Climatic zones, seasons of the year | Anglictina-maturita.cz

Otázka: Climatic zones, seasons of the year

Jazyk: Angličtina

Přidal(a): Leny

Climatic zones

a) the arctic zone:

It mostly snows and freezes. Temperatures stay below zero.
The life is hard because there is winter most of the year.
Typical animals are polar bears, polar foxes, reindeers.

b) the tropical zone:

The weather is mostly hot, the air is humid.
Changing of drought and rain seasons are typical.
Some of the animals living in this zone are snakes, monkeys, parrots, elephants, zebras, lions, tigers, rhinos etc.

c) the moderate zone:

Changing of 4 seasons is typical. Each season takes 3 months.

Seasons of the year

Our country is situated in the temperate climatic zone. This climatic zone is characterised by changing of the seasons. We have four seasons of the year. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every seasons of the year lasts for three months.

Describe the particular seasons. What is typical for them?

1) SPRING

The first season is spring. Spring stars on March 21st according to the calendar. The weather is often unstable at this time.One of moments the sun is shining, but sometimes it starts to rain and to drizzle. In the spring the nature is changing. Flowers start growing, the grass starts turning green and trees start to bloom. The snow melts and there may be floods. We can see many fresh flowers – snowdrops, dandelions, crocuses and little animals. Among the first flowers are snowdrops and primroses. Birds start singing and some of them return from the south.
Spring is the time for planting most types of vegetables, flowers and fruit trees. People, who live in the village have many work with gardening. But spring brings problems with pollution too.
Hobbies: Many people go to the nature. In the spring people like riding their bikes, doing sports as football.
Holidays: 1.st April is ALL FOOLSDAY People fool. It is crazy holiday. EASTER is a religious holiday.

2) SUMMER

Begins on 21st June and lasts up to September. It sometimes comes a lot of earlier. The sun is shining, the sky is clear. It is warm, but sometimes there are big stormes: the sky clouds over and and it gets dark, the wind gets faster. Then you can hear the thunder and see the lightning. It starts to pour and it may even hail. Some people are afraid of a thunderstorm. When the storm is over, sometimes you can see the rainbow in the sky.
During the summer the crops ripen. Farmers have their harvest time. People pick fruits and vegetables, go mushrooming in the woods or pick strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
For students summer means a two month long holiday. As soon as the school year over, people leave for their vacations. Some people travel to foreign countries. In the summer people go swimming, some in a swimming pool, others in a river or a pond. Some of them go hiking, stay in camps, or go abroad to the seaside. Lots of people are fond of barbecues in their gardens or at their cottages.
The summer time is also an ideal time for sports. Among the favourite activities are swiming, bicycle riding, volleyball, football, tennis, and hiking. But some people only lay on the beach.
Holiday: 4th July People in the USA celebre INDEPEDENCE DAY. People go to the park, where they have picnic. Some people make a fireworks.

AUTUMN

Summer is followed by autumn. Autumn begins on 23rd September. It often rains and drizzles. Days become colder and colder. People often catch a flu, they have a cold because of an unpleasant weather. It is cloudy and overcast. Some people may even suffer from depression.
In the morning there is white fog. It is dangerous for drivers. The sun rises later and sets earlier. At the beginning of autumn, the weather may be fine and sunny (we call it „Indian Summer“). Trees are very coloured. The leaves change their colour (they turn red, orange, yellow, finally brown, and then they fall off). Some birds fly away to countries, where the weather is warmer. The new school year starts. Children must go to the school. Farmers harvest their fields of corn and fruit and vegetables. Everywhere there are baskets full of apples, pears and plums.
Holidays: 31st October is HALLOWEN The symbol of Hallowen is pumpin. Children have different costumes. People give them some sweets. People have festive dinner. THANKSGIVING DAY

WINTER

Winter: begins on 21st December. The main signs of winter are cold days and even colder nights. In the winter it often snows. It is cold and often icy. Puddles and ponds are frozen and there is a lot of snow everywhere. In the mountain the snow lasts longest.
Most of people go to mountain.
Favourite activities: Winter sports are very popular: skiing (downhill or crosscountry skiing), ice skating, sledging and bob sledging. Children like building snowman, throwing snowballs, skating, tobogganing.
We celebrate Christmas (in the Czech Republic also St. Nicholas Day before Christmas), New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Natural disasters:

Some of the natural disasters are: for example earthquakes (especially Japan, USA), tidal waves (Asia – they are connected to earthquakes in the ocean), gales, hurricanes and tornadoes (USA), volcano eruptions (Italy, Greek), avalanches in the mountains, drought in Africa which causes famine (hladomor).

Questions and Answers

What is the weather like today?

It’s hot and humid / drizzly / pouring with rain / hailing / there is a thunderstorm / it is bright and sunny / overcast / cool / damp / icy / snowy / foggy / misty / changeable. There were some showers and then the sun came out.

Do you pay attention to the weather forecast?

I always check the weather forecast / watch the weather forecast on TV… because I don’t want to be surprised by a shower or cold weather / before going on holidays.
I read weather news regularly becauseI am interested in weather and climate and want to be a meteorologist.
I think watching the weather forecast on TV is boring / I usually change programmes.
I almost never check the weather in advance.

What kind of weather do you like best and why?

I like it when it is foggy in the morning. It looks mysterious… I like clear days in winter, the light is good for taking photographs…
I like gales and thunderstorms, most people don’t but they are so dramatic and energetic… I like very hot, dry weather, but I don’t think I’d like to live in a country where it was like that all the time.

What sort of weather do you like least?

I hate sleet. It’s cold and wet, but it doesn’t look nearly as attractive as snow. It’s just grey and slushy…
I don’t like it when it’s too hot. I prefer to be inside in the summer… When it’s grey and cloudy it’s really depressing, just really dull and boring.

Have you noticed changes in the weather as a result of climate change? Do your parents or grandparents remember colder winters than we have now?

I think that the climate hasn’t changed much.
I have noticed… that the temperature has risen / the snow has disappeared from the mountains / there have been hotter summers / more extreme weather such as hurricanes / gales. My grandparents talk about getting snowed in / having problems in winter…
I think winters were probably much harsher in the past than now.

What do you think the climate will be like in a hundred years’ time?

It will probably be a lot hotter. Some scientists have predicted that Britain will have a climate like that of Southern France. The winters will be a lot milder and the summers will be much more overcast and maybe colder…
Southern countries and countries near the sea will have problems. As the ice caps melt, sea levels will rise and cause floods.
The high temperatures in these countries mean that diseases will spread much more easily by the floodwaters…
I think climate change is happening but there is still a chance we can slow it down…
Climate change happens naturally anyway, but we have probably accelerated it.

What problems can weather cause?

It can cause flooding if there is too much rain, or if snow melts too quickly and rivers flood… Snow and ice can make roads slippery and travel difficult… If there is little rain, it can result in drought.
Hot summers can cause dehydration…
Problems are worse if the weather is not typical for the country that experiences it. In the US you sometimes get hurricanes and tornadoes. In Australia you get bushfires / droughts. The hot sun means that Australians have a higher risk of getting skin cancer… Generally speaking, other continents have more extreme weather conditions than Europe.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is the condition of the atmosphere in terms of temperature / air pressure / moisture at a specific place and time. Climate is a collection of weather conditions common for a larger geographic area throughout the year.

How is the weather different in different parts of countries? For example, is there a difference between the weather inland and the weather on the coast?

The weather is dependent on the climate. There are tropical / mild / maritime / continental / polar climates. The weather close to the coast is often rainy/humid with lots of showers. Water evaporates off the sea and forms clouds. When the clouds are blown over the land, they are forced to rise, they condense and it rains…
There are often breezes / winds / storms.
Further inland there are big differences in temperature between summer and winter, less precipitation and wind.

What kind of climate would you ideally live in?

I like the climate here. It’s mild / never extreme or harsh / we have long, warm summers…
I like how the four seasons change, I would miss it elsewhere. I’d like to live in a hot climate, in California maybe, where it’s always warm / sunny…
I want to go to the tropics. It’s sometimes humid, there are tropical storms, but the climate is right for hundreds of different species of plants and animals. I love winter sports, so it might be good to go and live in the Alps, where there is a lot of snow. It can cause problems, though, like avalanches and blizzards.