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SEASONS AND WEATHER, CLIMATE
As we know the weather depends on the season and the climate of the country, and the latter depends on the geographical position of the country.
Our country, Russia has a moderate-continental climate.
England has a rather damp climate due to the effect of the warm current of the Gulf-Stream. The British Isles are surrounded by the ocean and have an insular climate.
The USA have an equable continental climate, except for Florida and the Mexican coast, where the climate is tropical and subtropical.
The weather changes with the changing of the season. Consider autumn, for example. In autumn the sky is often cloudy, the sun hides behind the clouds and then appears again. Its rays have already lost their strength and the sun is not so bright now as it was in summer. The air is moist. Days get shorter and the nights longer. As autumn is a rainy season, the weather is mostly dull. And, of course, it is not attractive. As a matter of fact, I don't like rain of any kind, even if it just drizzles. But there is a spell of sunny weather in late September, which we call Indian summer, when the sun shines brightly, the sky is rather cloudless and there is a carpet of multicoloured leaves on the ground. It is really golden autumn, as the poets have sung it. But in any case, nature begins to fade away. Later the frost will cover the ground at night and remind about winter coming. As for me, I am not fond of autumn; but there are a lot of people trying to look at the reverse side of the medal. Strange it may seem, they prefer autumn to any other season. As they say, it is the time of harvest, tasty fruit and vegetables, the time of beautiful golden leaves, the time when nature is very attractive. But many men - many minds.
Some people are fond of winter. They consider winter to be the healthiest season. In winter we can go in for winter kinds of sports: skating, skiing, tobogganing. In winter the sun shines rarely, its rays are pale, it sets early and rises late. The air is frosty, hard frost sets in, large snowflakes slowly fall to the ground, the streets are slippery with ice. The rivers and lakes are covered with thick sheet of ice, they are frozen. The icicles glitter in the sun, the temperature falls and the snow may fall thick. Going out in such weather is not pleasant and the old people prefer to stay at home. But children enjoy being out-of-doors. They like to make a snow man and to throw snowballs. Their cheeks are burning with frost. How bitterly cold it is!
By the end of the winter the temperature rises and the snow begins to melt. Thaw sets in. The sun grows warmer and soon there won't be any ice but plenty of water. The rivers are in flood. Some people are fond of spring. It is warm and fine in spring.
Nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The birds come back from the
warm lands, the trees begin to bud and soon tiny green leaves will appear. Thin new
blades of grass come up, the fruit trees begin to Blossom. "April showers bring May flowers", as the proverb goes. Everything looks magic covered with green carpet. The farmers till the soil and sow the seed. We are all welcomed and advent of spring. Nature looks full of promise. Spring is the season of hopes, it’s the season of revival of nature and people’s dreams. It's my favourite season, I must admit.
After spring the summer comes. As the great Russian poet Pushkin said, “Oh, summer fine! I’d love you, but for the heat, the mosquitoes and flies!” In fact, sometimes the heat is oppressive. But people usually like summer, because they have their holidays. It’s a good time for going to the seashore or a river beach, to bask in the sun, to become sunburnt, to swim, to pick berries and mushrooms, to gather flowers. We try to spend much time out-of-doors. But the weather is changeable in summer. It is the time of showers, rains and thunderstorms. The days become longer and the nights shorter. We can enjoy resting after hard work during the whole year.
To cut the long story short, I must confess that every season is beautiful and attractive in its own way. And as one of the famous poets says, ‘see no reason to speak in prize of any season’.
geographical position — географическое положение; moderate-continental — умеренно-континентальный; rather damp— достаточно влажный; due to — благодаря; an effect — влияние; a current — течение; to be surrounded — быть окруженным; an insular climate — климат, свойственный острову; островной; equable— однообразный, равномерный; tropical — тропический; subtropical — субтропический; to consider — рассматривать, рассуждать, размышлять; cloudy— облачный; to hide — прятать(ся), скрывать(ся); strength— сила; moist— сырой, влажный; dull— пасмурный, мрачный, скучный; attractive— привлекательный, притягательный; as a matter of fact — дело в том, что; фактически, собственно говоря; to drizzle — моросить (о дожде); a spell — короткий промежуток времени; Indian summer — бабье лето; cloudless — безоблачный; multicoloured— цветной, многокрасочный; in any case — в любом случае; to fade away — увядать; frost — мороз; to cover the ground — покрывать землю; to remind — напоминать; reverse — обратный, повернутый; a harvest — жатва, урожай; skating — катание на коньках; skiing— катание (хождение) на лыжах; tobogganing — катание с горы (на салазках); rarely —редко; pale— бледный; hard frost — сильный мороз; a snowflake — снежинка; slippery — скользкий, ненадежный; to freeze — замерзать, мерзнуть; an icicle — ледяная сосулька; to glitter — блестеть, мерцать, мигать; to bum — гореть; bitterly cold — сильно холодно, очень холодно; to melt — таять; thaw — оттепель; flood — прилив, наводнение; to bud — пускать ростки, почки; a blade — лист, былинка; to blossom — цвести, распускаться; shower— ливень; magic— волшебный; to till — возделывать (землю); soil—почва; to sow — сеять, засевать; an advent — пришествие, приход; heat —жара; a mosquito — москит, комар; a fly — муха; oppressive— угнетающий, знойный; thunderstorm — гроза