Упражнения по теме Weather / Погода

1. Fill in the blanks with one of the words from the list:

1. When it is ________ you see water drops fall from the sky.

2. In _________ people often go skiing.

3. The noise you hear after a flash of lightning is called __________ .

4. The white pieces of frozen water that fall from the sky in cold weather are called __________.

5. Flowers bloom in ___________ .

6. ________ are long thin pointed pieces of ice hanging from a roof or other surface.

7. In __________ the leaves fall from the trees.

8. You see the __________ when there is both sun and rain.

9. People like sunbathing when it is ________ .

10. It is ___________ when there are a lot of clouds.

11. If it is ___________ there is a lot of wind.

12. A ____ is a very violent storm that makes the air spin very quickly and causes a lot of damage.

13. People sweat when it is very __________ .

14. When it is ___________ it is very difficult to see.

15. There is serious __________ in this area since it hasn’t rained for months.

16. You wear warm clothes when it is _________ .

17. Days are longer in _________ than in winter.

18. The area suffered _________ damage as a result of the heavy rain.

2. Guess the weather.

1. The drivers must be careful in driving. Street can be slippery. The weather is ________________________________________

2. The people like to sunbathe. The weather is ________________________________________

3. The children like to go camping. They like to play outside. The weather is ________________________________________

4. We feel thirsty. We have much sweat. The weather is ________________________________________

5. Don’t go outside or bring the umbrella. The weather is ________________________________________

6. It is dusty. The weather is ________________________________________

7. We must wear a raincoat. The weather is ________________________________________

8. There is something moving in the sky. It may be raining. The weather is ________________________________________

9. It is good for skiing. The weather is ________________________________________

10. It is not good to go out. We can’t see anything on the hill. The weather is ____________________________________

3. Find the odd word in each line.

1. foggy, misty, smoggy, windy, cloudy

2. hot, sunny, dry, bright, chilly

3. foggy, cold, chilly, nippy, frosty

4. rain, drizzle, breeze, pour, shower

5. blizzard, snow, drought, frost, cold

6. thunder, shower, lightning, freezing

4. Use your dictionary to check the meanings of the nouns and adjectives in bold in the text, then use the words in the box to complete the text.

Listen to the pouring (1)______ outside, and the roar of the (2)______ as it blows through the trees. Listen to the clatter of icy (3)______ on the window and the crashing of the (4)______, while (5)______ flashes across the sky. See the thick, grey (6)______ and the thin, grey, wet (7)______ . Smell the dirty, bitter, yellow-grey (8)______ in the city. Feel the crunch of (9)______ under your feet as you walk on the icy grass, and shake the freezing, wet (10)______ and (11)______ from your hair as the howling (12)______ turns the world to white.

5. Replace the words and expressions in bold with a suitable word or expression from the box.

1. It’s raining a lot.

2. It’s pouring with rain.

3. It’s very hot in our office at the moment.

4. We could ask him to sort out the invoices, but he’ll make it unnecessarily difficult and complicated.

5. Jan’s feeling unwell.

6. There was a sudden heavy fall of rain and all the spectators ran inside.

7. I don’t know if we can survive this crisis without any extra cash.

8. However gloomy things may seem, there is always some aspect which is good.

9. They were very happy when they won the lottery.

10. Ben was under suspicion for a long time after the thefts were discovered.

11. Whenever I have a great idea, Penny spoils it by doing it first and getting all the credit.

12. Sarah thought it was important, but in fact it was a lot of fuss about something which was very trivial.

6. Underline the correct word in each sentences.

a) The sky was full of dark clouds/rain.

b) Before the storm started, we heard booming/thunder.

c) It was very cold and the river was frozen/iced.

d) It won’t rain for a long time. It’s only a shower/bath.

e) When the wind whistlers/blows, all the trees move.

f) We sat on the beach and enjoyed got sunshine/sunburn.

g) It started raining, and everyone got watery/wet.

h) During the storm the sky lit up with rain/lightning.

7. Complete each sentences. Use next words:

a) As it’s ….., take your umbrella.

b) If it’s ….. tomorrow, we’ll go to the beach.

c) Suddenly there was a flash of ….. and then loud thunder.

d) I’m ….. ! Can I borrow a thick pullover?

e) It was very ….. yesterday, so Jim flew his kite.

f) We had very heavy ….. yesterday and I got very wet.

g) Look, it’s ….. ! All the cars are white!

8. Read, translate and act out the following dialogues or your own one.

Dialogue 1

Kate: Hello, Ann! You look very fresh and sunburnt. Where have you been?

Ann: I’ve just come back from the South.

Kate: Really? Did you enjoy fine weather there?

Ann: Yes, I did. The weather was lovely. They say it was even too hot for the end of September. The day temperature was about 30. Towards evening it fell to 20 but it was still very warm.

Kate: Did it ever rain?

Ann: Once when we were at sea on a motor boat we were caught in a heavy rain. I can’t say that it was very pleasant. Was it warm here in September?

Kate: The first week was very warm. Fancy the temperature rising to 24 in the day time! But it didn’t keep long. In a few days the weather turned to worse, it started raining, the temperature feel to seven degrees. And this spell of nasty weather has been lasting already for two weeks.

Ann: But you know the weather in our parts is very changeable. It can still turn to better. Sometimes we enjoy very nice and warm weather in October.

Kate: Right you are. Let’s hope for the best.

Dialogue 2

Ann: What’s the weather today?

Ben: The temperature has fallen again.

Ann: I enjoy the cold weather.

Ben: Don’t you mind the cold?

Ann: Not at all. I prefer a cold winter to a hot, muggy summer.

Ben: I agree. After the terrible August we had last year, low temperatures are kind of refreshing.

Ann: In August there wasn’t a breeze anywhere. There was ninety percent humidity, and the temperature stayed above ninety degrees for 15 straight days.

Ben: It’s six o’clock now. I’ll turn on the radio. Let’s listen to the weather report.

Radio: As the cold front crosses the region tonight, temperatures will drop considerably. The present temperature is 26 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy. Tomorrow will become sunny, windy, and very cold. High 20, low 16. Strong winds from the north will bring Arctic air to the region. Snow will develop at the end of the week.

Ann: Did you listen to the weather forecast?

Ben: Yes, I did. The mild weather will continue. Scattered showers will occur tomorrow night.

Ann: And what about the day after tomorrow?

Ben: Skies will begin to clear. Drier, colder air will arrive fron the north-west. Sunny but cold weather will prevail the day after tomorrow.

Ann: At this time of the year, the weather is so changeable. It’s a beautiful day.

Ben: Yes. It’s a fine day. The sun is shining.

Ann: It looks as if we are going to have a couple of fine days.

Ben: It’s unusual weather for March.

Ann: I hope that’s the beginning of spring.

Ben: I’m afraid the weather changes rather often. A sudden snowfall is quite possible.

9. In the second dialogue, you read a fragment of the weather forecast. Learn the standard phrases used by the weathermen (https://engblog.ru/weather-forecast) and create your own one.

10. We often criticize weather forecasters for inaccurate weather forecasts. But do you know how hard it is to collect meteorological data? Read the text below to learn more information, and then answer the questions after it.

Weather Station

In order for the weather forecaster to start compiling a weather forecast, he needs accurate data on what is happening outside right now.

Therefore, the weather forecast begins with the operation of the observational network. This is a network of meteorological, hydrological and agrometeorological stations and posts where all processes that occur on the ground, in the air and in the water are monitored.

The main part of the instruments at the weather station is located on a bare, loosened area of soil – it should never overgrow with grass. Here are ground thermometers, in the summer – Savinov thermometers, which go 5, 10, 15 and 20 centimeters deep. At night from May to September, meteorologists observe the temperature at a height of two centimeters from the soil to understand if there are frosts.

Also here is the so-called urgent thermometer – it shows the temperature at the moment, as well as the minimum and maximum thermometers – the extreme values are recognized by them. A special platform is built next to the soil-depth thermometers: there are seven of them, and they are located at various depths, from 20 centimeters to 3.2 meters.

Some devices are located in special booths that rise above the ground and protect them from solar radiation, radiation from the earth’s surface, precipitation and wind. Such booths are called psychometric.

Every three hours, day and night, a meteorologist on duty comes to this site and takes all the data – a total of eight times a day, according to world-wide coordinated time, which differs from Moscow time by three hours.

Also, twice a day, at 14:30 and 02:30 Moscow time, a radiosonde is launched.

Externally, a radiosonde is a small foam box containing sensors for measuring temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure, as well as a battery and antenna with which these data are transmitted. By the speed of flight of this device, you can judge the speed and direction of the wind. It weighs about 300 grams and rises to a height of 30 kilometers, and sometimes it carries it for a hundred or more kilometers from the station – it depends on the wind speed. It flies with a ball filled with helium. The atmosphere expands the shell, and as a result, it bursts.

At the same time around the world, approximately 800 radiosondes fly up into the air – even aviation is warned about this. The flying radiosonde signal is received by a radar, the data from which is used to study the atmosphere, compile high-altitude maps and issue weather forecasts.

The data is received by a radar technician. He watches how a graph of temperature, humidity, pressure, height and distance to the radiosonde is displayed on a computer screen; how the wind changes in direction and speed. Cleans up mistakes made by computers; most often this is interference from cell towers. They often drown out the frequencies at which meteorologists work, and instead of the right data, they get meaningless fractions.

All information received at all posts is transmitted to the communication center. There it is systematized and generalized, and then transferred to the forecast department. Previously, all this was done by telegraph, now, of course, on the Internet.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the observation network?

2. Why is its work so important?

3. What instruments and devices are there at the weather station?

4. What instruments do meteorologists use to determine frost?

5. What functions do the special booths carry out?

6. How many times a day does a meteorologist on duty take the data?

7. What do they need radiosondes for?

8. Who receives the data from radiosondes?

9. What are the main functions of a radar technician?

10. How is the information transferred to the forecast department?

11. Weather Signs

People have always been interested in what the weather will be like, because, for example, the future harvest depended on it. How did people predict it when there were no meteorologists and weather forecasters? For centuries, they have been observing the natural environment and deriving some patterns. For example, if a rooster or a goose is standing on one leg – this is to frost. And the hens crow in the afternoon – to the rain. Of course, such signs are useless for the modern city dweller: it’s not often that you see roosters in modern apartments. But the weather can be predicted by the usual pets: dogs and cats. Everyone knows the sign that if they draw closer to the radiator, then it’s supposed to be cold.

Plants, some of which grow in the city, can also predict weather. For example, if a dandelion suddenly closes its flowers in the afternoon, it will rain. The flowers of honeysuckle, which 15-20 minutes before the rain begin to exude a smell, predict the same thing.

Insects can also help. If grasshoppers or cicadas chatter a lot, it means that the weather will be fine in the coming days.

Finally, the sky can help. If the sunset is bright red, then tomorrow there will be a strong wind.

And what signs that predict the weather can you name?

12. Look at the pictures and describe the weather that is depicted on them. And what is your favorite weather? Describe it.

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