Starting off

Work with a partner and discuss the questions below:

1. Which season (spring, summer, autumn or winter) of the year is your favourite? Why?

2. What do you like doing in that season?

3. Which season do you like least? Why?

Vocabulary

Put the words into the correct categories - NB sometimes one word may go into more than one category.

Before you read 1

The Beaufort Scale is one way of measuring how stormy the weather is. It describes the effects of weather on land and at sea and it goes from zero (the least stormy) to 12 (a hurricane). Below are some of the categories from the scale. Match the words to the right category:

First reading

Read the first part of the text (`STORMS, GALES, HURRICANES… SELECTIONS FROM THE BEAUFORT SCALE') and check your ideas.

Second reading

Choose the best answer for each question. Then read the whole text to check your answers.

1. In which month are there the most hurricanes?

a. May b. July c. September

2. How fast are the winds in hurricanes?

a. 100mph+ b. 118mph+ c. 133mph+

3. How high can hurricanes grow to?

a. 10 miles high b. 15 miles high c. 20 miles high

4. How wide can hurricanes be?

a. 100 miles wide b. 300 miles wide c. 500 miles wide

5. How fast can a hurricane move?

a. 100 miles a day b. 250 miles a day c. 400 miles a day

6. How many people have died because of hurricanes over the last 200 years?

a. around 1 million b. around 2 million c. around 3 million

Vocabulary 1

Find words or phrases in the text to match the definitions below. The definitions are in the correct order.

1. used to introduce an additional statement that emphasizes or supports what you have just said (1)	2. to turn with a circular movement around a central point, or to make something do this
3. to start to exist, especially as the result of a natural process	4. 4. in the same direction in which the hands of a clock move
5. when a liquid changes into a gas it does this	6. included in official statistics or information, especially over a period of time
7. continuing for a long time	8. a straight line from one side of a circle to the other side, passing through the centre of the circle
9. to try to judge the value, size, speed, cost etc of something, without calculating it exactly	10. large in size, amount, or degree
11. a period of time during which a service such as the electricity supply cannot be provided	12. something which really is what it seems to be

(all definitions adapted from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words or phrases from Vocabulary 1. Not all the words are used. The first one has been done for you. NB - you may need to change the form of the word.

1. We have built a new hydroelectric power station. power outages should be a thing of the past.

2. The earth ____________________ on its axis every twenty-four hours.

3. Water ____________________ very quickly in the desert.

4. The ____________________ of the Earth is approximately 12760 kilometres.

5. Earthquakes can cause ____________________ damage to buildings and roads.

6. When a volcano erupts under the sea a new island can ____________________.

7. I've had a bad week. ____________________, it's been the worst week I can remember.

8. How was I to know it was all a trick? He sounded so ____________________!

9. The summer of 2006 was the hottest ____________________ in the UK.

10. It will not be easy and it will not be quick. We will have to ____________________ our hard work to the end.

11. The value of the biggest diamond in the world is ____________________ to be around ₤15 million.

12. In the UK people drive on the left and go around roundabouts ____________________.

Speaking

What is the worst weather you have ever experienced? Was it in your country or abroad? You're going to tell your partners about it but first prepare by thinking about these points:

• where you were

• what you were doing

• who you were with

• the temperature, wind etc.

• what you could(n't) do

• how long it lasted

Now work in small groups and tell each other your stories. Be ready to ask and answer any questions.

STORMS, GALES, HURRICANES… SELECTIONS FROM THE BEAUFORT SCALE
0 - CALM Calm, smoke rises vertically. The sea is like a mirror. Less than 1km/h	2 - LIGHT BREEZE The wind is felt on your face; leaves rustle. Small waves on the sea do not break; no foam. 6-11 km/h	5 - FRESH BREEZE Small trees begin to sway; moderate waves with foam and possibly some spray. 29-38 km/h	8 - GALE The wind breaks twigs off trees; walking is more difficult. Waves are high; there is spray. 62-74 km/h	10 - STORM Trees uprooted; some structural damage; the surface of the sea is white, it is hard to see. 89-102 km/h	12 - HURRICANE Severe and extensive damage; the air is filled with spray, it is almost impossible to see. 118 km/h and over

Hurricane,

Typhoon,

Cyclone...

Some of the most destructive forces in nature, these storms cause panic and fascination in equal measure. But what are they and where do they come from?

The hurricane seasons is indeed upon us - if, that is, we live in the Northern Hemisphere. The hurricane season is generally the end of summer, when the difference between sea and air temperatures is the greatest; September is the month when there are most hurricanes.

What are Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cyclones? What are the differences between them?

All of these names describe the same thing: tropical cyclones. These are large rotating storms with a low-pressure centre and wind speeds of at least 118 km/h. The only difference is where they begin. Hurricanes are tropical cyclones which form over the Atlantic or the eastern Pacific, typhoons form over the western Pacific and cyclones form over the Indian Ocean. In the northern hemisphere the air rotates counterclockwise; in the southern hemisphere it rotates clockwise.

How do hurricanes form?

Hurricanes form when cooler rotating air meets warm water (at least 26℃). The water evaporates, creating a column of rotating winds which can grow very quickly. Hurricanes can grow to very large sizes - 10 miles high and 500 miles wide - and can move very quickly. It is not uncommon for a hurricane to move as much as 400 miles per day - perhaps 3000 miles before it dies out!

Which was the biggest hurricane ever?

The most deadly hurricane on record is the Bhola Hurricane, which hit Bangladesh in 1970, killing up to 1 million people. The strongest winds ever recorded in a tropical cyclone were in Typhoon Tip, which formed over the northwestern Pacific Ocean in 1979 and had sustained wind speeds of 190 mph (310 km/h). Tip was also the largest tropical cyclone on record - 1350 miles in diameter (2170 km). The longest-lasting hurricane on record was Hurricane John, which lasted 31 days in 1984.

How dangerous are hurricanes?

Hurricanes are possibly the most dangerous of all nature's disasters. The death toll for hurricanes over the last two centuries is estimated at around 1.9 million people. Hurricanes cause extensive flooding, power outages and the destruction of roads, railways, bridges and buildings. Apart from evacuating people in a hurricane's path and building flood defences to keep the water back, there is little we can do when a hurricane is on its way. After the hurricane passes over or blows itself out the danger is still not over - with flooding, disease is a genuine danger. Hurricanes are truly to be respected.

— Peter Moran

A Monthly Newsletter for Teachers of English

October 2008

© Pearson Education Polska 2008 PHOTOCOPIABLE

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

October 2008

MIST

A Monthly Newsletter for Teachers of English

October 2008

RAIN ETC

CLOUDS

WIND

SNOW

TEMPERATURE

a breeze freezing cloudy calm

a cloudburst a gale drizzle sleet a storm

drifts chilly clear a blizzard

fog a downpour overcast hail boiling

a peasouper smog a hurricane mild

BEAUFORT LEVEL 0

extensive

calm rustle uprooted

vertically high a mirror severe

spray foam sway breaks

moderate white

BEAUFORT LEVEL 2

BEAUFORT LEVEL 12

BEAUFORT LEVEL 5

BEAUFORT LEVEL 8

BEAUFORT LEVEL 10

The hurricane season is upon us again and it might be another record-breaking season. But what are hurricanes and how are they formed?

Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Caribbean and the United States in August 2005, is one of the most damaging hurricanes ever recorded. Almost 2000 people were killed and over $80 billion damage was caused.

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