Climate

C limate is the weather at a given place over a period of time. Or other words, climate is the average weather of a place. It involves averages, totals, and extremes to set a picture of the weather pattern. Climate is affected by the same physical conditions that affect weather: latitude, prevailing winds, ocean currents, mountains, nearness to the sea, and altitude.

Everybody knows that there are many factors that affect climate. The most important factors are temperature and rainfall. So on one hand climate is classified by a combination of temperatures and it may be: torrid, temperate or frigid. On the other hand it is classified by the rainfall and it may be: wet, humid, sub-humid, semi-arid, and arid.

The world has a number of climate regions: arctic and sub-arctic, temperate, torrid and sub-torrid, equatorial and subequatorial.

Climate depends on latitude: the sun’s rays are more intense in the tropics and near the equator and much less intense near the Poles. That is why tropical areas are warmer than regions nearer to the Poles.

Altitude has also an important effect on climate. Temperatures fall by about 6 degrees Celsius (6C⁰) for every 1000 meter of altitude. So, mountains in the tropics can have much cooler climates than surrounding lowlands.

Nearness to the ocean also affects climate, having a generally moderating influence on coastal areas. This is because although ocean water takes longer to heat up than dry land, the ocean retains heat for much longer. Most extreme climates, with very hot summers and very cold winters are found in the hearts of the continents.

Exercise 5. Put the words of the following sentences in the right word order:

1. factors/important/are/most/rainfall/the/and/temperature.

2. a/of/world/climate/number/regions/has/the.

3. extreme/are/hearts/continents/most/in/of/the/climates/the.

4. classified/climate/combination/a/temperatures/by/of/is.

5. takes/to/ocean/up/water/longer/heat.

6. that/many/affect/are/climate/there/factors.

Exercise 6. Match the beginning of each sentence with its end:

1. Climate is the weather at ... a. they use averages totals and extremes.

2. When people speak about climate ... b. cooler climate than surrounding lowlands.

3. Tropical areas are warmer ... c. a given place over a period of time.

4. In the tropics mountains often have ... d. wet, humid, sub-humid, semi-arid, arid.

5. Nearness to the sea has a ... e. than regions nearer to the Poles.

6. According to rainfall classification f. moderating influence on costal climates.

climate may be: …

Exercise 7. Copy the following text “Climatic Data” separating it into words and sentences and then read it and translate into Russian:

Climaticdataareimportantinagricultureandindustryfarmersneedtoknowthelengthofgrowingseasonsextremesoftemperatureaverageandminimumrainfallforsuccessfulgrowingofcropsthesaleofairconditionerssportsclothesandwinterweardependsonseasonaltemperatureandrainfallmanypersonaldecisionsinvolvingpaintinggardeningsportstripsandvacationscanbebettermadeifclimaticdataaretakenintoaccountthenationalweatherservicefurnishessuchinformation.

Exercise 8. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right:

1. disaster a. an overflow of water over a normally dry area

2. drought b. a very strong, often destructive wind or storm

3. dike c. continuous curve formed by a wind about a central axis

4. flood d. occurrence that causes great distress and destruction

5. hurricane e. prolonged shortage of rainfall

6. spiral f. a wall built to prevent flooding

Exercise 9. Discuss vocabulary of the previous exercise using the following models:

Model 1:

A. – Jack, tell me please what does the word hurricane mean?

2. – As far as I know, it means a very strong, often destructive wind or storm.

1. – Oh, yes. It’s a destructive wind. Thank you.

B. – You are welcome. Ask any time you need.

Model 2:

1. – Jack, tell me please what does the word flood [flu:d] mean?

2. – Sorry will you repeat it again? Which word? How do you spell it?

1. – F-l-o-o-d.

2. – Ah, you should pronounce it [flлd] correctly.

A. – Oh, sorry. Flood [flлd].

B. – It means an overflow of water over a normally dry area.

A. – I’m very much obliged to you, Jack.

B. – No, problem. I am very glad to help you.

Exercise 10. Listen to the text “Natural Disasters” twice and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions:

1. What is the surface of the Netherlands?

a. It is mountainous.

b. It is a little above the sea level but very flat.

c. It is very flat and some parts of it are below the sea level.

2. What did the people have to make there?

1. The people had to rise the level of the land.

2. The people had to build the strong dikes.

3. The people had to drill the deep well.

3. What happened in 1995 in the Netherlands?

1. Many people died of hunger.

2. Many people had to leave their homes because of the danger of flood.

3. Many people were trying to stop water until the level of it would fall again.

4. What happened in 1992 in Florida?

a. Hurricane Andrew hit Florida.

b. The territory was flooded by the ocean water.

c. There was no rain for two years.

5. How many people were killed in Florida and how many buildings were destroyed?

1. Fifteen people were killed and thousands and thousands of buildings were destroyed.

2. Fifty people were killed and thousands and thousands of buildings were destroyed.

3. Fifteen people were killed and hundreds and hundreds of buildings were destroyed.

5. How many people had nowhere to live after disaster in Florida?

1. 5 million b. 5 thousand c. 50 thousand

5. What happens in the desert climate sometimes?

1. It snows sometimes.

2. It doesn’t rain for a very long time.

3. The land is heated by the sun very intensively.

5. What happened between 1968 and 1974 in West Africa?

1. The area didn’t receive any rain for six years.

2. The territory was flooded by the ocean water.

3. There was no rain for two years.

5. What happened to the wildlife of the area?

1. The animals migrated to another area.

2. Only some of the animals survived and reproduced.

3. Half of the animals of this area died because it wasn’t enough water.