Weather and Seasons

The weather is a subject we can always talk about. It often changes, and brings cold and heat, sunshine and rain, frost and snow. One day is often unlike the next. In summer the sun shines, and often there is no wind and there are no clouds in the sky which is blue and beautiful. We can see stars and the moon at night and people like walks, outdoor games and sports in the open air. They find time to go to the forest, to swim in the river and to sunbathe. The gardens are beautiful with flowers all summer months. But sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning.

When autumn comes, the days become shorter and colder. Early autumn is still the harvest time, the time when fruit and vegetables are ripe. It is also a very beautiful time of the year, when the weather is still warm and the leaves change their colour from green to yellow. But towards the end of October the weather gets colder and colder. It gets dark earlier and heavy clouds often cover the sky bringing rain with them. There is much rain and fog. Leaves fall from the trees and cover the ground. The landscape becomes rather dull. Birds fly away to warm countries. Sometimes there is heavy rain, so that an umbrella or a raincoat is necessary if we don't want to get wet through.

Autumn is followed by winter. Nature slowly falls asleep for winter. At last frost and snow come. Fields, forests and houses are covered with snow and rivers and lakes with ice. In Ukraine winter is usually the coldest season. It often snows, the rivers are frozen. The most unpleasant thing about winter is that the sun sets early and rises late – especially in December and January. The days are short, the sky is often grey and nature is sleeping. But everything looks so pretty covered with snow. There is often hoar-frost in the trees. Icicles hang from the roofs of houses. Children like winter. They can ski, skate, sledge, and play snowballs with their friends. Winter is a hard time for birds and animals. They are cold and hungry. Children give them bread, corn and fruit.

But spring again brings sunshine and warm winds. At the end of March the weather gets gradually milder. The sun shines more brightly. Spring comes and nature awakens after a long winter sleep. The snow begins melting. The days become longer and the nights become shorter. Sometimes it snows but snow will not remain long, it will melt in the warm sun. Spring will bring bright sunshine, green grass and flowers. All kinds of plants and flowers come out. The birds, such as nightingales, swallows and many others, return from the South, build their nests, lay and hatch their eggs. The farmers begin to sow the fields. The corn fields are bright with blue cornflowers and red poppies. Everything around is full of life and joy.

We usually say: " A nice day", " Not a bad day" or " It's nice weather for the time of the year" if the weather is fine.

We can say: " It looks like rain", " It looks like snow" or " It's bad weather" when the weather is bad.

In fact, every season has its fine days and is pleasant in its own way. And it is not difficult to see this beauty.

Exercise 5. Answer the questions: