Episode 245

EPISODE 246
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

BAD WEATHER

What do people do when the weather is really bad?

First of all, you should think about your clothes. You need a raincoat ( = a special long jacket which will protect you from rain), some Wellington boots ( = boots made of rubber which will stop your feet getting wet) and an umbrella, of course.
If you are bored and you must stay at home, there are many interesting pastimes ( = hobbies) you can try. Knitting ( = making, for example, sweaters from wool) is really exciting, don’t you think? Pottery ( = making pots and jugs from clay) can be a good idea, too. Have you ever tried any of them?
If you are not fond of these, you can always do some useful housework. If you do the washing up ( = clean all the dishes) or the hoovering ( = clean your carpets with a special machine), you will feel much better and forget about the bad weather.

 

More contexts for the new words:
• Many women have cannot relax when they come back home after work, they have to do the cooking. (= they have to cook dinner)
• He was wearing a mac when I saw him. (= he was wearing a raincoat)

 

EXERCISE 1
Use the words from the text to complete the lists of words in the categories below.

CLOTHES: r_____________, W_____________, m_____________
PASTIMES: k_____________, p_____________
HOUSEWORK: do the w_____________, do the h_____________, do the c_____________

 

EXERCISE 2
Put the words in the correct order to make questions. Then answer the questions.

1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ?

your, pastimes, What, favourite, are
2. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ?

the, often, How, do, do, cooking, you
3. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ?

with, have, Do, always, an, you, you, umbrella

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE

We have already learned how to make positive sentences with present perfect, so now we can look at the questions. The example is:

Have you ever tried any of them?

As you can see, it is not very difficult to ask a question in the present perfect. „Have/ has” must be put at the beginning of the sentence and your question is ready.

Has she ever been to Spain?
Have they done the hovering?
Have you done the washing up?

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ Would you like to go to the cinema with me?
B/ Can I TAKE A RAIN CHECK ON THAT?

If you take a rain check on something, you are not going to accept an offer or suggestion immediately, but you may accept it later.

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If something PICKS UP, it increases, becomes stronger.

On the south coast, winds will pick up during the afternoon.
They won’t let him out of hospital until his health has picked up quite a lot.

 

2. If something LETS UP, it stops or improves.

The weather was terrible – the storms just never let up.
Things haven’t let up at work, I’m still working over 60 hours a week.

 

EXERCISE 3

Rewrite the sentences keeping the same meaning and using the word in CAPITALS.

1. The wind always gets stronger in the evening.
UP………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. The icy wind never stopped for a moment.
UP………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Can I do that some other time?
RAIN………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

 

NEWS

BLIZZARD REPORT

Five people were killed, and at least fifty injured, in the unexpected blizzard which attacked the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada yesterday afternoon. The blizzard started totally out of the blue – just an hour earlier, you could see a clear azure sky, and the temperature was well above zero. And then, in a matter of minutes, huge black clouds appeared everywhere, and it started to snow heavily. Accompanied by gale force wind, the snow instantly covered the roads with a thick slippery layer, leading to numerous car accidents. Even the careful drivers were not secure, for – when they parked at the side of the road – other cars crashed into them. Witnesses say that they haven’t seen such terrible weather for decades.

 

GLOSSARY

– blizzard – heavy snow with strong wind
– out of the blue – unexpectedly
– azure – beautifully blue
– gale force (wind) – very strong

 

 

 

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