2.3. Vocabulary Practice
Exercise 1. Consult your dictionary and give all possible derivatives from the following words. sun mist air
fog wind light
rain dark warm
Exercise 2. Explain the difference between the synonyms or analogous words.
to chill - to freeze breeze - wind
veil - haze - mist - fog to smoke - to steam up
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cool - chilly - cold - icy - bitter
Exercise 3. Match the nouns with adjectives to make common phrases.
Pattern: heavy rain, heavy snow, etc.
Nouns: rain Adjectives: heavy bitter
wind biting chilly
fog strong cloudy
snow fresh brisk
sky thick drizzling
air thin hot
cold piercing
bright southerly
clear swirling
chilly misty
clean drenching
Exercise 4. Find the word with the strongest meaning in each of these groups of words.
1) unpleasant - bad - beastly - wretched - nasty;
2) breeze - squall - gust - storm - hurricane;
3) cold - chilly - cool - frosty - freezing;
4) downpour - rain - shower - drizzle;
5) stuffy - warm - close - sultry - hot;
6) waterfall - flood - stream - whirlpool;
7) splendid - glorious - fine - pleasant - nice;
8) haze - dimness - fog - mist - smog.
Exercise 5. Match each word with a word below.
1) thunder 2) torrential 3) down 4) heat 5) hail 6) snow 7) gale
stones drift storm warning rain wave pour
Exercise 6. Fill the gaps with suitable words from the additional vocabulary.
My first experience of real winter weather was when I went to Northern Canada. I was used to the sort of snow that falls in London, which quickly turns into brown ... with all the people walking on it. In fact, most of the time I was in London, it didn’t really snow properly, it was mostly ... . Apart from that, British winters mean a bit of white ... on my garden and occasionally having to drive very carefully on icy roads early in the morning. I had never experienced the ... and ... that can paralyze the whole city in less than an hour and close roads com-
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pletely. However, when the earth finally ... and all the snow ... away in spring, everything comes to life again and looks more beautiful than ever.
Exercise 7. What kind of weather do you think caused the following to happen? Write a sentence which could go before each of these.
1) We had to sit in the shade every afternoon.
2) The sweat was pouring out of us.
3) I can hardly breathe; I wish it would rain to cool us down.
4) Cars were skidding out of control. (Машины заносило).
5) Even the postman had to use the boat to get around.
6) They had to close the airport; the snow was a metre (Am. meter) deep.
7) We were able to sit in the garden in the middle of winter.
8) The earth became rock-hard and a lot of plants died.
9) It blew the newspaper clean out of my hands.
10) A row of big trees had been uprooted like matchsticks.
11) I could hardly see my hand in front of my face.
Exercise 8. What types of weather are bad or good for doing these things?
Example: skiing bad: mild weather which makes the snow melt;
good: cold, clear days.
1) Planting flowers in a garden.
2) Having an evening barbecue.
3) Going out in a small sailing boat.
4) A day of sightseeing in a big city.
5) Camping out in a tent.
6) Looking at ships through binoculars.
Exercise 9. Choose the right word from a couple of similar-looking ones. Change word forms if necessary.
1) (slush, sleet)
a) The ... under my feet was awful. I had an impression that I was walking through a muddy sea.
b) The rain changed into ... . Wet snowflakes were falling on the ground and melted there.
2) (ice drift, snowdrift)
a) The path was hedged by two long .... They were like two mountain ranges.
b) The ... started at night. In the morning the children ran to the river to look at the huge blocks of ice drifting across the water.
3) (icing, icicle)
a) There was heavy ... on the road and all cars were moving very slowly.
b) After a thaw there appeared ... on the edge of the roof; they looked like spar-kling needles.
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4) (frost, hoarfrost)
a) Three branches were covered with ... and the forest looked enchanting and somewhat mysterious.
b) The ... was biting the nose and the cheeks. It was impossible to stay long in the street.
5) (draught, drought)
a) Severe ... killed the crops. Not a drop of rain fell on the ground for a month.
b) When the door opened, the ... blew off the papers down on the floor.
6) (to freeze, to be freezing)
a) In winter all rivers and lakes in these parts always ... .
b) The temperature was quite low and I felt that I was ... .
7) (blizzard, drizzle)
a) Boring ... spoiled the day. It was too wet and dull.
b) The ... was blinding us. Snowflakes were swirling in the air.
8) (light, lightning)
a) There is not enough ... in the room. The table should be moved closer to the window.
b) The ... split the sky into two parts. A deafening thunder crack followed.
Exercise 10. Choose the correct alternative to fill each gap in the following sen-tences.
1) It’s absolutely ... outside, so wear your gloves.
A. cold B. chilly C. freezing
2) We had to postpone the match because it started to really ... .
A. drizzle B. pour C. shower
3) Tomorrow will be mild with the possibility of a few ... in the evening.
A. rain B. showers C. sleet
4) It’s only a bit of light ... . You won’t need an umbrella.
A. sleet B. drizzle C. hail
5) Close to the Equator the weather is hot and ... and there are often electrical storms.
A. damp B. mild C. humid
6) The old house was very cold and ... in winter.
A. humid B. damp C. freezing
7) Open the window. There’s a lovely cool ... outside.
A. breeze B. gale C. gust
8) There was such a ... that my umbrella blew inside out.
A. rain B. breeze C. gale
9) The ground was completely white. I thought it was snow at first, but it was just a heavy ... .
A. hail B. frost C. sleet
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Exercise 11. Read the following conversation, paying particular attention to the underlined idioms. As you are reading, try to work out what the expressions mean.
A: You seem to be making very heavy weather of this exercise. It’s not at all complicated.
B: It’s OK for you to talk. You’re a genius at maths, you get through these exams like greased lightning.
A: The secret is, don’t listen to what the professor says - that’s a lot of hot air. Just think logically for yourself.
B: To tell the truth, I’m a bit under the weather today, so my brain is less active than usual.
A: I’ll help you. Look, all you do is multiply by 2,3 and then divide by 3,5, ...
B: Oh, I see. That’s the first time I’ve understood what to do. Gosh, you’re like a breath of fresh air. Thanks a lot. I owe you a favour.
A: Save it for a rainy day.
Exercise 12. Find in the right hand column English equivalents to the Russian sentences in the left hand column.
A.
1. Довольно тепло (про-хладно, холодно), правда?
1. A wonderful morning (evening), isn’t it? It’s wonderful out.
2. Стоит прекрасная (жар-кая, чудесная) погода.
2. Rather warm (cool, cold), isn’t it?
3. Какой прекрасный (хоро-ший, очаровательный, вос-хитительный) день (ночь)!
3. I think it will continue (keep) fine. The weather is improving, I should say. It will clear up by and by. It is clearing up.
4. Я думаю, что хорошая по года постоит. Я бы сказал, что погода улучшается.
Постепенно прояснится.
Проясняется.
4. What a clear ( starlit, cloudless) night! Not a cloud in the sky!
5. Какая ясная (звездная, безоблачная) ночь! На небе ни облачка!
5. I expect we’ll have a fine day. The
sun is coming out.
6. Чудесное утро (вечер), не правда ли? На улице чудес-но!
6. We are having a spell of fine (hot,
wonderful) weather.
7. Я думаю, что день будет
7. What a fine ( nice, most lovely,
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чудесный. Солнце выхо-дит.
glorious) day (night)!
B.
1. Небо все в облаках. На небе низко висят облака.
1. It’s beginning to drizzle. There’s a
fine drizzling rain. The rain is still falling. It’s coming down hard (in torrents, in buckets). It’s lovely weather for ducks.
2. Дождь (снег) прекратил-ся(перестал), но погода такая неопределенная (не установилась), перемен-чивая.-
2. It seems a dull (wet, damp, gloomy)
day. What a rainy ( cloudy, foggy, windy, stormy) day. It’s hazy
(misty).
3. Начинает моросить. Идет мелкий моросящий дождь. Льет как из ведра. Дожд-ливая погода (шутл).
3. I expect we’ll have rain (a shower,
a thunderstorm). It will turn out a wet
day. It won’t keep fine. We are in for
bad (cold, rainy, freezing) weather.
4. Кажется, день сегодня пасмурный (серый, мрач-ный).- Какой дождливый (облач ный, ветреный, штормовой) день. Туман-ный день - -(туманно).
4. It’s a dull morning (day), isn’t it?
Rather nasty out!
Beastly weather!
What wretched (frightful, terrible,
awful) weather!
5. Я думаю, что будет дождь (ливень, гроза). День окажется серым. Хорошая погода не продержит-ся. Плохой (холодной, дождливой, морозной) погоды не миновать.
5. The rain is still falling. It’s pouring
(lightning, thundering, hailing).
There goes a flash of lightning! Do
you hear the crashing of the thunder?
What a tremendous clap of thunder!
It’s been raining off and on for a week now.
6. Мрачное утро (день), правда? На улице доволь-но пасмурно. Отврати-тельная погода. Какая ужасная (жуткая, непри-ятная) погода!
6. The sky is overcast.
The clouds are hanging low in the sky.
7. Дождь все еще идет. Идет сильный дождь (сверкает
7. Don’t get caught in the rain (in a
shower). You’ll get wet through and
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мол ния, гремит гром, идет град). Сверкает вспышка молнии. Слы-шишь раскат грома? Ка кой сильный удар грома! Всю - неделю то и дело идет дождь. Дождь идет уже целую неделю.
through.
I’m drenched (soaked, wet to the
skin).
My clothes are soaking wet.
8. Не попади под дождь (ли-вень). Ты промокнешь на-сквозь. Я вымок (промок насквозь, до костей). Моя одежда насквозь мокрая.
8. It has stopped (ceased, left off)
raining (snowing). But the weather
is so uncertain (unsettled,
changeable).
С.
1. Идет жаркая волна. Уста-новилась жаркая погода.
1. There’s hardly a breath of air.
(There’s not a breath of air.)
Not a leaf is stirring. No wonder, with such a blazing (scorching) sun.
2. Жаркий (душный, пыль-ный, знойный, жаркий и влажный) день. Воздух влажный.
2. A heat wave is coming on.
Hot weather has set in.
3. Дышать нечем (ни дунове-ния ветерка). Ни листочек не колышется. Не удиви-тельно, такое палящее (об-жигающее) солнце.
3. It’s a hot (close, stifling, dusty,
sultry, sticky) day. The air is
humid.
4. 300 тепла в тени. Темпе-ратура повышается.
4. The heat is unbearable (oppressive).
D.
1. Река замерзла. Мороз сковал реку. Установи-лась холодная погода. Термометр показывает 00. Я дрожу от холода. У ме-ня зубы стучат от холода.
1. Snow is falling. What soft, fluffy,
large snowflakes! They are coming
down thick. There is a thick
(heavy) snowfall.
2. Становится прохладно. Какой холодный (мороз-
2. The river is frozen over. The frost
has locked the river. Cold weather
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ный) день! Ужасно хо-лодно на улице.
has set in. The thermometer is at zero. I’m shivering. My teeth are clattering with the cold.
3. Идет снег. Какие мягкие, большие и пушистые снежинки! Они падают очень густо. Сильный снегопад.
3. It is getting chilly. What a cold
(frosty) day! It’s extremely
(bitterly, beastly) cold out.
4. Была тяжелая (суровая, мягкая) зима. Но в возду-хе уже весна.
4. A strong wind has risen. The wind
is blowing the snow high in the air. It looks as if we’re going to have a snowstorm.
5. Морозит. Стоит суровый (сильный) мороз. Неожи-данно установился пери-од холодной погоды. Я промерз до костей.
5. There’s been a thaw (it’s
thawing). The snow and ice are
melting. It’s slushy (muddy, dirty)
out. Look out for the slush and mud puddles. It is still very slippery in places.
6. Поднялся сильный ветер. Ветер метет снег. Похо-же, что будет буран.
6. It’s been a hard (severe, mild)
winter. But spring is in the air.
7. Стоит оттепель. Тают снег и лед. На улице сля-коть (грязно). Иди осто-рожно, вокруг слякоть и грязные лужи. Местами еще очень скользко.
7. It’s freezing. We’re having a
severe (hard) frost. We’re having
a sudden spell of cold weather.
I am chilled to the bone.
Exercise 13. Translate into English using topical vocabulary. Do it in writing.
1. Осенью погода обычно сырая. Часто идут дожди. Дуют сильные ветры. Дни стоят очень пасмурные. Небо затянуто облаками. Солнца мало. По ночам иногда бывает сильный туман.
2. Какой сырой, ветреный и мрачный день! Время от времени начинает мо-росить. В такую погоду совсем не хочется выходить на улицу.
3. Началась оттепель. Снег тает. На улицах лужи. На небе ни облачка. В воздухе чувствуется весна.
4. Какая неустойчивая погода! Дождь то шел, то прекращался в течение недели. Со стороны моря идет густой туман. Вчера мы попали под ли-вень, промокли насквозь и вынуждены были вернуться домой.
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5. Зима в нашем городе наступает рано. Иногда уже в конце ноября все по-крывается снегом. Замерзают реки и озера. Часто дуют холодные сильные ветры. Иногда бывает пурга. Дни становятся все короче и короче, а ночи длиннее. Временами выходит солнце, но оно совсем не греет.
6. Каждый день облачное небо, ливни, грозы. Этот период ненастной пого-ды продолжается уже слишком долго.
7. На улице +300 в тени и температура продолжает повышаться. Жара невыно-симая. Просто нечем дышать! Так душно, что невозможно находиться в по-мещении.
8. Установилась холодная погода. Со вчерашнего дня морозит. Сегодня на улице ужасно холодно.
9. В течение дня погода в Англии меняется несколько раз, гораздо чаще, чем на континенте.
10. Туман очень густой. Все машины медленно ползут с зажженными фарами.
2.4. Grammar Practice
Exercise 1. Fill in the blanks with articles before names of seasons if necessary.
Comment on your choice of articles.
1. They looked in awe at this proof of returning life, moved too deeply for words that it should have just come this morning to remind them when ... winter lay heaviest on them that ... spring would come again and with ... spring freedom and reunion.
2. I should remember the rose-garden in ... summer, and the birds that sang at dawn.
3. The weather was wet and cold for quite a week, as it often can be in the west country in ... early spring.
4. "During ... summer I always feel uneasy for...”, he swallowed. "For it reminds me of what happened three years ago.”
5. I am transported from this indifferent island to the realities of ...English spring.
6. There was a good deal of story-telling and comparing notes on ... past summer and all its doings.
7. The sun had brought the old men out from wherever they spent ... winter.
8. In ... summer of his sophomore year, when he got the job after hours and on Saturdays at Caldewood’s Department Store he was quite happy.
9. The west country must be delightful in ... spring.
10. In ... spring of the year 1881 he was visiting his old schoolfellow and client G. Liversledge.
11. I’m tired to death of Europe and we can come back in ... early spring.
12. ... winter passed into ... spring and ... gardens on the Riviera were ablaze with colour. ... spring passed into ... summer.
13. He shivered. He always hated ... winter.
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14. Christmas of 1862 had been a happy one for Atlanta, for the whole south. Everyone knew that when the campaign reopened in ... spring, the Yankees would be crushed for good and all.
15. And you frightened me with it, that winter when you and I were here as girls, ... winter I was engaged to Delphin.
16. Even the mists of ... autumn and the smell of the flood tide - these are the memories of Manderley that will not be denied.
17. In the evening the bars on the Croisette were thronged by a restless, chatter-ing crowd as many-coloured as the flowers of ... spring.
18. It was ... early spring when she chanced to meet Walter Fane.
19. New York is beautiful at ground level, but on ... fine day in ... early winter from the air, it is one of the loveliest sights a man can hope to see.
20. You know our blood gets so thick during ... winter.
21. That was ... terrible summer with the sound of milk-cans rattling in the street, rubber shod feet padding on pavements.
22. Whether in ... winter or in ... summer, ...spring or ... autumn it’s always got its fun and its excitements.
23. I raked up visions of ... Wyoming spring, warm, bright.
24. ... winter settled down over the mountains and the long trip from the city to her ceased to be an adventure for Bart, and became a hardship.
25. There was a small lake nearly with two hotels that were open for ... summer, and holiday cottages owned by people who came from Cleveland.
Exercise 2. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English paying special attention to the use of articles with the names of the seasons.
1. В течение лета я часто встречал своего школьного друга.
2. "Была поздняя осень, когда она написала мне,” - сказал он.
3. Они должны были пожениться в самом начале весны.
4. Прошлым летом Сара переехала за город.
5. Лето, которое Сюзанна провела с Ларри, было самым счастливым вре-менем в ее жизни.
6. Я думаю, ты знаешь, что Ларри пробыл в Санари всю зиму.
7. Видишь ли, осенью я собираюсь поступить на работу в дядину фирму.
8. Была ранняя весна когда они прибыли в Одессу.
9. Какое унылое лето ждет нас впереди!
10. В тот год зима была холодная.
11. В течение зимы средняя температура была минус 100.
12. За пределами госпиталя жители Берлингтона страдали от ужасно жаркого лета.
13. Но действительно, кажется довольно абсурдным, что я не увижу свою собственную работу, тем более, что осенью я собираюсь выставить ее на выставке в Париже.
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14. Зима была уже на носу, а у нее не было теплой одежды, а теперь и работы.
15. Летом 1985 года она победила на соревнованиях.
Exercise 3. Put one of the following prepositions in each space in the passages below:
/ out / for / with / from / of / under / on / in /
A.
- It’s too close here. Let’s go ... ... a walk.
- Very well, but let’s not walk ... the sun. The heat and the strong light are very unpleasant.
- We can sit down ... that large tree. Its dense foliage will protect us ... the sun. You see how cool it is ... the shade. Last week it rained a great deal, so that the plants have grown very fast. The ground is covered ... the grass. Let us sit down ... it. The sight ... the beautiful green meadows is very pleasant ... the eyes.
- What do you call those white flowers ... yellow centres ... England?
- They are daisies, and the others that are all yellow are called buttercups. Pick some ... them and make a bouquet; we’ll take it home.
B.
- So, Trevor, you are ... sunny California, aren’t you? Tell me, is it really hot ... California all the year round?
- No, it can get cold, but never freezing cold. It never snows ... Los Angeles ... example. But it’s chilly ... winter, especially ... the evenings.
- And what’s the summer like?
- It can be boiling hot ... the summer. Too warm ... me. ... Los Angeles it gets smoggy too. Your eyes hurt and you can’t see the sun ... the sky.
- How awful.