W hen the tornado hits
A tornado is about to strike this family's farm. It's moving quickly towards them, but luckily they've already seen it coming. The mother has wrapped the baby in a blanket; the father has called all the children. The two boys are carrying some of the animals: a cat and three puppies. The family is rushing into the storm cellar, where they'll be safe under the ground. When the tornado hits, they'll be sitting in the storm cellar. They won't be moving around; they'll be hiding in the safest part of the cellar. The mother will still be holding the baby, but the animals will probably be running around, making noise.
Each person will be listening to the sounds of the storm. They'll hear chickens squawking, and they'll hear the wind blowing. They'll all be thinking about the farm and asking themselves questions about it:
"What will the farm look like when we come out of the storm cellar?"
"Will the house still be standing?"
"Will the barn still be standing?"
"Will all the animals be alive?"
"Will it be raining very hard?"
4.1. Listen to the text “When the Tornado Hits”.
4.2. Answer the questions:
1. How soon will the tornado strike the farm? 2. Will the family have time to reach safety? 3. Where will they go? 4. What preparations have they made? 5. What will they be doing when the tornado hits? 6. What will they be thinking about?
4.3. Retell the text.
V. Text I.
Climate
N
orth
America has many climates. There are places that are warm all the
year round, and there are places covered with ice and snow where
summer never comes. The United States occupies a large area in the
central part of the North American Continent. Winters in the northern
part of the country are long and cold. In the South, winters are much
shorter. Average temperature in January is mild. As the northern part
of the country has such long winters, the growing season is quite
short.
In the South the growing season is much longer. In fact, in some of the states it is nine months long. The climate of these places is affected by other things besides the distance from the Equator. Landforms also affect climate. For example, a great belt of mountainous land stretches along the western edge of North America, from Alaska south to Panama. Some of these mountains are so high that snow can be seen on their peaks even in summer. Summer days are often bright and warm in the mountains, but the nights are cold. The growing season is far shorter than in the lowlands.
O
ceans
also affect climate. Winters are colder in the interior than along
the coasts, and summers are warmer.
Parts of the Pacific Coast are very wet. The high mountains of this region are responsible for all this rain. They catch the moist air that blows in from the Pacific Ocean.
To the east, beyond the mountains, there is a vast dry region. This dry land extends from Canada to Mexico. But still farther east, in the Southeastern United States, you can find another wet region. Here warm, moist air blows inland from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This air brings plenty of rain to the Southeastern States. The Northern States east of the Mississippi also receive ample moisture.
Listen to the text “Climate”.
Read and translate the text.
Answer the questions to the text.
1. What kind of climate does North America have? 2. In what part of the continent is the USA located? 3. What is the weather in the North of the country? 4. What climate does the USA enjoy in the South? 5. What can affect the climate? 6. How do oceans affect the climate? 7. Are parts of the Pacific Coast wet or dry? 8. Is the growing season shorter than in the lowlands or in the mountains? 9. The high mountains are responsible for all this rain, aren’t they? 10. Where is a vast dry region? 11. What type of climate is there in the Southerneastern States? 12. The Northern States east of the Mississippi receive ample moisture, don’t they?
Find English equivalents in the text:
значний, цілий/весь рік, волога, середній, багато, м’який, віяти, сезон
вегетації (життя росли), внутрішня частина країни, внутрішні райони країни, впливати, за винятком, вологий, сирий, нести відповідальність, екватор, пояс/зона, вздовж, західне узбережжя, простягатися.
Find the sentences in the text that give information about:
a) |
winters in different places of the United States; |
b) |
the length of the growing season in different parts of the country; |
c) |
the effect of the ocean on the climate; |
d) |
the effect of the mountains on the climate; |
e) |
the effect of the warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico on the climate. |
5.6. Complete the sentences with words from a box.
Colorado, stretches, sixty small glaciers, North America, animals, building of roads, deer, protected |