Unit2 WeatherTask1WeatherinTexasScriptTexas was the biggest state before Alaska became the forty-ninth state of the US in 1959.AlthoughTexas is smaller than Alaska, it is much bigger than the other states.Onegood way tounderstand the size of Texas is to learn about its weather. Different parts of the state have verydifferentkindsofweather.LaredoisoneofthehottestcitiesintheUnitedStatesduringthesummer.Thebesttimetovisit Laredo is in the winter, when it is pleasantly warm.Amarillo gets very cold in winter. There is sometimes more snow in Amarillo than in NewYork, which is a northern city. Summers are better, but sometimes it gets quite hot. The best timetovisitAmarillois inthefall,when it is cool.If anyone asks you about the weather in Texas, ask him, "Which part of Texas do youmean?'Key1)B 2)A 3)DTipsThis task is about the different weather conditions in the large state of Texas. Before thelisteningpractice,students should be askedtotalk about theclimates of theprovincesthey arefrom. This will help prepare students for this listening task as well as serve as a warm-up for thisunit.Task2ClimateinBritainScriptOur friend Nick declared solemnly the other day that he thought that the British weatherwas terrible. He went on to explain by pointing out that the British climate was a temperate one.This meant, he said, that you could always be certain that the weather would never be extreme-at any rate not for any length of timenever very hot and never very cold. He quite rightlypointed out thatthe rainfall inBritain, according to statistics,was not veryheavy.Whythen,heasked,“hastheBritishclimatesuchabadreputation?"Heansweredbysayingitwasbecauseoftheextraordinarilyunreliableweather.Therewasnopartoftheyearinwhichyoucouldbecertain the weather would be dry or wet, clear or dull, hot or cold. A bad day in July could be ascold as a mild day in January. Indeed, you could feel cold at almost any time of the year. Nickblamed draughty British houses for this, but agreed that you could also blame the small amountof sunshine and the great amount of dampness.He admitted he had never experienced one ofLondon's notorious fogs, which, he said, were things of the past. For the present, he advisedevery student coming to Britain to bring an umbrella and to understand the meaning of thatsplendid word “drizzle."Key1. 1)T 2)F 3)F 4)T10
Unit 2 Weather Task 1 Weather in Texas Script Texas was the biggest state before Alaska became the forty-ninth state of the US in 1959. Although Texas is smaller than Alaska, it is much bigger than the other states. One good way to understand the size of Texas is to learn about its weather. Different parts of the state have very different kinds of weather. Laredo is one of the hottest cities in the United States during the summer. The best time to visit Laredo is in the winter, when it is pleasantly warm. Amarillo gets very cold in winter. There is sometimes more snow in Amarillo than in New York, which is a northern city. Summers are better, but sometimes it gets quite hot. The best time to visit Amarillo is in the fall, when it is cool. If anyone asks you about the weather in Texas, ask him, “Which part of Texas do you mean?” Key 1) B 2) A 3) D Tips This task is about the different weather conditions in the large state of Texas. Before the listening practice, students should be asked to talk about the climates of the provinces they are from. This will help prepare students for this listening task as well as serve as a warm-up for this unit. Task 2 Climate in Britain Script Our friend Nick declared solemnly the other day that he thought that the British weather was terrible. He went on to explain by pointing out that the British climate was a temperate one. This meant, he said, that you could always be certain that the weather would never be extreme— at any rate not for any length of time—never very hot and never very cold. He quite rightly pointed out that the rainfall in Britain, according to statistics, was not very heavy. “Why then,” he asked, “has the British climate such a bad reputation?” He answered by saying it was because of the extraordinarily unreliable weather. There was no part of the year in which you could be certain the weather would be dry or wet, clear or dull, hot or cold. A bad day in July could be as cold as a mild day in January. Indeed, you could feel cold at almost any time of the year. Nick blamed draughty British houses for this, but agreed that you could also blame the small amount of sunshine and the great amount of dampness. He admitted he had never experienced one of London’s notorious fogs, which, he said, were things of the past. For the present, he advised every student coming to Britain to bring an umbrella and to understand the meaning of that splendid word “drizzle.” Key 1. 1) T 2) F 3) F 4) T 10
2. 1)B 2)C3. extraordinarily unreliable, dry, wet, clear, dull, hot, cold, bad, mildTipsAfter the listening practice, ask students to summarize Nick's general opinion about Britishweather before they do the exercises.Exercise 1 tests students'memory of details and Question 4requires students to piece together information from different places in the recording.Exercise 2requires students to understand implied meaning from the context. When answering Question 1,students should be encouraged to talk about the specific evidence for their choices.Task3Howdo citiesaffectthe climate?SeriptCities change the climate around you. In the countryside, there are trees, grass, lakes, andstreams. In hot weather, the trees and grass cool the area around them. Lakes and rivers also coolthe area aroundthem.But cities are not cooled in these natural ways. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron, andsteel. There are few trees and usually not much grass. The rain falls onto the streets and drainsintothesewers.When the summer sun shines, streets and buildings absorb the heat; after the sun sets, thestreets and buildings continue to radiate heat. Once the sun sets, the countryside cools quitequickly but a citymay stay hot all nightCities are hotter than the countryside in winter, too. Standing near a car with its motorrunning, winter or summer, you will feel the heat thrown off by the engine. The heat comes fromthe gasoline burned by the engine. This heat warms the air and the ground around the car.Thousands of runningcarsarealmost like thousands of small fires burning.Carefully put your hands near a light bulb or television set. As you can see, electricitycreates a lot of heat. This heat from electricity warms the house and the outside air.The heat given off by cities can affect the climate. Some experts even believe that cities canchange the climate of the whole world. They argue that air pollution stops sunlight from reachingthe earth. If less sunshine reaches the earth, the earth will become cooler.Still other experts think the world is getting warmer, causing great changes. As ice near theNorth and South poles melts, the oceans will rise.Cities near oceans-like Los Angeles, Boston,and Miami-will slowlyflood, so people living in these cities will have to move to higher landKeyI.Lowtemperatures inthecountrysideReason: Trees,grass. lakes and rivers help to cool the area around themII. High temperatures in citiesA.Warm nightsReasons: 1. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron and steel2. Streets and buildings absorb heat during the day and radiate heat into the airat night.B.WarmwintersReason: The heat from car engines and electrical appliances warms cities even in winter.II. How cities influence global climate11
2. 1) B 2) C 3. extraordinarily unreliable, dry, wet, clear, dull, hot, cold, bad, mild Tips After the listening practice, ask students to summarize Nick’s general opinion about British weather before they do the exercises. Exercise 1 tests students’ memory of details and Question 4 requires students to piece together information from different places in the recording. Exercise 2 requires students to understand implied meaning from the context. When answering Question 1, students should be encouraged to talk about the specific evidence for their choices. Task 3 How do cities affect the climate? Script Cities change the climate around you. In the countryside, there are trees, grass, lakes, and streams. In hot weather, the trees and grass cool the area around them. Lakes and rivers also cool the area around them. But cities are not cooled in these natural ways. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron, and steel. There are few trees and usually not much grass. The rain falls onto the streets and drains into the sewers. When the summer sun shines, streets and buildings absorb the heat; after the sun sets, the streets and buildings continue to radiate heat. Once the sun sets, the countryside cools quite quickly but a city may stay hot all night. Cities are hotter than the countryside in winter, too. Standing near a car with its motor running, winter or summer, you will feel the heat thrown off by the engine. The heat comes from the gasoline burned by the engine. This heat warms the air and the ground around the car. Thousands of running cars are almost like thousands of small fires burning. Carefully put your hands near a light bulb or television set. As you can see, electricity creates a lot of heat. This heat from electricity warms the house and the outside air. The heat given off by cities can affect the climate. Some experts even believe that cities can change the climate of the whole world. They argue that air pollution stops sunlight from reaching the earth. If less sunshine reaches the earth, the earth will become cooler. Still other experts think the world is getting warmer, causing great changes. As ice near the North and South poles melts, the oceans will rise. Cities near oceans—like Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami—will slowly flood, so people living in these cities will have to move to higher land. Key I. Low temperatures in the countryside Reason: Trees, grass, lakes and rivers help to cool the area around them. II. High temperatures in cities A. Warm nights Reasons: 1. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron and steel. 2. Streets and buildings absorb heat during the day and radiate heat into the air at night. B. Warm winters Reason: The heat from car engines and electrical appliances warms cities even in winter. III. How cities influence global climate 11
A. Global climate may get cooler because air pollution may stop sunlight from reachingtheearthB.Global climate may get warmer, causing1.iceneartheNorthand Southpolestomelt2. cities near oceans to be slowly flooded and people living in these cities to move tohigherlandTipsAfterthe listeningpractice,ask students to discuss howtheywill summarizethismaterial.Thenhavethemcomparewiththeoutlineprovidedhere.Remindthemthattheymayneedtocondense the original to fill in the outline.Task4Ared skyScriptA red sky at either dusk or dawn is one of the spectacular and beautiful weather predictorswe have in nature. By closely observing this phenomenon, you can achieve short-range accuracyoftheweatherasgoodas,orbetterthanyourlocal weatherman.IntheBible,JesusinMatthew16 is quoted as saying,"When it is evening, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in themorning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering" when speaking to thePharisees.An old English weather proverb based on this passage is:Red sky at night, sailors' delight.Red sky at morning,sailors takewarning.OrEveningred and morninggray,sends the traveler on his way.Evening gray, morning red,brings the rain down on his head.At dusk, a red sky indicates that dry weather is on the way. This is due to the sun shiningthrough dust particles being pushed ahead of a high pressure system bringing in dry air. A red skyin the morningis dueto the sun again shining through dust.In this case however, the dust isbeing pushed on by an approaching low pressure system bringing in moisture.Don't confuse ared skyin the morning with a red sun in the morning.If the sun itself isred and the sky isanormal color, the day will be fairKey1. i)B 2)C2. night, delight, morning, warning, gray, way, red, head3. 1)F 2)T 3)FTipsAfter the listening practice, students can be asked to first summarize the differencesbetween a red sky at dawn and a red sky at dusk before doing the exercise. Exercise 3 isparticularly based on that understanding. While working on Exercise 2, students can be asked topay special attention to therhymingof thepoem.12
A. Global climate may get cooler because air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earth. B. Global climate may get warmer, causing 1. ice near the North and South poles to melt; 2. cities near oceans to be slowly flooded and people living in these cities to move to higher land. Tips After the listening practice, ask students to discuss how they will summarize this material. Then have them compare with the outline provided here. Remind them that they may need to condense the original to fill in the outline. Task 4 A red sky Script A red sky at either dusk or dawn is one of the spectacular and beautiful weather predictors we have in nature. By closely observing this phenomenon, you can achieve short-range accuracy of the weather as good as, or better than your local weatherman. In the Bible, Jesus in Matthew 16 is quoted as saying, “When it is evening, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering” when speaking to the Pharisees. An old English weather proverb based on this passage is: Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Or Evening red and morning gray, sends the traveler on his way. Evening gray, morning red, brings the rain down on his head. At dusk, a red sky indicates that dry weather is on the way. This is due to the sun shining through dust particles being pushed ahead of a high pressure system bringing in dry air. A red sky in the morning is due to the sun again shining through dust. In this case however, the dust is being pushed on by an approaching low pressure system bringing in moisture. Don’t confuse a red sky in the morning with a red sun in the morning. If the sun itself is red and the sky is a normal color, the day will be fair. Key 1. 1) B 2) C 2. night, delight, morning, warning, gray, way, red, head 3. 1) F 2) T 3) F Tips After the listening practice, students can be asked to first summarize the differences between a red sky at dawn and a red sky at dusk before doing the exercise. Exercise 3 is particularly based on that understanding. While working on Exercise 2, students can be asked to pay special attention to the rhyming of the poem. 12
Task 5 Where shall I stay in lightning storms?ScriptMark: I am an avid fly fisherman and frequently find myself on the river in a raft duringlightning storms. We always have a debate at these times on where we are safest-pulling intoshore or staying on the water. Since I have heard one is safe in a car when lightning strikes Iwonder if the raft floating on the water is insulated, and therefore the safest place to be.Meteorologist A: We spoke with some scientists about your question, and they all agreedthat under no circumstances should you remain on the water during a lightning storm. If your raftis made of rubber, you might feel that you're well insulated, but don't kid yourself. Typicallightning flashes travel 10 to 15 kilometers and can deliver as much as 100,000 amps of current.In comparison, a toaster uses about 10 amps of current. If lightning strikes the water near you, itwill have no trouble traveling through a few extra centimeters of rubber.Meteorologist B: So, if you're on the water and a thunderstorm approaches, get to the shoreuand seek shelter on land. Try a building or car. If neither is available, look for a cave, cliff, wall.or a group of trees. Never take shelter under an isolated treeit's also a good target for lightning.Key1)C 2)B 3)D 4)C 5)CTipsThe language in this task is typically used in conversation. It might be slightly differentfrom what students learn in their textbooks, but is just as important for their comprehension andcommunicationinreal lifeTask6TornadoesScriptEvery spring and summer many inland areas are hit by tornadoes. A tornado is a kind ofstorm. It is a revolving, funnel-shaped column of air that moves through the sky at very highspeeds. A tornado looks like a huge, black ice cream cone whirling through the sky. The speed ofa tornado is very fast-it is believed to be between 200 and 700 kilometers per hour.Tornadoesformunder very special weather conditions, and these special weather conditionsoccur most often in inland areas, such as the central United States. A tornado forms when a layeiof warm,dryairisontopof alayer ofcooler,moistair.Thiscombination ofdry,warmairabovewet, cool air creates a condition that causes the lower layer of air to lift up.As the lower airrisesbothlayersofairbegintorotate,toturnaroundandaround.Theairbeginstorotatefasterandfaster because of centrifugal force. The tornado has a center called an “eye" and the air rotatesquicklyaroundthiseye.As the air begins to rotate faster and faster, the tornado cloud begins to grow downward;that is, it begins to form a funnel or cone, and this cone goes down toward the ground.The cone of air is dark because it develops from a dark rain cloud. As the cloud gets closerto the ground, it begins to pull up dirt from the ground. Then the funnel of rotating air becomesvery dark because of the dirt in it. As the tornado funnel gets longer, it begins to drag along theground.When the tornado touches the ground, it does incredible damage. It usually touches theground for only about one minute, and it usually travels along the ground for only about one13
Task 5 Where shall I stay in lightning storms? Script Mark: I am an avid fly fisherman and frequently find myself on the river in a raft during lightning storms. We always have a debate at these times on where we are safest—pulling into shore or staying on the water. Since I have heard one is safe in a car when lightning strikes I wonder if the raft floating on the water is insulated, and therefore the safest place to be. Meteorologist A: We spoke with some scientists about your question, and they all agreed that under no circumstances should you remain on the water during a lightning storm. If your raft is made of rubber, you might feel that you’re well insulated, but don’t kid yourself. Typical lightning flashes travel 10 to 15 kilometers and can deliver as much as 100,000 amps of current. In comparison, a toaster uses about 10 amps of current. If lightning strikes the water near you, it will have no trouble traveling through a few extra centimeters of rubber. Meteorologist B: So, if you’re on the water and a thunderstorm approaches, get to the shore and seek shelter on land. Try a building or car. If neither is available, look for a cave, cliff, wall, or a group of trees. Never take shelter under an isolated tree—it’s also a good target for lightning. Key 1) C 2) B 3) D 4) C 5) C Tips The language in this task is typically used in conversation. It might be slightly different from what students learn in their textbooks, but is just as important for their comprehension and communication in real life. Task 6 Tornadoes Script Every spring and summer many inland areas are hit by tornadoes. A tornado is a kind of storm. It is a revolving, funnel-shaped column of air that moves through the sky at very high speeds. A tornado looks like a huge, black ice cream cone whirling through the sky. The speed of a tornado is very fast—it is believed to be between 200 and 700 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes form under very special weather conditions, and these special weather conditions occur most often in inland areas, such as the central United States. A tornado forms when a layer of warm, dry air is on top of a layer of cooler, moist air. This combination of dry, warm air above wet, cool air creates a condition that causes the lower layer of air to lift up. As the lower air rises, both layers of air begin to rotate, to turn around and around. The air begins to rotate faster and faster because of centrifugal force. The tornado has a center called an “eye” and the air rotates quickly around this eye. As the air begins to rotate faster and faster, the tornado cloud begins to grow downward; that is, it begins to form a funnel or cone, and this cone goes down toward the ground. The cone of air is dark because it develops from a dark rain cloud. As the cloud gets closer to the ground, it begins to pull up dirt from the ground. Then the funnel of rotating air becomes very dark because of the dirt in it. As the tornado funnel gets longer, it begins to drag along the ground. When the tornado touches the ground, it does incredible damage. It usually touches the ground for only about one minute, and it usually travels along the ground for only about one 13
kilometer, but during that one minute, buildings are destroyed, trees are lifted up off the ground.small objectsarecarried away,and sometimes people are injured orkilled.Key1. 1)F 2)T 3)F 4)T 5)F 6)T2. incredible, one minute, one kilometer, destroyed, lifted up, carried away, injured, killedTipsAfter listening to the recording, students can be asked to recall details about how tornadoesform and develop before doing Exercise 1.Play the specific part twice for students to completeExercise2.Task 7Weekend weatherScriptMary: Those are today's top stories. Now let's go to John for the weather. John, what doestheforecast looklikeforourweekendtravelers?John: I'm afraid we're in for a rough weekend, Mary.There is a storm system movingthrough the East Coast.It will be drizzling all day today, and there's a 6o percent chance ofthunderstorms this evening. It will be warm and humid all weekend. In the Midwest, strongwindsandalowofaround40degreesFahrenheitareexpectedMary: That's pretty chilly for the summer! Will it rain on Saturday?John: Yes. It will be clear in the early Saturday morning but there is a high chance ofshowers and thunderstorms later that day.There is a severe thunderstorm warning for some partsof the Southeast. Folks in those areas might see some hail and flooding, especially in areas thathavebeenexperiencingrecordhighrainfalls.Marv:Thatcertainly soundslikea dreary SaturdayJohn: It gets better on Sunday, though. The storm systems move east and the skies willclear duringthe night.It will still berather cool, withhighs inthelow5Os.The West Coast willbeexperiencing some unusually chilly weather,but the sun will come out.I advise weekendtravelers to be careful,especially while driving.Back to you, MaryMary:ThanksJohn,andthereyouhaveit!Lookslikeit'saweekendto stayathome!Key1. 1)D 2) B2FridaySaturdaySundayMorningclearRather cool, with highs in theAll day: drizzlingLater in the day: high chancelow50sof showers and thunderstormsWest coast:unusually chillyEvening:60percentchanceofthunderstormsForweather.thoughthe sunwillsomepartsoftheSoutheast: hail and floodingcome outTipsBefore playing the recording,the teacher should first go over the words and expressionsrelated to weather as well as the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius, with O degree14
kilometer, but during that one minute, buildings are destroyed, trees are lifted up off the ground, small objects are carried away, and sometimes people are injured or killed. Key 1. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) T 2. incredible, one minute, one kilometer, destroyed, lifted up, carried away, injured, killed Tips After listening to the recording, students can be asked to recall details about how tornadoes form and develop before doing Exercise 1. Play the specific part twice for students to complete Exercise 2. Task 7 Weekend weather Script Mary: Those are today’s top stories. Now let’s go to John for the weather. John, what does the forecast look like for our weekend travelers? John: I’m afraid we’re in for a rough weekend, Mary. There is a storm system moving through the East Coast. It will be drizzling all day today, and there’s a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms this evening. It will be warm and humid all weekend. In the Midwest, strong winds and a low of around 40 degrees Fahrenheit are expected. Mary: That’s pretty chilly for the summer! Will it rain on Saturday? John: Yes. It will be clear in the early Saturday morning but there is a high chance of showers and thunderstorms later that day. There is a severe thunderstorm warning for some parts of the Southeast. Folks in those areas might see some hail and flooding, especially in areas that have been experiencing record high rainfalls. Mary: That certainly sounds like a dreary Saturday. John: It gets better on Sunday, though. The storm systems move east and the skies will clear during the night. It will still be rather cool, with highs in the low 50s. The West Coast will be experiencing some unusually chilly weather, but the sun will come out. I advise weekend travelers to be careful, especially while driving. Back to you, Mary. Mary: Thanks John, and there you have it! Looks like it’s a weekend to stay at home! Key 1. 1) D 2) B 2. Friday Saturday Sunday All day: drizzling Evening: 60 percent chance of thunderstorms Morning: clear Later in the day: high chance of showers and thunderstorms For some parts of the Southeast: hail and flooding Rather cool, with highs in the low 50s West coast: unusually chilly weather, though the sun will come out Tips Before playing the recording, the teacher should first go over the words and expressions related to weather as well as the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius, with 0 degree 14