ABOUT YOU
What kinds of weather do you like / dislike? How do you or your family check the weather forecast? What is the weather usually like at this time of year where you live?
I really like warm, sunny weather because I can spend time outside and ride my bike with friends, but I dislike cold, rainy days because it gets very muddy and grey. My family and I usually check the weather forecast on our smartphones using weather apps or watch the news on TV. At this time of year, the weather where I live is quite cool and changeable, often with chilly mornings and occasional rain.
VOCABULARY
1 Look at the photos. What is happening in each one? Which do you think is the scariest? Why?
Photo A shows a fire tornado and a bushfire burning in the countryside. Photo B shows a severe flood where dirty water covers the street and reaches the cars. Photo C shows a heavy snowstorm in a city with people walking in deep snow. Photo D shows the destruction after an earthquake with a building that collapsed. In my opinion, the earthquake is the scariest because it happens without warning and destroys houses instantly.
2 Listen to four people talking about extreme weather. Match each person to a photo.
Speaker 1 – C (snowstorm) Speaker 2 – A (fire tornado / lightning storm) Speaker 3 – B (flood) Speaker 4 – D (earthquake)
3 Listen again. Complete the sentences with a word from one of the boxes.
Speaker 1 1 The speaker talked about a snowstorm. 2 There was no power in the city possibly because the wind blew so hard.
Speaker 2 3 There was a lightning storm. 4 The speaker saw a fire tornado.
Speaker 3 5 There was a flood where the speaker lives. 6 There was so much rain that the river rose by two metres. 7 It poured for hours. 8 Dirty water flowed along the street.
Speaker 4 9 The speaker experienced a big earthquake a few years ago. 10 The ground shook violently. 11 Many buildings fell down.
4 Match some of the words in Exercise 3 to the meanings.
1 rained a lot – poured 2 when wind moved and made currents of air – blew 3 bright light that you see in the sky during a storm – lightning 4 when it snows very heavily – snowstorm 5 a large amount of water covering an area in a way that is a problem – flood 6 an extremely dangerous wind that moves in a circle – tornado 7 moved quickly from side to side – shook 8 (water) increased in level – rose
5 What are the infinitives of blew, fell down, rose and shook?
The infinitives of these irregular verbs are:
- blew – blow
- fell down – fall down
- rose – rise
- shook – shake
6 Discuss the questions.
1 In case of a flood, you should move to higher ground and avoid walking or driving through water. In case of a fire, you must leave the building immediately, stay close to the floor to avoid smoke, and call emergency services. During an earthquake, you need to drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on until the shaking stops.
2 One of the latest severe weather events in Ukraine was heavy snowfall accompanied by strong gale winds in winter, which blocked major roads and caused power cuts in several regions.
3 Yes, I was once outside during a severe summer thunderstorm with hail and extreme wind. Large tree branches fell down onto the street, and our neighborhood lost electricity for several hours.
READING
1 Read the fact file about bush fires in Australia. Answer the questions.
1 Bush fires happen every year because of the hot, dry climate. Some of them are started on purpose or by accident, while others occur due to natural causes such as lightning strikes.
2 Bush fires are an essential part of the country’s ecology because they clear away old, dead wood. The ash enriches the soil with useful nutrients, which helps new plants grow and keeps the forests healthy.
2 Read the article below quickly and decide on the best title (A–C). Don’t worry about the spaces yet.
C (Weather conditions create something unusual)
3 Look at the example space (0) at the bottom of the page and these possible answers. The correct answer is A. Why? Complete sentences 1–3 with words B–D.
The correct answer is A (number) because we use number with countable nouns in the plural (referring to fires). By contrast, sum is used for amounts of money, figure refers to a specific data point or measurement, and total indicates the complete sum of items counted together.
1 The average rainfall for April is 70 mm but this year the figure is much lower. 2 A huge sum of money was needed to repair the damage caused by the storm. 3 The total number of bush fires in Australia last year was 50,000.
4 Read the article again and for each question, choose the correct answer.
1 B (created) 2 C (area) 3 A (reach) 4 D (increased) 5 A (call) 6 C (event)
5 Read the article again and answer the questions.
1 So many houses were destroyed because they were situated less than 100 metres from a large area of pine trees on the edge of the city. 2 The firefighters couldn’t put out the fires because it was difficult to reach the areas where the fires were burning. 3 The fire tornado was caused by storms accompanying the fire and a sudden increase in wind speed that joined several fires together.
6 Match the highlighted words in the article to the meanings.
1 the part of something which is furthest from the centre — edge 2 happened at the same time as something — accompanied 3 strong — powerful 4 very unusual or uncommon — rare 5 damaged totally — destroyed
TALKING POINTS
When do people talk about the weather? What problems do extreme weather conditions cause for people? Why? Will people ever be able to control the weather? Why? / Why not?
People often talk about the weather to start small talk when meeting someone, or when making plans for outdoor activities and travel.
Extreme weather conditions, such as floods, heatwaves, and storms, cause severe problems like damage to infrastructure, power cuts, and the destruction of homes, because strong winds and water can ruin buildings and disrupt essential services.
People will probably not be able to completely control global weather systems because atmospheric processes and nature operate on a massive, unpredictable scale that humans cannot fully change.
GRAMMAR
1 Match the examples to the rules.
1 c (things that happened regularly in the past) 2 a (a single completed past action or event) 3 b (something that happened at a particular time in the past)
2 Look at the past simple verbs in Exercise 1. What are their infinitive forms?
The infinitive forms of the past simple verbs are:
- were – be
- destroyed – destroy
- grew – grow
- created – create
3 Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Mum booked Dad and me on this course as a surprise! I 1 didn’t feel nervous before we 2 got there because I love surprises. It was great fun and we both 3 learned so much. There were five other people about my age, and each 4 came with one parent – mostly super-keen dads! The course 5 didn’t begin until midday on the Saturday and 6 included one night outside under the stars. They 7 gave us our own backpack in which we 8 carried all the things we 9 needed. We 10 hiked through some difficult countryside and we even 11 crossed a river at one point. They 12 taught us how to build and light a fire. We 13 dug for food, 14 built our own basic sleeping accommodation, and they 15 told us how to protect ourselves in extreme weather. 16 ‘Did you sleep well?’ Dad asked me the next morning. I did, as I was exhausted! The next morning was all about ‘self-rescue’ – they 17 put us in different groups and we 18 found our way back to the main building. It was the best present ever!
4 Match the examples to the rules.
1 My family used to live just outside Canberra. – b (a permanent situation in the past that is no longer the case) 2 As kids, we used to spend every August with our grandparents. – a (something that happened or didn’t happen regularly in the past) 3 Before electricity, how did people use to keep warm during the long, cold winters? – a (something that happened or didn’t happen regularly in the past) 4 Generally speaking, forest fires didn’t use to be as common as they are now. – b (a permanent situation in the past that is no longer the case) 5 Nick didn’t use to come snowboarding with us, but now he loves it. – a (something that happened or didn’t happen regularly in the past)
5 Correct the mistake in each sentence.
1 When we were kids, we used to play together. 2 When you were younger, did you use to watch cartoons on TV? 3 In Ukraine, it used to rain more often than it does now. 4 The film is about a shop where people used to go in the 1980s.
6 Work in pairs. Turn to page 135.
Student A: What did you use to do after school when you were seven years old? Student B: I used to play outside with my neighbours and watch cartoons, but I didn’t use to have any homework. What about you? Student A: I used to go to swimming practice twice a week, but I didn’t use to play computer games. Where did your family use to spend summer holidays? Student B: We used to go to our grandparents’ village every summer and swim in the lake.
VOCABULARY
1 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs in the box.
1 The shop we used to go to for sweets burned down in a fire last month and they aren’t going to rebuild it. 2 When we were camping, we didn’t use to put out our camp fire at night, but it was quite safe. 3 I left my essay on the wall outside for a minute and all the pages blew away in the wind! 4 It was pouring earlier today, but then the sun came out again. 5 After a week of rain, the weather cleared up. 6 During the earthquake, many buildings on the high street fell down.
2 Write sentences using each of the phrasal verbs from Exercise 1. Read your sentences to a partner.
1 The strong gust of wind made the dry leaves blow away across the yard. 2 The old wooden barn accidentally burned down during the lightning storm. 3 We can go for a bike ride as soon as the sky clears up. 4 It was cloudy all morning, but the sun finally came out in the afternoon. 5 Be careful on the icy path so you do not slip and fall down. 6 The firefighters worked quickly to put out the campfire before leaving the forest.
LISTENING
1 What do you think you should do if you get lost in snow?
If you get lost in the snow, you should stay calm and build a shelter, such as a snow cave, to protect yourself from the wind and freezing cold. It is also important to stay in one safe place so search and rescue teams can find you more easily.
2 You will hear an interview with a teenager called Jake, who got lost on a snowy mountain in Oregon, USA. Read the six questions. Then listen and try to answer the questions, choosing A, B or C. Compare your answers with a partner. Then listen again and check.
1 B (He left them where they came off.) 2 A (it was too dark for him to reach the bottom.) 3 C (It kept him completely out of the wind.) 4 B (groups of people on foot) 5 A (search for tracks in the snow) 6 C (stayed positive by thinking about him.)
3 What would you do in Jake’s situation?
In Jake’s situation, I would stop walking once it gets dark and build a snow shelter to stay warm and out of the freezing wind. In the morning, I would look for tracks in the snow or follow the trail down the mountain towards the lights and rescue teams.
SPEAKING
1 Read the questions. Then listen to Mariann’s answers. What verb forms does she use to talk about her past experiences?
Mariann uses the past simple (for example, loved, didn’t mind, wanted, had, played, swam) and used to + infinitive (for example, used to live, used to build, used to stay, used to pick) to talk about her past experiences.
2 Complete the text with the missing verbs. Then listen again and check.
Mariann used to live in the mountains. She 1 loved playing in the snow, and every winter, she 2 used to build a snowman with her friends. In the summer, she 3 used to stay with her grandparents, who had a farm. When the weather was good, she 4 often swam in the river and 5 used to pick flowers in the fields.
3 Read the Prepare to speak box. Then listen to Mariann’s answers again. Which phrases does she use?
Mariann uses the following phrases from the box:
- Do you mean … ?
- Well, …
- Let me think. …
- Um …
- … that kind of thing.
- … , actually.
4 Ask and answer the questions in Exercise 1. Say as much as you can about your own past experiences. Use phrases from the Prepare to speak box.
1 What was your favourite outdoor activity as a child? Well, when I was a child, my absolute favourite activity was riding my bicycle around our neighbourhood with my friends. We used to build small wooden ramps and set up obstacle courses, that kind of thing. I spent hours outside every day until the street lights came on, actually.
2 How much time did you spend outdoors when you were younger? Do you mean on school days or during the holidays? In the summer holidays, let me think… I used to spend almost the entire day outside in the yard or at the local playground. I didn’t mind if it was hot or windy because playing football and hide-and-seek with other kids was always great fun.
3 Tell us about the things you did during good weather. Um, let me see. Whenever the weather was warm and sunny, my family and I used to go to the lake near our town. We often swam, played volleyball, and had barbecues on the weekends, that kind of thing.
LIFE SKILLS
1 Ask and answer the questions with a partner.
1 How often do you work in teams in your classes? We work in teams quite often, usually two or three times a week during English, Science, and Geography lessons. Our teachers frequently give us group projects, lab experiments, and presentations to prepare together.
2 Do you do any team activities in your free time? Yes, I play football in a local youth team twice a week, and we often have matches on Saturdays. I also participate in board game clubs with my friends at the weekend, where we work together in cooperative strategy games.
3 Do you like working in teams? Why? / Why not? Yes, I really enjoy working in teams because we can share different ideas and finish tasks much faster. It is also a lot more fun to brainstorm together and support each other when a problem is difficult to solve.
2 Read the text on the opposite page quickly. Why does Angelina enjoy team projects? What role does she like?
Angelina enjoys team projects because she is a sociable person, likes sharing ideas with others, and gets bored when working alone. For her recycling project, she liked the role of a timekeeper, and she also enjoys volunteering to find information and search for facts on the internet.
3 Match the sentences with the introduction or tips 1–5 in the text.
1 Tip 3 (Some people may want to choose tasks they are good at doing.) 2 Tip 5 (Everyone has to be responsible and complete their own tasks.) 3 Tip 1 (If you don’t understand the instructions, check with the teacher.) 4 Tip 4 (Think carefully about the best order for doing the different tasks.) 5 Introduction (When team members don’t work well together, projects are more difficult.) 6 Tip 2 (It’s more successful if team members each have a special part to play in the team.)
4 Match the highlighted words in the text to the meanings.
1 search for 2 stressful 3 split up 4 waste 5 whenever
5 Look at photos A–C. What project topics could they represent?
Photo A could represent exercise, fitness, and staying active. Photo B could represent healthy eating habits, food, and nutrition. Photo C could represent first aid, safety equipment, and treating sports injuries.
6 Listen to a conversation. Which topic from the photos does David like for the team project?
David likes the topic shown in Photo C (first aid and emergency safety), because he took a first aid course at the community centre last year and really enjoyed it.
7 Listen again and complete the sentences.
1 Anna thinks they should do a project about exercise and staying fit. 2 David’s mum thinks he should stay positive. 3 David’s mum suggests that he asks his teacher to give him more information about the project. 4 David’s first idea for the group project was extreme sports. 5 Last year, David took a course about first aid.
8 Read the Useful language phrases. Complete them with the words in the box.
1 I think we should make a list. 2 I don’t know. Let me think. 3 What about collecting money? 4 I’m not sure. I can’t decide. 5 How about a different topic? 6 That could be a good idea.