1. Choose the synonyms according to the context.

1. To ride a) to actually observe or be practically acquainted with

2. To crash b) to sit, to go, to be on smth

3. A beep c) an event resulting in distress

4. To experience d) to collide violently with obstacle

5. A disappointment e) a sound of motor-car horn

6. A balance f) a steady position

2. Complete the following sentences.

1. True surfers must be … .

2. Hawaii is the place … .

3. It takes time for a beginner … .

4. To be a good surfer means … .

5. It’s an amazing feeling … .

3. Join two sentences using connectives.

1. Surfers check weather forecasts. There places where really exciting waves are expected.

2. A beginner should learn a technique of surfing. One wants to be a good surfer.

3. You are wearing a wet suit. You can swim both in warm and cold water.

4. One can learn to catch a wave. It is necessary to spend a few weeks or a whole summer on training.

5. You try to do surfing. You may find muscles you have never felt before.

4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order.

1. To be a professional surfer one should be a strong swimmer with good balance and a lot of practicing.

2. Many surfers travel round the world searching for perfect waves and checking weather forecasts in order to find really exciting waves.

3. Watching great surfers may make you want to try the sport.

4. Surfing is the most exciting watersport.

5. There are great surfing locations including Brazil, South Africa, Cornwall.

6. Many surfers prefer wearing wet suits irrespective of water temperature.

Unit XXX

Key words and expressions: a hurricane, a thunderstorm, to originate, a forecaster, to issue, a surge, to stock up on, to hurricane-proof.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are violent storms that cause millions of dollars in property damage and take many lives. They can be extremely dangerous, and too often people underestimate their fury. Hurricanes normally originate as a small area of thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean west of the Cape Verde Islands during August or September. For several days, the area of the storm increases and the air pressure falls slowly. A center of low pressure forms, and winds begin to whirl around it. It is blown westward, increasing in size and strength.

Hurricane hunters then fly out to the storm in order to determine its size and intensity and to track its direction. They drop radiosondes, or instruments for recording temperature, air pressure, and humidity, into the storm. They also look at the size of waves on the ocean, the clouds, and the eye of the storm. The eye is a region of relative calm and clear skies in the center of the hurricane. People often lose their lives by leaving shelter when the eye has arrived, only to be caught in tremendous winds again when the eye has passed.

Once the forecasters have determined that it is likely the hurricane will reach shore, they issue a hurricane watch for a large, general area that may be in the path of the storm. Later, when the probable point of landfall is clearer, they will issue a hurricane warning for a somewhat more limited area. People in these areas are wise to stock up on nonperishable foods, flashlight and radio batteries, candles, and other items they may need if electricity and water are not available after the storm. They should also try to hurricane-proof their houses by bringing in light-weight furniture and other items from outside and covering windows. People living in low-lying areas are wise to evacuate their houses because of the storm surge, which is a large rush of water that may come ashore with the storm.

Hurricanes generally lose power slowly while traveling over land, but many move out to sea, gather up force again, and return to land. As they move toward the north, they generally lose their identity as hurricanes.

Post-reading tasks