SEASONS

        The year is divided into four seasons: winter, spring, sum­mer, and autumn. Each season has its good and bad sides.

        The weather in spring is generally mild but sometimes the days are really cold, especially in the beginning of the season. It is the time when everything awakes from its winter sleep.

       Summer is the hottest season. It’s time for holidays. Peo­ple go to the seaside to sunbathe, to swim or to have a rest. In our country it usually gets hot in the end of June and July. Summer nights are short, but wonderful, the days are long.

       Talking about autumn, I guess it isn’t as nice as summer­time. It’s a season of winds and beautiful sunsets. The wea­ther gets cooler and cooler. The leaves turn yellow and red­dish and fall down to the ground and the birds migrate to warm countries. A spell of sunny weather in September is called In­dian summer or «Golden Autumn». In the end of November it sometimes snоws. Though some people like autumn, because it is full of colours, but to my thinking it’s a dull and rainy season.

        Winter is the coldest time of the year. It is time of snow and frost. It is time of New Year and Christmas. In winter the temperature rarely can cross the point of tenor fifteen centi­grade below freezing point in our country.

QUESTIONS:

1. How many seasons do you know?

2. What is spring weather like?

3. Is it always hot in spring?

4. What weather do we have in summer?

5. What do people prefer to do during summertime?

6. What do you think about autumn?

7. What is the hottest summer month?

8. Are summer nights long?

9. Summer nights are short, aren’t they?

10. How do we call a spell of good weather in September?

11. Do you like autumn?

12. What is the coldest season in the year?

VOCABULARY

to be divided into — делится на

mild — мягкий

to awake (past awoke, p.p. awaked) — пробуждаться

hot — жаркий

to sunbathe — загорать, принимать солнечные ванны

to have a rest — отдыхать

to get hot — становиться жарким

wonderful — прекрасный, чудесный

to guess — полагать, считать

wind — ветер

sunsets — закаты солнца

cool — прохладный

to turn yellow — становиться желтыми

reddish — красноватый

to fall (past fell, p.p. fallen) down to — падать на

to migrate — мигрировать, улетать

spell — короткий промежуток времени

Indian summer — бабье лето

dull — мрачный

frost — мороз

rarely — редко

to cross — пересекать

below freezing point — ниже нуля