The weather is closely related (联系) to our life. It is all around us all the time. It is an important part of our lives. We cannot control it, but it often controls how and1we live, what we do, what we wear and what we eat. Read this passage and learn2about the weather.
What is the weather?
The weather is just the state of the atmosphere3any time, such as temperature, wind, 4, sun, etc.
What makes the weather change?
As we know, not every place on the earth gets the same amount of sunlight. Some places get5sunlight, so it's warmer in those places. However, some places get little6no sunlight in winter. Then those places have lower temperatures. These differences in temperature make the air and water7around the earth. The movement helps to take the heat energy from the sun across the earth. So the8changes.
What's the difference between weather and climate?
Climate is a place's weather over a long time. The weather changes from day to day and9from hour to hour. It can be sunny in the morning and cold and wet in the afternoon. But the climate changes very10over lots of years.
In England, people often talk about the weather because they can have four seasons in one day. In the morning it is warm, just like in spring. An hour later, black clouds come out, and then it begins to rain and gets a little cold. In the afternoon the sky may be clear, and the sun may begin to shine. It may be just like a day in summer.
You can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter you can sometimes swim, and in summer you can sometimes wear warm clothes. When you go to England, you will see some Englishmen take an umbrella or a raincoat with them on a sunny morning. But you'd better not laugh at them. If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat in the morning, maybe later you'll have to walk in the rain. People often say that in England you can have four seasons in one day. Sometimes you may feel you have the same season all the year round.
We often talk about the weather. Here are some passages about the weather. Let's read them together.
Which topic drew the most attention from people around the world in 2019? It was climate change, according to three well-known English dictionaries.
The Oxford, Collins and Cambridge dictionaries chose climate emergency（气候紧急状态）, climate strike （罢工） and upcycling（升级改造）, as their ―Word of the Year‖. This tells us that climate change was a widely-discussed issue（重要议题）in 2019. Climate emergency means a situation in which urgent（紧急的）action is needed to reduce climate change. ―Climate strike refers to people leaving work or school to call for more action to protect the environment. ―Upcycling refers to making new items out of old or used items to reduce waste.
Climate change has already affected（影响）the world in many ways. Take Venice for example. Because of climate change, Venice experienced the worst flooding it has seen in the last 50 years in 2019. Many stores, restaurants and hotels were flooded. This caused serious damage totaling hundreds of millions of euros（欧元）.
Although we've known about global warming for a long time, our large companies and governments have been slow to respond to it. The year 2019 might have been the turning point that will finally encourage（鼓励）our leaders to take responsibility（责任）.
Decades ago, when the science on the climate issue was first increasing, the impacts（影响）could be seen as an issue for future generations, ‖ Katharine Mach, a Stanford University climate scientist, told The New York Times. It's surely our responsibility now.
However, simply realizing that climate change is a threat(威胁) is not enough. We must take real action before it is too late.
Once, a king had a great highway built for his people. Just before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest (竞赛). He invited his people to take part in the contest. Their challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best.
On the day of the contest, some people came to the highway in fine clothing; some had fancy hairstyles or brought great food. Some young men came in their sports clothes and ran along the highway. People travelled the highway all day, but each one, when he or she completed the trip, complained to the king that there was a large pile of stones in the way that had blocked his or her travels.
At the end of the day, a lonely traveller crossed the finishing line and walked over to the king. He was tired and dirty, but he showed the king great respect and handed him a bag of gold. He explained, “I stopped along the way to clear a pile of stones that was blocking the road. This bag of gold was under it all. I want you to return it to its rightful owner. ”
The king replied, “You are the rightful owner. You've earned this gold, for you won my contest. ”
The man won the contest just because he was the only one who stopped to make the road smoother. Sometimes, the greatest prize comes not from helping yourself, but from helping others.
A: It's too cold, isn't it.
B: Yes, it is. I have to give up going outside.
A: Going outside? What are you going to do?
B: I planned to go skiing in the mountains. I don't know what the weather will be like tomorrow.
A: The weather report says it will be colder.
B:
A: You can do some reading.
B:
A: You can play computer games. Games can make you very excited.
B: No way! How can I?
A: I can't help you. I have no idea.
B: Forget it!
A: That's not a bad idea.
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A. Let me finish my homework first. B. Cold weather makes me stay at home. C. But reading always makes me sleepy. D. My mother is at home. E. But what can I do at home? F. I play computer games very well. |
