TOPIC: WEATHER

Vocabulary
1. boiling hot: an expression to describe a very hot weather.
The last summer was boiling hot, the average temperature reached 40 degrees!
2. mild: warm and pleasant.
The weather in my country is mild in spring.
3. chilly: cold.
It's chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
4. freezing cold: very cold.
I wanted to go ice skating on the New Year day, but it was freezing cold and I decided to stay home.
5. degrees Celsius: used to measure the temperature.
In the autumn, the average temperature here is 15 degrees Celsius
6. to go below zero: to become negative (about temperatures).
The temperature often goes below zero in the winter.
7. gloomy: weather with dark clouds and dull light.
Personally, I don’t like gloomy weather. It makes me feel depressed.
8. clear: without clouds.
I adore clear weather, when there are no clouds on the sky.
9. to clear up: when clouds and rain disappear.
After a long rain, it finally cleared up.
10. to be drenched (to the skin): to be completely soaked with water.
I forgot to take an umbrella and was drenched in the rain.
11. gentle rain: light rain.
12. drizzle: a light rain that falls in very small drops.
It often drizzles in the morning.
13. downpour: a heavy fall of rain.
What a downpour! We are drenched to the skin.
14. to pour down: to rain heavily.
I like rainy weather. When it pours down, we sit at home with my family, talk and drink hot tea.
15. humid: containing a high amount of water.
In my country the climate is generally cold and humid, especially in the north.
16. snow-covered: covered with snow.
In the winter my family and I go skiing to the snow-covered hills of Switzerland.
17. heavy snow: when a lot of snow falls.
Children went to school in spite of the heavy snow.
18. frosty: cold.
Continental climate implies hot summers and frosty winters.
19. snowstorm: large amounts of wind and snow.
I don’t like winters because of frequent snowstorms.
20. hail: when small balls of ice (hailstones) fall from the sky.
After the hail, we found hailstones that were the size of golf balls!
21. high wind = strong wind.
In the autumn strong winds are quite frequent.
22. breeze: a nice gentle wind.
I don’t usually like windy weather, but a light breeze from the ocean makes me happy.
23. wind chill factor: when the wind makes the air feel colder than the real temperature.
In my hometown it’s very windy in the winter. And though the temperature rarely goes below zero, with
wind chill factor it feels like minus 10!
24. sunshine: the heat and light of the sun.
I love summertime because of the long days and bright sunshine.
25. dry: with no rain.
Summers in Turkey are often hot and dry.
26. heat stroke (sun stroke): a serious heat illness because of being too long in hot weather.
It’s often boiling hot in my city in the summer and a lot of people suffer from heat stroke.
27. a spell of good weather: a period of good weather. You can use other adjectives instead of "good" to
describe weather.
After a three-day spell of rainy weather, there was a spell of sunny weather.
28. changeable weather: weather that often changes.
In my country the weather is very changeable, periods of hot weather can be followed by heavy rains or
even snowstorms!
29. mild climate: a climate without extreme weather conditions.
30. smog: a cloud of pollution.
My town is so polluted that I don’t see stars at night because of thick smog!
31. forecast: a prediction of how the weather will change.
Although the forecasts predicted a mild winter, the January was freezing cold.
32. to be below freezing: below zero degrees Celsius
33. bitterly cold: very cold and unpleasant
34. a blanket of snow: a complete covering of snow
35. boiling hot: very hot (informal)
36. changeable: weather that often changes
37. a change in the weather: when weather conditions change
38. clear blue skies: a sky without clouds
39. to clear up: when clouds or rain disappear
Speaking questions (part 2)
Describe an occasion when the weather prevented you from going on a trip.
You should say:
 When it was
 Why it prevented your trip
 What you did
 And explain how you felt about it.
Sample answer:
There haven’t been too many occasions when I’ve been prevented from doing something because of the weather.
Perhaps I’ll sometimes postpone going out to the store if it’s raining, but most of the time it won’t stop me.
However, one such time that comes to mind is when I was flying from Florida to London.
The southern United States are known for having wild thunderstorms in summer, and often it can cause delays to
flights because of the inherent danger of flying in stormy weather.
A few summers ago I was unlucky enough to have my flight cancelled because of adverse weather. I remember
having a look at the weather forecast on the day I was due to fly. A storm was predicted but only with a 30 to 40
percent likelihood. I also had a look at the airline’s website and it seemed like my flight was going to depart as
planned, so I ordered a taxi and made my way to the airport.
Upon arrival, things didn’t look as hopeful. The departures board listed my flight as being delayed by a few hours. A
bunch of worried passengers were asking airline representatives what was going to happen with their flight. There
wasn’t much information at the time, but everyone was being reassured that their flights were going to depart that
day, just with a few hours delay.
Five minutes later the flight’s status changed from delayed to cancelled. You could see the fear in some passengers’
eyes, wondering how long they’d be stranded for.
I could see out of the big terminal windows the menacing storm clouds rolling in. It was no wonder all flights,
including mine, were grounded. I felt a little bit helpless, but I decided to make the best of the situation and watch
the storm while I was on hold to the customer service hotline.
 Postpone (verb): To decide that something will not be done at the time when it was originally planned, but
at a later time.
Example: The exam has been postponed until next Tuesday.
 Comes to mind (phrase): If you suddenly remember something or start to think about it, it is said to come to
mind.
Example: They asked for my comments, but nothing came to mind.
 Wild (adjective): Something that’s uncontrolled, violent, or extreme. In the case of weather, there is a storm
with strong winds.
Example: It was a wild night, with the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen.
 Inherent (adjective): Something that exists as a basic or natural part of something that is inseparable from it.
Example: There is an inherent weakness in the bridge.
 Adverse (adjective): Something that’s negative, unpleasant or harmful and likely to cause problems.
 Example: There’s adverse weather conditions forecast for this evening.
 Likelihood (noun): The chance that something will happen.
Example: The likelihood of it being sunny today is very high.
 Make your way (idiom): If you make your way somewhere, you start physically moving towards it.
Example: We made our way to the front of the line.
 Reassure (verb): To make someone feel less worried about something.
Example: There’s not much I can do to reassure you.
 Stranded (adjective): If you’re stranded somewhere, you left somewhere with no way of leaving or going
somewhere else.
Example: Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the airport.
 Terminal (noun): A large building where planes, trains, boats, or busses start and finish a journey.
Example: The airport built a new terminal to handle more passengers.
 Menacing (adjective): Something that looks like it’s likely to cause harm, or is threatening, or possibly
harmful.
Example: The storm looked menacing.
 Roll in (phrasal verb): If something rolls in, it means it arrives in large numbers or amounts. It can also mean
that a person arrives in a relaxed way despite being late.
Example A: Money started rolling in and the business grew and grew.
 No wonder (idiom): A phrase that’s used to show you’re not surprised by a particular situation or event.
Example: It’s no wonder the children are bored on a long car ride if they have nothing to do.
 Grounded (adjective): Used to describe an aircraft that’ prevented from flying for some reason, usually
because of safety, weather, or some other problem.
Example: The aircraft were grounded for a few hours until the storm passed.
 Make the best of (phrase): If you make the best of it you accept a bad or difficult situation without
complaining and try to deal with it as best you can.
Example: I missed my train, so I decided to make the best of it by having a leisurely lunch while I waited for
the next train.
 On hold (idiom): If you’re on hold you’re waiting to speak to someone on the phone after your call has been
answered.
Example: They put me on hold for 20 minutes while they tried to sort out the problem.
 Hotline (noun): A telephone number that people can call for information, often in an emergency.
Example: I called the electricity company’s hotline when the power went out.
Speaking questions (part 3)
Does the weather affect people’s lives in your country?
Sample answer: I believe that the weather always affects us in every aspect. If it is a gloomy day, I'm pretty sure
everyone will easily get bored or tired of whatever they are doing. In contrast, the sunny days make us feel alive and
upbeat.

Do you think that the weather affects people's mood?

Yes! Weather does affect our mood. We experience drowsiness in winter and exasperation in high summers,
whereas spring brings up positive alleviation in our mood. Even psychologists have proven that crime rate and
psychological well being-ness are highly proportionate to the change in weather and crime rate shows a drastic
decline in pleasant weather conditions.

Does air pollution affect the weather?

Yes, the weather is severely affected by air quality. As you can see, when the air is polluted, we can expect a smog
and gloomy weather in the morning. The sky can be overcast, which might make people feel dreary all day.
 severely /sɪˈvɪə.li/ (adv): một cách nghiêm trọng
 dreary /ˈdrɪə.ri/ (adj): buồn tẻ

What jobs can be affected by different weather conditions? Why?

Jobs which require employees in a city to stay outside, communicate with people or visit different factories and
offices are mostly affected by the adverse weather condition. In rural areas, fishermen and farmers cannot continue
their works due to unusual weather as well. In fact, everyone wants a shiny and comfortable whether to go to their
offices or workplace and any exception can cause discomfort.

Are there any important festivals in your country that celebrate a season or type of weather?
Yes, people in Singapore have many such festivals. Every year in July, we have an authentic Asian culinary fare
especially to celebrate the food festival in Singapore. Another such festival is called the Mid-Autumn Festival and it is
observed on the 15th day of the lunar month, the Mid-Autumn. This festival is also known as the Mooncake or
Lantern Festival and it is traditionally celebrated during the farming year of the abundant harvest.

How important do you think it is for everyone to check what the next day’s weather will be? Why?
The weather greatly affects the daily routine and schedule of each individual. From a schoolboy to a corporate big
shot, everyone has a plan for the next day and if proper preparation is not taken based on the weather forecast, the
day may simply be ruined. This is why everybody should look at the weather forecast for the next day and prepare
accordingly. I myself regularly check the weather prediction in AccuWeather, an online weather forecasting
application, and plan my days ahead.
 Do you think there is anything that we can do to prevent bad weather?