Seasons and Weather

It’s a universal truth that every season is beautiful in its own way.

Isn’t it wonderful when in winter everything is white with snow and it crunches under your feet? When winter comes, we are to spend more time at home, because it is cold outside. Ponds, lakes, rivers and streams are frozen, and the roads are sometimes covered with slippery ice or deep snow. We may get fog, sleet and frost. The trees are bare, because bitter winds have stripped them of all leaves.

In spring nature awakens from its long winter sleep. A warm wind blows up heavy grey clouds and the sun shines brightly in the cloudless azure sky. The trees are filled with new life. The weather gets gradually warmer. The fields and meadows are covered with fresh green grass. The sky is blue and cloudless. At night millions of stars shine in the darkness.

When summer comes, the weather gets warmer, and sometimes it’s very hot. It’s the farmers’ busy season. They work in their fields from morning till night. Sometimes the sky is overcast with heavy clouds. There are storms with thunder, lightning and hail. Autumn brings with it the harvest time. The days get shorter and the nights longer. The woods turn yellow and brown, leaves begin to fall from the trees. The sky is grey and it often rains. The weather is so changeable in autumn and people have to wear raincoats and umbrellas if they don’t want to get wet through. The roads are slippery and wet, there are lots of puddles in the streets and everyone is looking forward to frosty winter days and much snow out-of-doors.

Observing Nature

If people carefully observe nature, it can tell them many interesting and useful things.

Do you know that thanks to observing nature you can forecast weather? "How?" you may ask. By watching birds and animals, insects and flowers. It is known that some insects become more troublesome before a change in the weather. Flies and mosquitoes, for example, begin to hum and bite before the rain. Big blue-black beetles fly only in evenings before nice weather.

You should know that the smell of flowers in the gardens and in the parks is very strong before it rains. Flowers have much sweet nectar before rain and the nectar is good food for insects. So if you see insects flying over flowers in large numbers, you should know that it may rain soon.

Birds and animals also help forecast weather. Birds fly lower than usual before it rains. If you happen to see a bird hiding its head under its wing, it means that soon it will become colder.

Even your cat can tell you what the weather will be like. The cat washing behind its ears is telling you about the coming rain.

Look at the sky and it will also tell you about the weather. A red evening sky tells of good weather the next day, to say nothing about a little yellow or green sky. A grey sunrise gives promise of a good day, too. If you want to forecast weather, you must know something about winds.

The South wind brings wet weather.

The North wind is wet and cold together.

The West wind always brings us rain.

The East wind blows the rain back again.

Study nature, observe it and you'll understand that it needs your love and protection.

1. Do you know that ____ observing nature you can forecast weather?

2. Some insects become more ______before a change in the weather.

3. Birds fly _______ than usual before it rains.

4. If you see insects flying over flowers in large numbers, it means _______.

5. A red evening sky tells you of ________.

6. If you see a bird hiding its head under its wing, it means ________.

1. How can we forecast weather? (pick up more than one answer)

a) by watching birds, animals, insects and flowers;

b) by listening to the radio;

c) by using meteorological tools and devices;

d) by discussing it with our friends.

2. What do flies and mosquitoes begin to do before rain?

a) to feel sleepy;

b) to bite and hum;

c) to lay eggs;

d) to gather in groups.

1. ___ Big blue-black beetles fly only in mornings before nice weather.

2. ___ The smell of flowers is very strong before the rain.

3. ___ The cat washing its tail is telling you about the coming rain.

The South wind … The North wind …

The West wind … The East wind …

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27