X. Read and translate the text about the climate in Great Britain. Make a summary.

There are many jokes about English climate. One of them is that there is no climate in England, only weather.

 

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One of the most striking things about the British Isles is the rapidity with which the weather changes from day to day or even during the day. The climate is mild and strong frosts are rare. Due to the moderating influences of the sea, the January temperature is higher and the July temperature is lower than in any other country of the same latitude. That is why the British ports are ice-free and the rivers are not frozen throughout the year.

There is an abundance of rainfall in the west. As a result, there are thick fogs which last for days and weeks at a time during autumn and winter. The winter fogs of London are awful. In a fog the air is hardly fit for breathing.

The outstanding features of the climate of Britain are its humidity, mildness and variability.

XI. Sort out the words and phrases given below alphabetically into the corresponding column. The first is done for you.

Breeze A cloudless Changeable weather A cyclone A rainbow A damp climate Degrees Centigrade A gentle wind Fine weather Drizzle Atmosphere Humidity A gloomy morning A rain A tornado Endless rains

Temperature Fog A stormy wind Poor visibility A forecast A mild climate A violent storm A severe frost A typhoon An icy road Unpredictable weather A weather satellite A lighting A thunderstorm Wind A thick fog - 11 -

A snowstorm Sunshine Strength of winds Directions of winds Weather conditions Pressure Meteorology A hailstorm An accurate forecast A heavy snowfall Earth Frost A shower A gale Freezing sleet A weatherman

 

A
B	breeze
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

 

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XII. Read the text about the names of the months in a year and decide if the statements given after it are true of false.

Names of the Months

The English names of the months all come from Latin. January, March, May and June were names of gods taken from Roman mythology. The god Janus, could look in two directions at the same time because he had two faces. He was the god of endings and beginnings. The name February comes from a Roman celebration called Februa, a celebration of cleaning. March is named after Mars, the mythological god of war. March is usually a month of storms and windy weather.

The origin of the word April is not known exactly. Probably the word comes from the Latin word “aperiri” – “to open”. In April the skies open and it rains very often. The trees and flowers also begin to open. The month of May is named after Maia, the mythological goddess of the fields.

The month of June was named after the goddess Juno. July is named after Julius Caesar, the Roman Emperor. Before the time of Caesar another calendar was used. The year began in March instead of in January. Caesar changed that. He made the calendar we use at present. After Julius Caesar came his son Augustus. The eights month August is called after him.

The months of September, October, November and December need little explanation. In the old calendar they were the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months. The names for the months September, October, November and December therefore came from Latin words for seventh, eight, ninth and tenth.

Statements

1. Five English months were named after Roman gods and goddesses.

2. There are more months named after men than after women.

3. The names of autumn months show there place in the year cycle.

4. All summer months were called after Roman Emperors.

 

 

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5. Before Caesar introduced his own calendar all months had different names.

6. The origin of one month’s name is still unclear.

7. One month’s name is connected with an English holiday.