I. Study the vocabulary notes. Read the text consulting the dictionary.

latitude – геогр. широта

capricious – капризный, своенравный

breeze – легкий ветерок, бриз; мор. ветер

intermittent drizzle – прерывистый мелкий дождь

rain torrents – дождевые потоки

slush – талый снег, слякоть

hoarfrost – иней, изморозь

sleet – дождь со снегом, мокрый снег, ледяная корка на деревьях

pangs of remorse – муки раскаяния; угрызения совести

haze – лёгкий туман, дымка, мгла

marvelous – удивительный, изумительный, чудесный

The Weather and Climate

Weather is not the same as climate. The weather at a place is the state of the atmosphere there at a given time or over a short period. The climate of a place or region, on the other hand, represents the average weather conditions over a long period of time. The climate of any place results from the interaction of a number of determining factors, of which the most important are latitude, distance from the sea, relief and the direction of the prevailing winds.

The naughtiest thing in the world is the weather. It's like a capricious woman who always does the opposite to what you ask her.

When you want to go for a picnic in the open air you ask the skies to remain clear and the day to be fine. Nervously you switch on the radio and listen to the weatherforecast. You tremble with joy to hear that it'll stay warm and dry with bright sunshine, and moderate breeze. Your imagination draws a hot summer afternoon and yourself saying: 'Nice weather we are having today!' You take a lot of food and no warm clothes, go to the countryside but… do not get anything sunny.

You get it cloudy and cool with intermittent drizzle which ends with a thundery shower. The sky is so heavily cast with clouds, the downpours follow one another with such frequency, the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning are so frightening that you've got no illusions left. You throw away the food and go back hungry and an­gry. And when you are already approaching your home soaked to the skin it suddenly brightens up. Oh, Goodness!

Each summer every student survives through the best time of his or her life — an examination session. Then many students plead: 'Please, weather, stay cloudy, chilly or even cold with brisk northerly wind and rain torrents leaving pools and puddles everywhere, especially on the playground. And I'll be a good student'. The radio promises: 'Patchy light drizzle with showery outbreaks of rain.' But the "patch" is never in the right place. Instead the skies send heat and excellent weather for a sun tan. Everyone knows that sun tan never helps at exams.

And it is always like this. When you go skiing and want to have frosty weather with a lot of snow, it starts thawing and your skis sink in the slush. Instead of a snowfall and hoarfrost on the trees you get excellent sleet. The weather does not feel any pangs of remorse.

When you go in the car to the country, enjoying nice weather and a beautiful view of a rainbow in the blue sky, you pay no attention to some haze on the horizon. Some time later a thin mist in the distance turns into a thick fog and you spend a lovely two hours instead of one at the steering wheel.

When you plant some much-cared-for flowers in the garden, either a ground frost or a hail storm kills them. Digging muddy flowerbeds one feels exasperated: “What beastly weather we've had this week! And it keeps nasty! Wretched!”

To tell the truth, sometimes the weather is ashamed and turns for the better, but not always. More often it sticks to its own pattern and after a short warm spell turns bad again. Why is it always like this? Maybe, because the weather likes surprises and wants to bring in adventures to our life, breaking the boring routine with marvelous happenings?

II. Answer the questions for discussion:

1. Do you agree that the weather is like a capricious woman?

2. Give the definition of weather and climate.

3. Which factors determine the climate?

4. Do you listen to the weather forecasts? Do you trust them?

5. Say what weather you like best of all and why?

6. Have you heard the weather forecast for today? Was it right?

7. What is the weather like in our country?

8. Why do the Englishmen talk so much about the weather?

9. What weather do many students like during their examination session?

10. What weather do you want to have when you go skiing?