Дні рівнодення

Рівно на половину шляху Землі від одного дня сонцестояння до другого припадають дні рівнодення. 21 березня і 23 вересня обидва кінці земної вісі спрямовані в бік Сонця, так що тривалість дня і ночі збігається. 21 березня в Північну півкулю приходить весна, а в Південну – осінь. І, навпаки, 23 вересня в Північній півкулі настає осінь, а на південь від екватора – весна.

 Speaking Have you ever heard of the greenhouse effect and global warming? What do you know about them?

Listening

First read the following summary and underline the correct words by guessing. Then, listen to the text and find out if your guesses were correct.

The world climate is in 1) trouble/chaos. Global warming is an undeniable 2) fact/event. Optimists foresee 3) colder/milder winters. In every dry areas, a rise in temperatures would worsen 4) rainfall/droughts.

Insurance companies want governments to regulate emissions of greenhouse 5) chemicals/gases. The oceans act like a storage 6) heater/tank. The south east of 7) England/France is tilting into the sea. Warmer weather could mean more algae in reservoirs and 8) canals/lakes. This could lead to 9) stomach/brain related illnesses. Fierce storms could lead to 10) mental/health problems.

 Reading

You are going to read a magazine article about global warming. Eight paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from paragraphs A-1 the one which fits gap (1-6). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

What’s up with the Weather?

The world climate is in chaos. Freak weather conditions have been so common recently that even the most hard-bitten cynics suspect that something odd is going on.

0

C

In December 1995, climatologists form the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) all agreed that global warming is an undeniable fact.

1

Optimists foresee milder winters and record harvests for farmers. They believe that the severity of storms will reduce due to the stabilizing of differences between the equator and the poles.

2

In a warmer world, extremes of wet and dry will intensify. In very dry regions where there is little water anyway, an increase in temperatures would worsen droughts and increase desertification – especially in the interiors of continents where rainfall will become very rare. In areas where high levels of rainfall are normal, such as in coastal and mountainous regions, increased water vapour, and hence fiercer rainfall, should be expected.

3

As a result of this, insurance companies are panicking. Many are trying to persuade governments to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases.

4

Professor Parry, a member of the IPCC, states that there really isn’t very much we can do to stop global warming happening. “Even if we could dramatically reduce industrial emission, the atmosphere would continue to heat up for another 50 years – because the oceans act like a vast storage, holding on to heat delaying the warming of the air about us.”

5

Some scientists, however, fear that the Flood Barrier may be overwhelmed because the geological structure of Britain means that the south east of England is actually tilting into the sea. This, with the rising sea levels, means that the high-tide level of the River Thames in central London is set to rise by rate of 75 centimeters a century.

6

The rest of us won’t get off lightly though. Warmer weather is likely to increase the amount of algae in reservoirs and lakes. This will make water treatment and purification more difficult and there will probably be an increase in stomach-and intestine-related illnesses. Fierce storms could also bring about health problems.

A	It seems as though these serious and urgent predictions are already coming true. Recently, Hurricane Andrew cost American insurance companies$16, 5 billion and insures worldwide have concluded that the greenhouse effect could bankrupt them.
B	World temperatures are forecast to rise by 1,8 to 6,3°C by the year 2100 but no one is certain what its eventual effects will be. Consequently, a number of theories have been developed.
C	Most scientists’ fears are focused on the heavily populated south coast of England. Increased coastal development means that flooding would be catastrophic. The value of the coastal land between Bognor Regis and Bournemouth was recently estimated at $ 5,745 million.
D	In old urban areas, most storm drainage systems are combined with the sewage system. “Flash flood” storms are therefore likely to send waves of untreated sewage into the watercourse. “We have to face the fact” - says Professor Parry – “that climate change is inevitable – and possibly it will be very unpleasant.”
E	The most innovative country in this respect is Spain. In the last three years it has been at the forefront in promoting the use of alternative energy forms – including tidal and hydro-electric power.
F	On New Year’s Day of this year, for example, Mexico City had its first snowfall in twenty years; monsoons in India, Bangladesh and Nepal stranded nearly two million people in June, and last year’s Caribbean storms were the worst for sixty years. Scientists are now convinced that world’s climate has been changed by mankind.
G	Pessimists on the other hand predict a rise in sea levels of 15 to 96 centimeters – meaning that many low-lying islands like those in the Pacific and Caribbean will be totally submerged.
H	At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, nations promised to cut their carbon emissions drastically by the year 2000, although the only country that looks on target is Sweden. The other nations seem to be counting on solutions like solar power to come to the rescue.
I	In Britain, the threat of flooding is being taken very seriously. The Thames Flood Barrier was built to protect London from the rising sea level.

Exercise 1

Look at the following words in bold in the text and try to explain them:

cynics, undeniable, foresee, record, harvests, stabilizing, poles, extremes, droughts, continents, vapour, regulate, greenhouse gases, vast, tilting, algae, reservoirs, purification, intestine-related

Exercise 2

Fill in the appropriate word(s) from the list below:

desertification, odd, freak, severity, intensify, coastal, emissions, overwhelmed, equator, solar, watercourse, tidal wave, innovative, monsoon

1. The …………… of the winter caused many farmers to lose their crops. (harshness)

2. The storm began to ……………… so we had to run for cover. (become stronger)

3. It was demanded that industry should reduce its ……………. of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (release)

4. Singapore is only 1° north of the ………….. . (imaginary line round the centre of the earth)

5. ………. is taking place in Northern Africa due to lack of rainfall. (a change of land into desert)

6. In India the ……………….. often brings very bad flooding. (period of heavy rain)

7. A tidal wave completely flooded the …………………. area and left many people homeless. (seashore)

8. It was ……………………. that she was wearing a fur coat on such a warm day. (strange)

9. The storm was so strong that the ………………….. filled almost immediately. (drainage channel for water)

10. He is a very ………………….. chef who is always thinking up new recipes. (original)

11. The dam burst and many villages below were ……………… with flood water. (not able to cope)

12. Due to ………………….. weather conditions, we had snow in May. (extreme unusual)

13. Following the earthquake there was a(n) …………….. that destroyed the whole village. (massive wave)

14. In hot countries it’s economical to heat water using …………………… power. (sun)

Exercise 3

Find the odd word out.

1 monsoon, rain, drought, drizzle	4 hot, boiling, scorching, chilly
2 breeze, shower, wind, draught	5 hail, snow, lightning, sleet
3 smoke, mist, fog, vapour

Exercise 4

Explain the following WEATHER related idioms, then make sentences using them.

under the weather, make heavy weather of, weather the storm, a storm in a teacup, as right as rain, come rain or shine, for a rainy day, chase rainbows, put the wind up sb

Exercise 5

Fill in appropriate word(s) from the list below. Use the word(s) only once.

Flood Barrier, drainage, industrial, mountainous, predictions, to face, bankrupt, global, geological, high-tide, target, hard-bitten, urban, heavily, to regulate

1 ……………………populated	9 ……….………………systems
2 ………………will come true	10 ………………………...the fact
3 …………………….warming	11 ………………………...regions
4 ………………………...areas	12 …………………………...level
5 to be on …………………….	13 to go ………………………….
6 …………………….structure	14 ……………………purification
7 ……………………….cynics	15 The Thames …………………..
8 ……………………emissions	16 ……………………..conditions

Exercise 6

Complete the table using the words from the list below.

boiling, rain, fog, drizzle, storm, ice, heatwave, smog, blizzard, downpour, sunshine, gust, freezing, flood, sleet, dry, torrential rain, chilly, breeze, snowdrift, frost, snowflake, gale, hurricane, warm, hail, draught, drought, cyclone, monsoon

Hot weather
Cold weather
Misty weather
Windy weather
Wet weather

Exercise 7

Choose the correct item.

1 I’ll help my father ……………. the wheat on the farm.
A harvest	B pick	C produce	D stock
2 Our garden was in a complete …………. after the storm.
A chaos	B disorder	C mess	D havoc
3 There are often accidents when there is thick ……………….
A mist	B vapour	C steam	D fog
4 The ………… of exhaust gases from cars pollute the city.
A outings	B outlets	C emissions	D omissions
5 The helicopter couldn’t take off due to ………… winds.
A wild	B furious	C savage	D strong