-- 王宇婷

Why do the English always talk about the weather?

 "Lovely day, isn't it!“  "Bit nippy today.“  "What strange weather we're having!“  "It doesn't look like it's going to stop raining today." Some examples of conversation starters

Questions: What’s the weather like in…/today? How is the weather today? What is the temperature? Do you think it will rain?/ snow? It is sub zero today?(- minus) Some useful expressions:

Proverb  Man proposes, God disposes 谋事在人，成事在天

Bad Weather What horrible weather! I can’t believe this weather! The weather can’t make up its mind what to do. What a day!

Draw the Picture  In this activity members split up into several lines. The member of every other lines turns back opposite to his partner. One person looks at a picture of weather. The other person has a pencil and a blank piece of paper. The person with the picture will try to describe everything he sees to the drawer.  When the describer is finished, compare the drawings to the real thing! Whose is the closest to the original?

UNIT 4 Talking about the Weather

Thunderstorms, Thundershowers, Storm, Lightning 雷暴，雷阵雨，风暴，闪电 Hail 冰雹 Snowstorm 暴风雪 Snow, Heavy Snow, Snowfall 雪，大雪，降雪 Light Snow 小雪 Sleet 雨夹雪 Weather forecast (1)

 Showers, Heavy Showers, Rainshower 阵雨 ，强阵雨（从降雨强度及降雨量上）  Occasional Showers, Scattered Showers 零星 阵雨（时间、空间上不连续的阵雨）  Isolated Showers 局地阵雨（空间分布上比 Scattered Showers 范围更小的阵雨）  Light Showers 小阵雨  Freezing Rain 冻雨  Drizzle, Light Rain 毛毛雨，小雨 Weather forecast (2)

 Fog 雾  Mist 轻雾  Smoke 烟雾  Haze 霾  Overcast 阴  Sunny Interval, No Rain, Clearing 多云间 晴  Sunny Period, Partly Cloudy, Partly Bright, Mild 晴间多云  Cloudy, Mostly Cloudy 多云  Bright, Sunny, Fair 晴（尤指白天）  Fine, Clear 晴 Weather forecast(3)

 Windy, Squall, Stormy, Chill, Gale 风，狂风，暴风，寒 风，大风  Wet, Humid 潮湿  Dry 干燥  Freezing 冰冻  Frost 霜冻  Hot 炎热  Cold 寒冷  Warm 暖和（升温）  Cool 凉爽（降温）  Dew Point （露点）  Humidity （湿度）  Wind （风力）  Visibility （能见度）  Barometer （气压）

Although British people like to complain about bad weather, they generally put a brave face on it.  If someone complains about too much rain, you might hear:  "Never mind – it's good for the garden."  If someone complains that it's too hot, you could hear:  "At least my tomatoes will be happy."  If the conversation has been about general bad weather, perhaps someone will say:  "Well, I've heard it's worse in the west. They've had terrible flooding."

Predicting the weather (1)  We can make predictions about the weather, using a range of forms – not just the "will" or "going to" form:  "I think it'll clear up later."  "It's going to rain by the looks of it."  "We're in for frost tonight."  "They're expecting snow in the north."  "I hear that showers are coming our way."

We can make predictions about the weather, using a number of expressions. I think it'll clear up later.? It's going to rain by the looks of it.? We're in for frost tonight.? They're expecting snow in the west.? I hear that showers are coming our way.? I hear they‘re calling for thunderstorms all weekend.? Predicting the weather (2)

What a nice/fine/sunny day! It is a rainy day. (snowy/cloudy/sunny/windy) It is bad weather. (windy/rainy/raw/moist/damp/humid/ sultry/ tropical/misty) Or, you can say:

It is good/lovely weather. (frosty/cold/warm/wet/foggy/fair/ hazy/ severe/broken/unsettled) Or, you can say:

It’s very hot! What a nice day! Nice & bright today! It rains a lot here in summer. It’s a lovely day. It’s rather cold & windy today. Other expressions (1):

The weather is better than yesterday. The weather forecast, say it will rain tomorrow. I don’t set store by weather forecast. The weather is better than yesterday. It’s about 6 degree centigrade/ Fahrenheit Other expressions(2):

British people often begin polite conversations by talking about the weather.  It’ a nice day, isn’t it??  That strange weather we're having!?  It doesn't look like it's going to stop raining today.?  Terrible weather, isn't it?  It hasn't stopped raining for days.?  I think it is going to rain.?  There is a chill in the air this morning.?  Beautiful day, isn't it??  It looks like it's going to snow?  We couldn't ask for a nicer day, could we?

A: Honey, what is the weather like tomorrow? B: It will rain. A: How about this weekend? B: The weather forecast said it would be sunny. About 20 degree centigrade. A: Wonderful! You know we are going at for a barbecue. B: I don’t set store by weather forecast. A: But most of the time, they are right, aren’t they? Yes, I hope we can make it this weekend. Dialogue:

Conversation 1 Paul: Nice day, isn’t it? Zhu Wei: Sure it is. Why don’t we go to a park? Paul: Good idea!

Conversation 2 Louise: Which season do you like best? Yang: Autumn. Autumn is the best season in Beijing. ‘ Louise: I like autumn, too. Where I’m from autumn is the best time of year.

Conversation 3 Dou: what’s the weather like in your hometown? Paula: Um, very nice. It’s warm in spring and cool in autumn. Dou: Is it hot in summer? Paula: Yes, it is, but not as hot as in Beijing.

Tokyo is a hot, humid 30 degrees with a slight chance of rain. Fog is closing in Kansai International. Additionals: