"Daily Express"
II. Match the Russian phrases from list A with their English equivalents from list B.
A.
Местами дожди/туман; ожидается сухая тёплая погода; на востоке области пройдут сильные проливные дожди; на почве возможны заморозки; ветер северный, умеренный, 10—15 м/сек; в дальнейшем холодный характер погоды сохранится; облачная, дождливая погода; к концу недели погода изменится.
В.
The showers will be heavy in the East; we are in for a warm dry spell; moderate northerly wind, 1—15 metres per second; a change in the weather by the end of the week; patchy rain/fog; the weather will stay cold; ground frosts are possible; cloudy and wet.
III. Make up your own weather forecast for the next day.
Exercise 19
I. Look at the following patterns, expressing one's delight with the weather or dislike of it. Translate them into Russian.
| For good weather | For bad weather |
| It's absolutely marvellous! | It certainly is horrible. |
| Isn't it gorgeous! | Nasty day, isn't it? |
| It's so nice and hot! | Isn't it dreadful? |
| Personally I think it's so nice when it's hot, isn't it? | I hate rain. |
| I adore it. Don't you? | I don't like it at all. Do you? |
II. Work in pairs. Use these patterns to respond to the following.
A.
Nice day, isn't it?
What a glorious morning!
Fancy such a day in December!
It's so nice when it's warm.
What a beautiful winter evening!
This breeze is so refreshing!
It's so surprisingly warm for this time of the year!
What a fine day we are having!
I love the sun. Isn't it wonderful?
B.
Dull morning, isn't it?
Nasty day, isn't it?
I hate snow.
What a horrible day!
The heat is unbearable.
I can't stand this wind.
The weather is turning bad.
Rain all day long. Isn't it dreadful?
It's pouring again. Isn't it wretched?
Exercise 20
Discuss with a partner the weather you are having at present. Choose questions and answers from the models given below.
Questions:
What do you think of the weather?
What's the weather outside?
I wonder what the weather is going to be like.
Will the weather keep?
Do you think it will clear up?
Do you think it is going to turn out fine?
What is the weather forecast for today?
Answers:
We are in for a spell of good weather.
It looks like rain.
The weather is turning bad.
It'll change for the better.
The weather is fine/nice/lovely/beautiful.
The weather is nasty/wretched/awful/dull.
The day is rainy/windy/bright/sunny.
The weather is favourable.
The sky is overcast/cloudy/clear.
It's snowing/pouring/raining/drizzling.
The wind is rising.
It has been raining on and off for ...
The fog is lifting.
Exercise 21
Compare the weather in your parts with the weather in Great Britain. Use the daily forecasts in British newspapers.
Exercise 22
Translate into English.
1. Утро началось с моросящего дождя, который постепенно усилился и к полудню перешел в сильный ливень.
2. Я слышала прогноз погоды на сегодня: днем солнечно и тепло, температура около 20 °С, ветер восточный, умеренный; ночью температура около нуля, на почве местами заморозки.
3. Зима наступает здесь в ноябре — начинают дуть северные ветры, из-за чего средняя температура становится ниже, выпадает первый снег.
4. Весной легкий ветер часто нагоняет облака. Небо затягивается тучами и погода портится.
5. Ожидается улучшение погоды — дождь прекратится и станет сухо и жарко.
6. В июле невыносимая жара привела к засухе. За месяц не выпало ни капли дождя.
7. Белые снежинки тихо кружили в воздухе и ложились на землю. К утру всё было завалено сугробами.
8. Первые лучи солнца пробились сквозь пелену тумана. К девяти туман начал рассеиваться.
9. Всходило солнце, дул теплый ветерок, над землёй курился туман.
10. Высокая ель отбрасывала тень, там можно было спастись от жары.
11. С неба падал мокрый снег, было холодно и сыро. Сапоги промокли, потому что под ногами тоже был талый снег.
12. После дождя прояснилось и на небе появилась многоцветная радуга. Хорошая примета.
13. Такой грозы я не припомню: гром, молния, сильные порывы ветра, а потом — град.
14. Было чудесное утро. Быстро встало солнце и иссушило капли росы на траве.
15. Сначала подмораживало. Ветви деревьев покрылись инеем. На дороге был сильный гололед. Потом начало оттаивать.
Exercise 23
Recall the weather on the day of 1) your entrance examination in English, 2) your last exam at school, 3) your last birthday. As you may be not quite sure of the weather on that day, use the models below to express hesitation.
As far as I remember ...
If my memory serves me right ...
I seem to remember ...
I am not sure about it, but ...
I can't be absolutely sure about it, of course, ...
If I remember correctly ...
Exercise 24
What is the weather like in different parts of Russia in spring, summer, autumn and winter?
Exercise 25
Say what mood in you prevails when 1) it is a cold winter day; 2) it is a hot summer night; 3) it is a warm spring evening; 4) it is a cool autumn morning.
Exercise 26
Think for five minutes and write what you like to do in good and bad weather. Compare your activities with those written by other classmates. Choose the most original ideas.
Exercise 27
For hundreds of years people have accumulated weather lore. Do you believe that there are signs in nature that may predict the weather? What are they? Is weather lore reliable? Comment on the pieces of weather lore below.
A snow year — a rich year.
Farewell frost — fair weather next.
Good winter — good summer.
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.
When the dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass. If bees stay at home, rain will soon come; if they fly away, fine will be the day.
A sunshiny shower won't last half an hour. Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, not long wet and not long dry.
Exercise 28
Work in groups and discuss with your classmates the topics you see below. Let one of you sum up what all of you have said.
1. Your favourite season or your favourite month.
2. The season or month you dislike.
3. The climate of Russia and Great Britain.
4. The climate in one of the countries where you have been.
Exercise 29
1. Read the poem from Winnie-the-Pooh by A. Milne.
Lines Written by a Bear of Very little Brain
On Monday, when the sun is hot,
I wonder to myself a lot:
'Now is it time or is it not,
That what is which and which is what?'
On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,
The feeling on me grows and grows
That hardly anybody knows
If those are these or these are those.
On Wednesday, when the sky is blue
And I have nothing else to do,
I sometimes wonder if it's true
That who is what and what is who.
On Thursday, when it starts to freeze
And hoarfrost twinkles on the trees,
How very readily one sees
That these are those — but whose are these?
On Friday —
II. Finish the poem above that was not completed by Winnie-the-Pooh.
Exercise 30
Fill in the gaps in the sentences below-with one of the following idioms: to catch the wind with a net, not to have the foggiestidea, to chase rainbows, a bit of blue sky, to be snowed under, to be on cloud nine, a storm in a tea cup, thunderous applause, to save for a rainy day, under the weather, to snowball, out of season.
1. When the audience like a pertomance, they show it with...
2. When you feel that you'll never finish your work, you're ...
3. When you are completely in the dark about something, you ...
4. When a project gets bigger and bigger, it...
5. When you are ecstatically happy, you are ...
6. When you feel unwell, you say that you are ...
7. When you pursue illusory goals or hopes, you ...
8. When you get yourself busy with a useless thing, you ...
9. When you lay up money for the future, you ...
10. When something is absolutely out of place, it is ...
11. When somebody gets some hope at last, he or she gets ...
12. When there is a lot of fuss about a small mishap, it is ...
Exercise 31
Translate the following proverbs and sayings or give their Russian equivalents. Explain their meaning and use them in 3-sentence situations of your own.
1. Every cloud has a silver lining.
2. It never rains but it pour's.
3. Rain before seven, fine before eleven.
4. One swallow does not make a summer.
5. Make hay while the sun shines.
6. Sow the wind and reap the whirl-wind.
7. Everything is good in its season.
8. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
Exercise 32
Translate the quotations and comment upon them.
'There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.'
John Ruskin
'When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather.'
Samuel Johnson
'Life, believe, is not a dream,
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day!'
Charlotte Bronte
Exercise 33
0Role Play "Office Gossip after the Summer Vacation".
Setting: The offices of the famous international corporation "Rich People Banks".
Situation: The first working day after a summer vacation. Lunch time. The people speak about their tours to different places during their leaves. They mainly speak about the weather which they were lucky or unlucky to have.
Characters:
Card I- Mr Merryweather, the boss's assistant. He stayed with his wife in a hotel on the Canary Islands for three weeks. The weather was very nice.
Caid II - Cleopatra, the secretary of the boss. She went hiking to the Pennine Mountains in Great Britain. The weather was changeable.
Card III—IV — Nina and Tina, two typists. They went together to a youth camp in France. The weather was warm and sunny.
Card V—VI — Ted and Ned, two computer programmers. They went fishing to the lakes of Norway. The
weather was rainy.
Card VII — Mrs Ames, a clerk. She went to the US to visit her relatives in California. It was very hot.
Card VIII — Mrs James, a clerk. She went to Canada with her husband to some sports events. The weather was cool, but they liked it.
Card IX — Mr Flames, an accountant. He was unlucky not to have had a leave, but to have gone on business to Alaska. It was rather cold there.
Card X — Mr. Blames, a business manager. He went travelling to China. It was hot but rainy.
WRITING
Exercise 1
Prepare to write a dictation. Learn the spelling of the italisized words and phrases from Introductory Reading and exercise 1 on page 274.
Exercise 2
Study the weather in your region for a whole week. Write down your observations. Use the following models.
A.
Monday: Occasional drizzle, bright spells, cold.
Tuesday: Scattered showers, hail and snow over high ground.
Wednesday: Snow showers heavy in the North, sunny pe riods, cold.
Thursday: Cloudy with showers of sleet or snow, rather cold.
Friday: Some rain in the South at first, early fog, frost patches.
Saturday: Mainly dry, some bright intervals, milder.
Sunday: Rain at times, temperatures near normal.
B.
Monday: Fog early, followed by dry sunny day.
Tuesday: Rather cloudy with some rain, bright periods.
Wednesday: Changeable with rain at times, near normal temperatures.
Thursday: Rain in places, mainly dry later.
Friday: Showers at first, sunny spells, little change.
Saturday: Rain chiefly in the North and West, sunny in tervals.
Sunday: Normal temperatures, max. 20 °C, sunshine.
Exercise 3
Write an essay on one of the following topics.
1. A Lot of People Like Winter (Summer) but I Hate It.
2. How the Weather Can Help People in Difficult Situations.
3. Once I Was Caught in a Rainstorm/Snowstorm.
4. How the Weather Affects Me.
5. I Don't Believe Weather Forecasts; I Believe Weather Lore.
Exercise 4
Write a summary of the following text.
Cold? Britain Is Actually Getting Hotter
Most Britons could be forgiven for thinking a new Ice Age is upon us. Small comfort, then, as we struggle through snowdrifts and cope with burst pipes, that the present cold is a sign the British climate is generally getting milder.
Ironically, most scientists now believe the short sharp shock of severe cold that has struck Europe for three winters running is an indicator that the world is growing warmer. The burning of fossil fuels is building up a blanket of carbon dioxide in the atmospere, creating a "greenhouse" effect.
Britain and Europe have certainly experienced weather this cold before. In the 17th century, the Thames froze solid so often that it became a regular winter sports attraction. The weather then was so severe that it is sometimes referred to as the Little Ice Age. Even in the early 19th century, Britain's climate was still colder than it is today. We still have a cherished picture of Charles Dickens's Christmases — although, in fact, snow at Christmas has been a rarity in southern England for 150 years.
Studies of temperature trends around the world show that it has been warming up since the middle of the 19th century. Most experts agree that this is a result of human activities. By burning coal and oil, we are putting carbon dioxide into the air. This acts like a blanket round the earth, trapping heat that would otherwise escape into space. As long as we keep burning fossil fuel, the trend is likely to continue. So why have we had such severe cold spells in Europe recently? According to researchers at the University of East Anglia, it is all part of the same process. When the climate of the globe changes, it doesn't do so evenly. Britain and Western Europe are just unlucky in being in the path of a particularly significant wind shift.
By comparing the weather in different seasons, during the warmest and coldest years of the 20th century, the researchers have built up a picture of what is going on. Their key new discovery is that although spring, summer and autumn are all warmer, severe cold spells in winter are most likely over the whole of central Europe. So then, short cold spells mean it's generally getting warmer — but the bad news is it could get TOO warm. If the predictions come true — and the present changes are exactly in line with computer forecasts — within the next 40 or 100 years we shall see a change in climate as dramatic as the shift which ended the last Ice Age.
Note:
A summary is the expression of the essence of some piece of writing in a condensed form. The main ideas of the piece should be presented clearly, concisely and precisely. The length of a summary makes up approximately one third of the length of the original source. Writing a summary includes seven stages: