Unit 3. Seasons. Climate and weather. Holidays

 

Vocabulary:

weather – погода                                                         to get sunburnt – загореть

changeable – изменчивый                         all the year round – круглый год

frosty – морозный                                       opportunity – возможность

sunny – солнечный                                     as [æz] – так как, поскольку

humid – влажный                                        time [taim] – время 

dry – сухой                                                    hockey [hoki] – хоккей

wet – сырой                                                   air – воздух 

windy – ветрено                                           fresh – свежий 

nasty – плохой (о погоде)                         swimming – плавание 

foggy – туманно                                          other – другой 

cloudy – облачно                                        seasons – времена года

hot – жаркий

 

1. Прочитайте и переведите текст. Расскажите о временах года:

SEASONS

There are four seasons in a year. They are winter, spring, summer and autumn.

September is the first autumn month. Sometimes there are many sunny days in September and the weather is very pleasant. October and November are usually cold and rainy months. It often rains in autumn. The sky is dark and cloudy. The streets and the houses are wet.

It is colder in December than in November, as it is the first winter month. Russian winters are sunny, frosty and snowy. The temperature is usually 10-18° below zero. It often snows in winter. Winter is a good time for skating, skiing and hockey.

Spring, too, is a nice season. The days are longer, the sun is brighter, the air is fresh and it is not so hot as in summer.

Summer is usually a hot season. Many people are on holiday in summer. It is a good time for swimming, tennis, volleyball and other games.

People usually have a good time in summer.

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. How many seasons are there in a year? 2. What are they? 3. What is the weather like in September? 4. What is the weather like in October and November? 5. When is it colder, in December or November? 6. What are Russian winters like? 7. When are the days longer? 8. Why is summer a good time for people? 9. What do they do in summer?

 

3. Переведите тексты со словарем:

 

THE ENGLISH ABOUT THE ENGLISH WEATHER

The English weather is very changeable: a fine morning may change into a wet afternoon and evening.

In summer the English expect to have two or three months of extremely good weather, sunshine and hot weather, hot enough to bathe, to go to the sea. But summer months are often cool. One year June may be hot and sunny and July and August rainy, another year it might be the other way round.

The English winter is not cold. The temperature seldom falls below 3 – 4 degrees. The usual temperature is about zero. The air is frequently damp and foggy. It often rains and it seldom snows. Snow melts very quickly.

Autumn is the season of foggy, windy days. A spell of sunny weather in October is called an Indian summer.

Spring is a warm and beautiful season. Spring flowers start to bloom from February. The weather in spring, however, is changeable, and even if the sky is blue without a single cloud in the morning there is no guarantee that it may not rain within a short time. It is always wise to take an umbrella.

People talk about the weather more in Britain than in most parts of the world. When two Englishmen meet, if they can't think of anything else to talk about, they talk about the weather.

 

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Where can you go for a holiday? You have a lot of opportunities. Of course, most people would like to go to the south or to the seaside, but you must consider the weather and the season.

You may want to go to Siberia, for example. The nature is wonderful there. You will never see such a lot of sparkling white snow. You will enjoy frosty fresh air if you go skiing or bear-hunting, but you should remember that it's very cold there in winter. The temperature may be about 50 degrees below zero.

Some people prefer to spend their holidays in warmer places. There is no warmer place than Africa. It's warm there all the year round. The sun shines every day, but in summer it's too hot and sometimes it's humid there. And you won't be able to go lion-hunting until the sun sets. But when it starts raining, it may rain the whole week, if you want to get sunburnt it's the best place. You can get as sunburnt as the natives.

Anyway choosing a place for your holiday you must consider the weather forecast.