Exercise 1
1. Listen to four people talking about extreme weather. Match each person to a photo.
2. Listen again. Complete the sentences with a word from one of the boxes.
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earthquake flood lightning snowstorm tornado |
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blew fell down flowed poured rose shook |
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Speaker 1
1 The speaker talked about a ……………… .
2 There was no power in the city possibly because the wind ……………… so hard.
Speaker 2
3 There was a ……………… storm.
4 The speaker saw a fire ……………… .
Speaker 3
5 There was a ……………… where the speaker lives.
6 There was so much rain that the river ……………… by two metres.
7 It ……………… for hours.
8 Dirty water ……………… along the street.
Speaker 4
9 The speaker experienced a big ……………… a few years ago.
10 The ground ……………… violently.
11 Many buildings ……………… .
Answer & Audioscript
1 Speaker 1 C Speaker 2 A Speaker 3 B Speaker 4 D
2 1 snowstorm 2 blew 3 lightning 4 tornado 5 flood 6 rose
7 poured 8 flowed 9 earthquake 10 shook 11 fell down
Audioscript
Speaker 1: I’d heard the weather forecast the previous evening – they predicted some snow. But no one expected the amount we got. Imagine, the centre of New York stopped in its tracks by a snowstorm! The city had a power cut too – you know, no electricity for a while. I don’t know whether this was because the wind blew so hard or if it was the type of snow that fell.
Speaker 2: My family used to live just outside the Australian city of Canberra. On that day, there was a storm. It was so hot and dry. Then we had a lightning storm and that’s what started the fire, and with it, a fire tornado. Awesome to watch, but really scary too. I’ll never forget it.
Speaker 3: I live in a fishing village in Cornwall, which is in the southwest of Britain. We’ve had plenty of bad weather, so we all know what to do in case of a flood. Last week, so much rain fell that the river rose two metres above normal. It poured for hours. We watched the dirty water flow along our street as it flooded our village.
Speaker 4: There was a big earthquake a few years ago. The earth shook and then the roads opened up, and lots of buildings fell down. Since then we have had smaller ones, and lots of them. It can be pretty scary but now everyone knows what they have to do.
Exercise 2
1. You will hear an interview with a teenage boy called Jake, who got lost on a snowy mountain in Oregon, USA. Read the six questions. Then listen and answer the questions, choosing A, B or C.
1 What happened to Jake’s skis?
A He carried them down the mountain.
B He left them where they came off.
C He hid them both in the deep snow.
2 Jake stopped walking down the mountain because
A it was too dark for him to reach the bottom.
B there was still a lot of snow falling.
C he couldn’t remember what to do from the TV shows.
3 What was good about Jake’s snow cave?
A It was built on flat ground.
B It allowed him to remove his gloves.
C It kept him completely out of the wind.
4 Who was out looking for Jake that evening?
A a single helicopter
B groups of people on foot
C both of his parents
5 What part of Bear Grylls’ advice did Jake follow in the woods?
A search for tracks in the snow
B look for lights to aim at
C walk on your hands and knees
6 While Jake was missing, his mother
A tried to contact him on her cellphone.
B thought that not enough people were looking for him.
C stayed positive by thinking about him.
Answer & Audioscript
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 A 6 C
Audioscript
You will hear an interview with a teenage boy called Jake.
Interviewer: Here with me today is Jake, who had a big adventure one New Year’s Eve when he got lost on a freezing mountain in Oregon. Jake, what happened?
Jake: I was skiing with my parents in the afternoon, when I lost a ski. It disappeared in deep snow. So there was no way I could catch up with them. I took off the other ski, put it down and started to walk.
Interviewer: But it began to get dark?
Jake: Yeah, so I stopped. There were stars everywhere! I knew I couldn’t get the whole way back, so to stay alive I had to think of something else. I used to love watching Bear Grylls’ TV shows about living in the wild and thought, I can use his techniques to help me.
Interviewer: So you built a snow cave?
Jake: Right. I had to protect myself – it was freezing cold by then and it started snowing hard. I dug a kind of cave, which went up a hill, so the wind blew over it and didn’t hit me. I was wearing gloves and they froze on my hands! I couldn’t get them off.
Interviewer: Amazing! And were people out looking for you by this time?
Jake: My parents reported me missing at five-thirty and stayed inside waiting for news. I heard helicopters but they couldn’t see me in my snow cave and never came back, unfortunately. But there were several rescue teams walking over the mountain.
Interviewer: And Bear Grylls came to your help again?
Jake: Yeah. The storm passed and I started walking again. On one programme, he explained what to do if you get lost in woods – search for tracks and follow them – so that’s what I did. I found some ski tracks, and when they disappeared I got down on my hands and knees to look more closely at the ground and find them. And then I saw lights I could aim at. I met up with the folks who were out to rescue me soon after.
Interviewer: How did your mother feel when she had you back safely?
Jake: It was great. While I was missing, my mum said that although she couldn’t use her mobile phone, she kept sending me warm thoughts and tried to let me know that people were coming for me. I don’t think that helped me but it made her feel good, I guess! I just felt so thankful to Bear Grylls for his expert knowledge. It can save lives, you know?
Interviewer: Absolutely. Jake, an incredible story. Thank you.
Exercise 3
1. Read the questions. Then listen to Mariann’s answers. What verb forms does she use to talk about her past experiences?
1 What was your favourite outdoor activity as a child?
2 How much time did you spend outdoors when you were younger?
3 Tell us about the things you did during good weather.
2. Complete the text with the missing verbs. Then listen again and check.
Mariann (0) …used to live… in the mountains. She (1)………….. in the snow, and every winter, she (2)………….. a snowman with her friends. In the summer, she (3)………….. with her grandparents, who had a farm. When the weather was good, she (4)………….. in the river and (5)………….. flowers in the fields.
Answer & Audioscript
1 She uses used to and the past simple.
2 1 loved playing 2 used to build 3 used to stay
4 (often) swam 5 used to pick
Audioscript
Interviewer: Where do you come from, Mariann?
Mariann: I’m from Hungary. I used to live in the mountains, quite close to Romania, actually.
Interviewer: And what was your favourite outdoor activity as a child?
Mariann: Do you mean as a small kid?
Interviewer: Yes.
Mariann: Well … I loved playing in the snow. Every winter I used to build a snowman with my friends. That was fun!
Interviewer: How much time did you spend outdoors when you were younger?
Mariann: A lot! I didn’t mind getting cold, I just wanted to be outside. And, er, every summer, I used to stay with my grandparents. They had a farm, so I played outside all the time.
Interviewer: Tell us about the things you did during good weather.
Mariann: Let me think. Um, I often swam in the river. And I used to pick flowers in the fields, that kind of thing.
Interviewer: Thank you.
Exercise 4
1. Listen to a conversation. Which topic from the photos does David like for the team project?
2. Listen again and complete the sentences.
1 Anna thinks they should do a project about …
2 David’s mum thinks he should stay …
3 David’s mum suggests that he asks his teacher …
4 David’s first idea for the group project was …
5 Last year, David took a course about …
Answer & Audioscript
1 first aid
2 1 exercise and staying fit 2 positive
3 to give them more information
4 extreme sports 5 first aid
Audioscript
David: [on phone] What? Oh, I don’t know! Ask Kevin what he thinks. OK, Bye.
Mum: What’s wrong, David?
David: Oh, hi Mum. I’m just stressed about my project for PE class. We have to do a team presentation, and we can’t decide on the topic! I hate team projects.
Mum: Calm down. What ideas have you got?
David: Well, Anna wants to do a presentation about exercise and staying fit. You know, the typical thing. Everyone is going to do that, I’m sure.
Mum: Well, maybe not. You need to stay positive and listen to your friends’ ideas – they might surprise you!
David: Well, Kevin thinks we can talk about good eating habits, you know, like ‘don’t eat too much junk food’, or ‘eat lots of fruit and vegetables’ …
Mum: OK, well that sounds interesting …
David: Really? I mean, I told Kevin it was OK, but it’s the same problem. Lots of people are going to do food and nutrition as a topic …
Mum: Well, it is PE class! Why don’t you ask your teacher to give you more information about the project? It sounds like maybe the goal of the project isn’t very clear.
David: Yes, I did ask and she said it can be anything about PE that we’re interested in. I thought maybe extreme sports, you know, like rock-climbing or bungee-jumping … but Anna and Kevin don’t agree with me. They say it’s too unusual.
Mum: Alright … and those are the only ideas? What about … taking care of yourself, wearing safety equipment when you do sports …
David: Hey … that could be a good idea … or we could do first aid! You know, what people have to do when there’s an emergency, if someone has an accident and breaks a leg, or something.
Mum: First aid? Well, you took that course last year at the community centre.
David: Yes, and I really liked it, too. That’s a great idea, Mum. I’m going to call Anna and Kevin.
Mum: OK, but see what they think. They might not like the topic …
David: Oh, don’t worry. Anna will like it … and then Kevin will listen to us. Thanks, Mum!
Mum: You’re welcome.
David: [on phone] … Anna! I’ve just had an idea …
Exercise 5
1. You will hear an interview with a girl called Lacey Anderson, who writes a blog about the weather. For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Why did Lacey decide to write a blog about the weather?
A It seemed like a good way to help her become a TV weather presenter.
B She enjoyed sharing her photos of extreme weather conditions online.
C There was little information available about weather in her area.
2 What does Lacey think people like about her blog?
A They can follow links to other websites about weather.
B They can upload information about weather in their area.
C They can ask questions about future weather events.
3 When asked about the effects of her blog on readers, Lacey says she feels
A surprised that they take notice of what she suggests.
B pleased that they offer advice based on their experiences.
C excited that they encourage other people to read her blog.
4 Lacey says that her local weather centre has
A given her information that she couldn’t find anywhere else.
B saved her a lot of time and effort.
C provided pictures free of charge.
5 Lacey’s parents decided to get involved in her blog when
A they got jobs as firefighters.
B Lacey asked them to write an article about forest fires.
C they learned about how a particular fire started.
6 What does Lacey say about the organisations which support her blog?
A Her school allows her to take time out of class to write her blog.
B The local newspaper regularly prints positive reviews of her blog.
C A shop in the area gave her some products to sell through her blog.
Answer & Audioscript
1 C 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 C 6 B
Audioscript
Interviewer: Here with us is Lacey Anderson, who writes a blog about the weather. Lacey, why did you decide to blog?
Lacey: We have extreme weather in this region – storms, tornados, floods – and though there are articles and photos of events online – including some of mine! – there was a lack of useful information. That’s what made my mind up about it. I had to share facts. I used to think being a TV weather forecaster would be great – I’m not as interested in TV reporting now, though.
Interviewer: Your blog has lots of followers.
Lacey: Yeah! The social media sites are linked to it, so it’s easy for people to access. There’s a page where they can contact me to find out about what’s going to happen and whether they’ll be affected. I always reply and I know they find that helpful.
Interviewer: So, what does your blog contain and what do readers say about it?
Lacey: Basic information about what to do and what not to do in extreme weather conditions. I didn’t expect so many people to follow the recommendations! I’d like to do other things on my blog, like get people to leave comments about how they dealt with recent weather events to help other readers in similar situations.
Interviewer: Isn’t your local weather centre helping you?
Lacey: Yes, they provide their own forecasts to me for free, which I use for my blog. Previously I found out what was happening from the radio, TV or forecast sites and included details on my blog, but it used to take ages! I’ve always liked finding and uploading pictures and maps, so I don’t need theirs, but I’m grateful for their help.
Interviewer: Your parents help with your blog. Why?
Lacey: They’re volunteer firefighters, who help out when there are bush fires. One big one started recently because it had been so hot in the area and the grass was dry – and someone had a barbecue in the woods, which started it. My parents knew then that they wanted to help, so they wrote a post for me about how to prevent this kind of thing happening when the weather gets hot in summer.
Interviewer: Have local organisations been helpful?
Lacey: Yes, our local newspaper publishes great stuff about the blog. It sells lots of copies, so people get to know about my work. A local outdoor shop pays to advertise on my site – they sell equipment and clothing for extreme conditions. My school supports what I do, but I can’t update the blog during classes, so I do it during breaks.
Interviewer: Thanks, Lacey!
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