
think it is raining?
Young Boy: No, I don’t.
Old Gentleman: But the sun isn’t shining either.
Young Boy: No, it isn’t.
Old Gentleman: So, why on earth are you carrying that umbrella over your
head?
Young Boy: You see, when it rains, pa wants it, when it shines, ma wants it, so
now is the only time when I can use it.
СПИСОК ИСПОЛЬЗОВАННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ:
1. Агапов А.В., Васильева В.В. и др. Freshers’ English. – Воронеж, 1995.
2. «Английский язык»: Приложение к газете «Первое сентября», №20,
2000.
3. Гроссман Е.Я., Кричевская Е.Л. Five Everyday Topics in English. – М.,
1961.
4. Седов Д.С. Сборник английских аутентичных текстов. – Минск,
Лексис, 2002.
5. Хведченя Л.В. Английский язык для поступающих в ВУЗы. – Минск,
Высшая школа, 2000.
6. Keith Newson The Art of English. - England, Norwich.