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This rain hasn’t let up for two weeks. I’m going crazy.
Very often people use the phrases below in a small talk.
PHRASES TO REMEMBER
A weather forecast hasn’t been given yet.
It looks like rain (snow, hail).
We are in for a spell of fine weather.
It’s too good to last.
I hope it’ll keep fine.
The weather is improving.
The weather has changed for the better (the worse).
Spring is in the air.
I feel roasted alive.
The heat is oppressive/unbearable.
I am grilled under a hot sun.
I’m simply melting.
The heat has abated.
A heavy/sharp/severe frost (cold) has set in.
I’m shivering.
I’m numb.
My teeth are chattering with the cold.
The cold makes my hands cold and stiff.
I’m chilled to the marrow (to the bone).
There’s a nip in the air.
The rivers and lakes are frozen over.
The frost has locked the river.
The sky is overcast.
The clouds are getting more numerous.
The clouds promise/omen rain.
The sky veiled itself since the morning.
The clouds are hanging low in the sky.
A soft wind is stirring the leaves.
The strong wind lessened in force.
Dazzling flashes of lightning were followed by a tremendous clap of thunder.
Do you hear the rolling rumbling and crashing of the thunder?
The lightning must have struck a building.
It’s coming down in torrents.
It’s a real deluge.
I’ve got wet through/wet to the bone.
I’ve got soaked to the skin.
My clothes are soaking wet.
Buses splash mud on passers-by.
What fluffy large snowflakes!
There was a heavy fall of snow last night.
The children are pelting each other with snowballs.
They are making a snowman.
Trees, bushes, fields look magic covered by sparkling hoar-frost.
It is slippery in places.
We all welcome the advent of spring.
Migratory birds come back from warm countries, lay and hatch their eggs and rear their younger ones.
I got caught in the rain.
It has ceased raining.
It’s slushy out.
Exercise 5
Translate into English.
Яка пора року вам більше подобається?
1.На мою думку, це весна: природа пробуджується від зимового сну, дерева зеленіють, розквітають квіти. 2.А я віддаю перевагу літові. Я дуже люблю плавати і загоряти, гуляти в лісі. 3.Осінь також має свої привабливі риси. Багато фруктів і овочів, і все таке яскраве! 4.Я нічого не маю проти зими. Тільки подумай, як приємно кататися на ковзанах і лижах. А перший снігопад! Як чудово гратися у сніжки або ліпити снігову бабу. 5.Треба вміти цінувати природу і радіти життю такому, яке воно є. 6.Англійці говорять: немає поганої погоди, є поганий одяг.
& Reading
Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
‘The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow’ by Jerome K. Jerome
(Extracts)
ON THE WEATHER
Things do go so contrary like with me. I wanted to hit upon an especially novel, out-of-the-way subject for one of these articles, “I will write one paper about something altogether new,” I said to myself; “something that nobody else has ever written or talked about before; and then I can have it all my own way.” And I went about for days, trying to think of something of this kind; and I couldn’t. And Mrs.Cutting, our charwoman, came yesterday – I don’t mind mentioning her name, because she will not see this book. She would not look at such a frivolous publication. She never reads anything but the Bible and Lloyd’s Weekly News. All the other literature she consideres unnecessary and sinful.
I said: “Mrs.Cutting, I am trying to think of a subject, the discussion of which will come upon the world in the nature of a startler – some subject upon which no previous human being has ever said a word – some subject that will attract by its novelty, invigorate by its surprising freshness”…
…She pondered a long while, with the tea tray in her hands, and at last suggested the weather which she was sure had been most trying of late.
And ever since that idiotic suggestion, I haven’t been able to get the weather out of my thoughts, or anything else in.
It certainly is most wretched weather. At all the events it is so, now at the time I am writing, and, if it isn’t particularly unpleasant when I come to be read, it soon will be. It always is wretched weather, according to us. The weather is like Government, always in the wrong. In summer time we say it is stifling; in winter that it is killing; in spring and autumn we find fault with it for being neither one thing nor the other, and wish it would make up its mind. If it is fine, we say the country is being ruined for want of rain; if it does rain, we pray for the fine weather. If December passes without snow, we indignantly demand to know what has become of our good old-fashioned winters, and talk as if we had been cheated out of something we had bought and paid for; and when it does snow, our language is a disgrace to a Christian nation. We shall never be content until each man makes his own weather, and keeps it to himself.
If that cannot be arranged, we would rather do without it altogether…
… Just lately it has been flavouring us with almost incessant rain for about three weeks; it is doing me a considerable amount of damage. It is spoiling both my clothes and my temper. The latter I can afford, as I have a good supply of it, but it wounds me to the quick to see my dear old hats and trousers sinking, prematurely worn and aged, beneath the cold world’s blasts and snows.
There is my new spring suit too. A beautiful suit it was, and now it is hanging up so bespattered with mud, I can’t bear to look at it.
That was Jim’s fault, that was. I should never have gone out in it that night, if it had not been for him. I was just trying it on when he came in. He threw up his arms with a wild yell the moment he caught sight of it, and exclaimed that he had “got ‘em again!”
I said: “Does it fit all right behind?”
“Spiffin’, old man,” he replied. And then he wanted to know if I was coming out.
I said “no,” at first, but he overruled me. He said that a man with a suit like that had no right to stop indoors…
… That decided me. It was a lovely evening, and I went.
When I got home, I undressed and rubbed myself down with whisky, put my feet in hot water, tallowed my nose, and went to bed.
These prompt and vigorous measures, aided by a naturally strong constitution, were the means of preserving my life; but as for the suit; it is a splash board.
1. What subject did Jerome K. Jerome want to hit upon for one of his articles?
2. What did he say to Mrs.Cutting one day?
3. What subject did she suggest?
4. Are people usually content with the weather?
5. What fault do we find with the weather in summer and winter, in spring and autumn?
6. What do we say if it is fine / raining?
7. When can we be content with the weather in Jerome’s opinion?
8. What damage did incessant rain do to Jerome?
9. Why couldn’t Jerome bear to look at his new suit?
10.Whose fault was it that his new suit was spoilt?
11.Who persuaded Jerome to go out in his best suit?
12.In what state did Jerome come home, and what did his new suit look like?
13.What prompt measures did Jerome take to preserve his life?
Exercise 1
Complete the following sentences:
1.Ever since Mrs.Cutting’s suggestion Jerome was unable ....... . 2.If December passes without snow ........... . 3.In Jerome’s opinion, people will never be content with weather, until .......... . 4.Jerome was just trying his new suit on, when ....... . 5.He would never have gone out in his new suit, if ......... . 6.It was a lovely evening, but no sooner did he go out, than .......... . 7.He couldn’t bear to look at his new spring suit, because .......... . 8.If it had not been for his naturally strong constitution ......... .
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs where required and retell the text:
...... the middle ....... the night Joe heard thunder ..... the distance and woke ..... the boys. Presently a few large raindrops fell ........ the leaves, and then a drenching rain poured ...... . The storm rose higher and presently the tent turned ..... and was carried by the wind. There was nothing the boys could do but run ...... the shelter ..... an oak tree that stood ...... the edge ... the river bank.
Now the battle was ...... its highest. The storm seemed to tear the island ....... pieces, drown it ....... the tree tops, blow it ........ and deafen every creature ...... it, all ........ one and the same time. At last the battle was ....... . The storm died away ....... the distance and the boys returned to the camp a big deal frightened. Everything ........ the camp was drenched, the camp fire as well, and the boys shook ........ cold. However they managed to start a fire again and dried their clothes but their spirits did not rise high. They longed ..... home though nobody spoke about it ........ fear ......... being looked upon as a coward. ........ last they found relief ...... sleep and when they got up they felt cheerful again. The rest ..... the day they amused themselves ........ different games playing ....... Indians and pirates.
(M.Twain,”Tom Sawyer”)
Exercise 3
Translate into English.
- Яка твоя улюблена пора року?
- Як на мене, мені подобається весна. Повітря свіже, наповнене ароматом свіжих квітів. З приходом весни все довкола оживає, сповнюється новим життям.
- А мені подобається літо. Подобається гаряче сонце, ніжний вітерець, а також літній дощ з громом і блискавками.
- Це може здатися дивним, але я люблю осінь. Земля вкрита м’яким килимом із різнокольорового листя. Але пізня осінь з пронизливим вітром, сльотою і брудом, вибачте, не для мене!
- Гаразд, декілька слів у захист зими. Взимку все виглядає таким білим, блискучим і незайманим. Мені більше всього подобаються морозяні ночі, коли небо зоряне, а тендітний місяць, як володар ночі, оглядається довкола.
Exercise 4
In which of the following sentences the weather is the hottest?
1.It’s a bit chilly out here.
2.Stephen said they didn’t stay on the beach very long – it was absolutely boiling.
3.It’s very mild for November, isn’t it?
4.This weather gives me a headache – it’s too heavy and close.
5.It’s freezing outside. I’m staying indoors.
 Listening
Listen to the four sounds on the recording and say what the weather is like in each case.
Exercise 5
Translate into English.
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1. Сьогодні жахлива погода. На вулиці сльота. Над містом стелеться густий туман. Я побоялася їхати на машині і вирішила іти пішки. Машини бризкають водою та брудом на перехожих. Мабуть десь два градуси по Цельсію вище нуля.
- Так, досить незвичайно для цієї пори року. У нас м’яка зима у цьому році, чи не так?
- Так, я згоден з вами.
2. - Нестерпно душно навіть у тіні. Здається, що знову буде дощ. Ти не чув прогноз погоди на сьогодні?
- Передавали, що місцями будуть дощі, або мряка. Але поступово погода зміниться на кращу. Знову настане період гарної погоди.
3. - Сьогодні чудовий день. Здається, трохи заспокоїлося, чи не так? Сподіваюсь, що стане ще тепліше.
- Я радий, що дощ зупинився і туман розсіявся. Учора мені довелося вийти з дому. На нещастя, я забув свою парасольку. Дощ лив як із відра. Я промок до рубця, поки дістався міста.
4. – У Великобританії звичайно холодна зима, але вона не така холодна, як в деяких частинах Канади.
- А я чув, що в Англії поля та парки залишаються зеленими навіть взимку.
5. Мені завжди жаль, коли закінчується літо.
6. - Я надаю перевагу вологому клімату ніж сухому.
- І я теж.
7. - Погода включає в себе шість елементів: атмосферний тиск, хмарність, опади, вологість, швидкість вітру і температуру.
- Так. Всі ці елементи дуже важливі для визначення прогнозу погоди.
8. - Подивись, як гарно! Краплі дощу і роси виблискують на листі та траві. На небі з’явилася веселка.
- Дуже парко. Я думаю, що буде гроза.
- Сьогодні вже була гроза. Жахливий гуркіт грому розбудив мене вночі!
9. Я не чула прогнозу погоди на сьогодні. Якщо дощу не буде, я обов’язково поїду за місто. Погода стає теплішою. Я думаю, що скоро зацвітуть фруктові дерева.
10. Небо потемніло, і з моря почав дути холодний вітер. Але сьогодні вітер не такий сильний, як учора. Учора він був набагато сильніший.