Language practice

Ex. 1. Match the terms with their definitions. Translate the terms into Russian and learn them.

1) Weather	1) People, communities, and nations who claim a historical continuity and cultural affinity with societies predating contact with Western culture.
2) Climate	2) The average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience.
3) Census	3) The state of the atmosphere there at a given time or over a short period.
4) Life expectancy	4) The average weather conditions over a long period of time.
5) Indigenous people	5) The procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population.

Ex. 2. Use your knowledge and insert the missing geographic names, figures and directions to complete the text.

Great Britain lies to the northwest of ______and east of _____. It is separated from the continent by the ______and by the ______, which narrows to _____ kilometers at the ______. The ______separates the island from the island of Ireland to its west. The island is physically connected with continental _____ via the ______, the longest undersea rail tunnel in the world. Geographically, the island is marked by low, rolling countryside in the _____ and _____, while hills and mountains predominate in the _____ and _____ regions.

Around 10,000 years ago _____ was not an island, but an upland region of northwestern _____, lying partially underneath the Eurasian ice sheet.

Ex.3. Complete the text by adding the geographic names from the box.

Alaska; the Atlantic Ocean; Sierra Nevada; Ice Age; the Bahamas; Great Lakes; Russia; Cascade; Cuba; Rocky; Canada; Appalachian; the Pacific Ocean; Mexico

The United States are bounded by ____ to the east and ____ to the west, with much of the population living on these two coasts. Its only land borders are shared with ____ to the north, and  ____ to the south. The U.S. also shares maritime borders with ____, ____, and ____.

The country has three major mountain ranges. The ____ Mountains extend from Canada to the state of Alabama, a few hundred miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the oldest of the three mountain ranges and offer spectacular sightseeing and excellent camping spots. The ____ Mountains are, on average, the highest in North America, extending from ____ to New Mexico, with many areas protected as national parks. They offer hiking, camping, skiing, and sightseeing opportunities. The combined ____ and ____ mountain ranges, which extend across the "backbone" of California, are the youngest. The ____ define much of the border between the eastern United States and Canada. More inland seas than lakes, they were formed by the pressure of glaciers retreating north at the end of the last ____. They are the second-largest bodies of freshwater in the world, after the polar ice caps.

Ex. 4. Complete the text by translating the words in brackets. Make necessary grammatical changes. Answer the questions after the text. Remember to use words from your active vocabulary.

Climate in Great Britain.

The climate of any place results from the (взаимодействие) of a number of (определяющий) factors, of which the most important are (широта), distance from the sea, (рельеф) and the (направление) of the (преобладающий) winds.

The British Isles which are (окружать) by the ocean have an (островной) climate.

There are 3 things that chiefly (определять) the climate of the United Kingdom: the position of the islands in the (умеренный) belt; the fact that the (преобладающий) winds blow from the west and south-west and the warm (течение) — the Gulf Stream that flows from the (Мексиканский залив) along the western (берега) of England. All these features make the climate more (умеренный), without striking difference between (времена года). It is not very cold in winter and never very hot in summer.

So, the British ports are ice-free and its rivers are not (замерзший) throughout the year. The weather on the British Isles has a bad reputation. It is very (переменчивый). The British say that there is a climate in other countries, but we have just weather. If you don't like the weather in England, just wait a few minutes.

(Рельеф) is the most important factor controlling the (распределение) of temperature and (выпадение осадков) within Britain. The actual temperatures experienced in the hilly and (горный) parts are considerably lower than those in the (низменность). The effect of relief on (выпадение осадков) is even more striking. (Средний) annual rainfall in Britain is about 1,100 mm. But the geographical (распределение) of rainfall is largely (определять) by topography. The (горный) areas of the west and north have more rainfall than the lowlands of the south and east.

It rains very often in all (времена года) in Great Britain. Autumn and winter are the (самый влажный) . The sky is usually grey and cold winds (дуть). On the average, Britain has more than 200 (дождливый) days a year. The English say that they have 3 variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon, and when it rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily, that they say «Льет как из ведра».

Britain is known all over the world for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so (густой) that it's impossible to see anything within a few meters. The winter fogs of London are, indeed, awful; they surpass all imagination. In a (густой) fog all traffic is stopped, no vehicle can move from fear of dreadful accidents. So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is (мягкий), (влажный) and very (переменчивый).

1. What does the climate of any place result from?

2. What factors chiefly influence the climate of the United Kingdom?

3. Why are the British ports ice-free?

4. Why do the British say that” there is a climate in other countries, but we have just weather”?

5. What is the most important factor controlling the temperature within Britain?

6. Describe weather changes in Great Britain throughout a year.

7. What are the main features of the climate in Great Britain? 

Ex. 5. Complete the text by translating the words in brackets into English. Make necessary grammatical changes.