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Чудового літнього дня
PART I
MY FAVOURITE SEASON
— Speaking
g What kind of weather do you prefer? Do you feel better when it is cold or hot?
g What is the weather like in (spring, summer, autumn and winter) in your home town? What is the average temperature?
g Are there four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter)? Do you know countries where there are only two seasons (rainy and dry)?
g What are the worst weather conditions you’ve ever experienced?
g Which is the best season for a holiday?
What kind of weather do most people like/dislike? Why?
| fine clear fair bright lovely marvellous wonderful gorgeous sticky | rotten nasty dismal wretched abominable rough foul beastly frightful parky | frosty snowy misty nippy chilly warm hot sultry hot scorching dusty | variable changeable unchangeable uncertain settled unsettled dull gloomy catch-cold |
What’s the best time of year, in your opinion? The worst? Complete the chart about the “best” and “worst” seasons with the help of the following expressions.
Temperature
| falling | dropping | going up/down | below/above zero rising lifting |
Sky
| cloudy cloudless | dark overcast | grey (gray) leaden | clear starlit |
Sun
| wintry | bright | scorching | blazing |
Air
| frosty crisp | fragrant close | stifling fresh | suffocating humid |
Wind
| strong violent | chilly piercing | fitful sharp | biting |
Fog
| thick | dense | pea-soup | moderate |
Rain
| drizzling pelting abundant | steady occasional | chilly heavy | continuous dense |
Climate
| moderate continental | insular dry | hot | mild |
? Writing
Best Season
Months: ________________________________________________________
Weather: ________________________________________________________
What happens: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Worst Season
Months: ________________________________________________________
Weather: ________________________________________________________
What happens: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Exercise 1
The Perfect Day?
Tell what kind of day it probably is based on the sentences below. There may be more than one good answer.
| 1. Watch out for sunburn. 2. Don’t step in any puddles of water! 3. You can’t see ten feet in front of you! 4. Walk carefully so you don’t slip. 5. Leave your sweater at home today. 6. It’s a good day for an ice cream cone. 7. Wear a sweater. 8. Wear your rain boots. 9. Wear your snow boots. 10.Wear your windbreaker. | It must be sunny. ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ |
& Reading
Read the text and think of other advantages or disadvantages of seasons.
A: In my opinion the pleasantest season is (the) spring.In May the weather is finest. The trees put forth little buds and new leaves; the meadows grow green again; the flowers begin to bloom. The farmers till the soil and sow the seed. The nightingale, swallow, cuckoo and other birds come back from Italy and Africa and build their nests, all the while staging their merry song. Meanwhile the new crop is shooting up, and if there are no sharp frosts during the night, nature looks full of promise, and the corn-fields are made bright by blue cornflowers and red poppies.
Spring flowers! The lilacs unfold their pale hearts. There shines the wild daffodil – soft, slim, yellow, there is the starry narcissus, the hyacinth almost lost in the herbs; among them stand tulips – the red bubbles of dark wine; the yellow, more cup-like; the large parti-colored gold and red, noble and sombre.
B: I, for one, like (the) summer, in fact, I prefer it to any other season. By the end of June, when the days become considerably warmer, summer has come. If the heat gets too oppressive, we can go and bathe in running water. The hot sun ripens the corn and fruit, and the farmer gets ready for the harvest. There are plenty of berries, which are ripe and afford a treat for the old and the young. And what pleasure can compare with that of watching the glorious sunrise and sunset! Clouds? Rain? Well, well, it isn’t always cloudy, and there is no such thing as perpetual rain.
C: Strange as it might seem, I like (the) autumn. The are some drawbacks, the shorter days and longer nights, for instance. The weather also leaves much to be desired. But is there anything more beautiful than an Indian summer – when we have one. We miss the songs of the birds, you say. Well, I can and do enjoy the sparrow, bluebird, crossbill and the few others that remain with us. Of course, the November fogs and mist, and sleet are not pleasant things. But what should we do without apples, grapes which get ripe and may be pickled. I, for one, could not get along without fruits and nuts, and for the sake of these I’m waiting to put up with some discomforts.
D: When autumn is over, the winter sets in, I don’t mind it at all.I know it is the season of snowstorms, and of ice, of frozen rivers and ponds, and of slippery streets. But think of the skating on the ice, or skiing in the country, and sledging. In snowy weather tobogganing is my favourite pastime. Of course, if the winter is severe, one must take care not to get frost-bitten. To me winter has its own peculiar interest and beauty, and there is no reason to be bored to death when there are interesting books, theatres and concerts, and the cinema.
Exercise 2
Athome think of the following questions:
e Name birds which you know always migrate for the winter period/always stay in this country for winter.
e Which flowers do you like best? Why? What do they remind you of? Do any sweet memories come to your mind when you recall these flowers? Make a list of flowers you know.
e What are your favourite summer activities?
e Which season to your mind has more advantages than disadvantages?
e Would you agree to live without one of the seasons? Why?
 Listening
The Season of Change.
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Listen to the dialogue between Mrs.Smith and Mrs.Jones and fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. It’s become quite ________ all of a sudden.
2. Yes, I think the summer is over at last and winter’s _____ _____ _____ .
3. It gets _______ soon after tea-time now.
4. I don’t mind _____ _____ ______ as long as the house is cosy and warm, and I adore the ______ , ______ autumn air.
5. I can’t ______ the heat.
6. Do you remember the _________ we had in July?
7. I couldn’t go and sleep tonight and the milk ______ ______ before you could put it in the fridge.
8. The summers seem to _______ _______ faster and faster every year.
9. Have you noticed the old _______ ______ in the lane?
10.The leaves have ________ _______ already.
11.My hair was ________ once and now it’s going ______ , but no one says it looks beautiful any more.
12.The trees will be _______ ________ _________ in a few weeks.
S What’s Mrs.Jones’ preference in weather?
S Which season does Mrs.Smith prefer? Why?
S What’s Mrs.Jones’ attitude towards summer?
S Does Mrs.Smith worry about growing old?
Exercise 3
What Should They Do?
Read each situation below and write what the people should do.
1. It’s spring, and there is a lot of tall grass in Mr.Smith’s backyard.
He should mow the grass with the lawn mower.
2. It’s winter and there is a lot of snow in front of Jane White’s house.
_____________________________________
3. It’s spring, and there are no flowers in Jason Brand’s backyard.
_____________________________________
4. It’s fall, and there are lots of leaves in Betty Jackson’s backyard.
_____________________________________
5. It’s summer, and Mr.Jones’s flowers are dry.
_____________________________________
Exercise 4
Translate into English.
Чудового літнього дня
1.Чудова погода для прогулянки. 2.Який прогноз погоди? Чи утримaється гарна погода? 3.Небо чисте, 26 градусів тепла у тіні. Чого ще можна бажати?
У морозний день
1.Як сьогодні надворі, перестав іти сніг? 2.Дуже холодний вітер. Я не чув сьогоднішнього прогнозу погоди по радіо, але, мабуть, мороз сильний. 3.Здається, зараз 13 градусів нижче нуля. 4.Mені не подобається, що сьогодні ожеледь, і на вулиці дуже слизько. 5.Як гарно! Усе вкрито інеєм. 6.Я боюся, що буде сильний мороз, і помеpзнуть наші яблуні.
Прийшла весна
1.Як чудово, весна прийшла. 2.Ніщо не може зрівнятися з весною. 3.Дні стають довшими, ночі - коротшими. 4.Природа пробуджується від зимового сну. 5.Все тане, а я не люблю сльоти. 6.Скоро зазеленіють лани і луки, з’являться перші весняні квіти.
Бабине літо
1.Це журлива пора: листя опадає, птахи відлітають у теплі краї, природа поступово засинає. 2.Я люблю ходити по м’якому килиму з жовтого і червоного листя і вдихати повітря, що пахне яблуками. 3.Погода нестійка, іде дощ. 4.Під час бабиного літа ще досить тепло, і багато сонячних днів.
| ? Writing Learn the poem. In what way would you describe the months of the year in your country? What is your favourite month? Try to describe it in a poem. |
January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
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.
June brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.
Hot July brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children’s hands with posies.
August brings the shaves of corn
Then the harvest home is born.
Warm September brings the fruit.
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Fresh October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
Sara Coleridge
— Speaking
Everyone talks about the weather. It’s a way to begin a conversation with someone you don’t know at a social event. Conversations about the weather are never very long; they are usually only openers to other subjects.
Here are some comments about the weather. What is the season/month which is commented upon? Give detailed description of the weather (of the air, temperature, sky, sun, wind, fog) which is commented upon in the sentences below.
| Can’t stand it. It’s freezing. Gee, it’s slippery out here. Isn’t it beautiful out today? A little on the cool side, isn’t it? I wish this rain would stop. | Nice day, isn’t it? Hot enough for you? Looks like rain to me. It’s a perfect day for staying inside. |