Don't Gild the Lily!

Plants and flowers have given a lot of colloquial expressions to English. Here are some of the most common ones.

A family tree is a list of all the members of a family. To get to the top of your tree is to do very well in your job, but to bark up the wrong tree is to waste time and energy by attacking the wrong object. A branch office is the subsidiary of a company, and to branch out is to extend one's activities. To twig is to suddenly understand something. If you hedge or beat about the bush, you avoid saying what you mean in a direct way. When you can't see the wood for the trees, you can't see something overall because of all the details. To be hedged in is to be restricted in some way. To put down roots is to settle in a place, to be rooted to the spot is to be unable to move, and to get to the root of something is to find a cause or explanation for it. A budding artist is young and rising, and to nip something in the bud is to stop something early on. The pick of the bunch is the best, and to hand someone a bouquet is to praise them. There's no rose without a thorn means that there is a drawback to every nice thing. A thorn in the flesh is a person who is a nuisance. A rosy view of things is a very optimistic view. A project bears fruit when it is successful. To nettle someone is to annoy them, and to gild the lily is to ornament something which is already beautiful and therefore spoil the effect.

1. I don't like living in large towns. I always feel______________.

2. Don't put on any more jewellery or you'll__________________.

3. David seems to have_______and settled in Paris very happily.

4. That student is always asking difficult questions in class, he's a real_________.

5. Sarah was transferred from the main office in London to a_______ office in

Brighton.

6. Jane's book is very successful - all her hard work has___________.

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb

В. Weather Forecast Focus Vocabulary

Information about the weather provided by radio, tv or newspapers

weather forecast

weather report

the outlook for tomorrow/the weekend

the weather

words for describing conditions, changes etc connected with the weather

climatic conditions/changes/differences

meteorological observations/reports/research

atmospheric conditions/changes/pressure

continue	freezing point
fall	risk of fog patches
expect	widespread frost
spread	temperature
enter (about air masses)	Centigrade Farenheit
go up	highs in the upper 20s
	cold/hot/windy/rainy/cloudy
	scattered showers
	morning flurries

expressions connected with weather

rain or shine

in all weathers

all-weather clothing/gear/pitch

Word Meaning

Note:

1. weather forecast = a description of what the weather will probably be like in the near future, provided by radio, TV etc.

2. weather report = a British expression meaning a description of the weather conditions now and in the near future, especially one in the radio or TV.

3. the weather = an informal expression meaning the description of what the weather will be in the near future, provided by radio, TV.

4. the outlook = what the weather will probably be like for the next few days,

especially according to information provided by radio, TV etc.

Ex. 1 Translate the following into Russian/Belarusian.

1. I'm afraid the outlook isn't very good - they say it's going to rain tomorrow.

2. I don't know why I listen to the weather. They never get it right.

3. What's the weather forecast for the weekend?

4. There are weather reports every hour to keep you up to date with driving

conditions in your area.

5. The outlook for the weekend is for continued fine weather.

Word Use

Ex. 2 Match the words in the box with their definitions. Use a dictionary if necessary.

climatic meteorological atmospheric

a) connected with the scientific study of the weather

b) connected with the air that surrounds the earth and how it affects the weather

c) connected with the weather in an area over a long period of time

Ex. 3 Complete the following sentences using 'climatic^’, 'meteorological', 'atmospheric'.

1. ... reports are fed into a computer which analyses the data and helps scientists make accurate predictions about the weather.

2. The types of rice grown in a country depend on ... conditions.

3. The ... pressure will be gradually falling bringing weather changes over the weekend.

Words Ex. 4 Read the late-night weather forecast given below and

in Context answer the questions.

Tonight will continue cold in most areas, with temperatures falling to 1 degree centigrade (34 degrees Fahrenheit) in the South and Midlands, and to zero or below freezing point in the North and Scotland. The night will be clear - a fine moonlit night in the eastern part of the country - but we can expect some snow to fall on high ground in Wales and the West, and there will be widespread frost overnight with the risk of early morning fog patches, and mist in coastal districts.

Turning to tomorrow's chart, the outlook is similar for the eastern half of the country, in general fine and dry, but there will be some snow, turning to sleet as temperatures rise during the day, in Yorkshire and the North-east. During the day, a warmer westerly airstream will enter Wales and the South-west, and temperatures there will go up to 7 degrees centigrade (46 degrees Fahrenheit). The general tendency will be drizzle and some light rain in the west, but take an umbrella because some outbreaks of heavier rain are likely, and there could even be some isolated thunderstorms.

Looking forward to Tuesday, the warmer weather will spread eastward across the country, with showers but also some sunny intervals.

1. What is freezing point?

2. Why would you expect snow if you lived in the Welsh mountains?

3. Why would you need to drive carefully the following morning?

4. Why would you it be dangerous to play football in the morning?

5. What is the difference between snow and sleet? What does sleet become if the temperature rises?

6. What sort of rain is drizzle?

7. Why would it be wise to take an umbrella tomorrow if you lived in the West?

8. Would you take an umbrella on Tuesday? Why/Why not?

Ex. 5 Where do you see these? What information do they give? Imagine this is the outlook for the coming weekend for your region. What plans would you make for the weekend taking into consideration the weather?

Cool with showers

Guardian 6.3.84 Sunny periods

Guardian 7.8.84

Outlook: rain

Sunday Times 29.7.84

Sun and showers

Guardian 13.7.84

Drizzle will spread

Guardian 22.6.86

The weather mainly dry and mild.

Details, backpage. Guardian 6.3.84

THE WEATHER

Dry with sunny periods, but

a cloudy start in some eastern

districts. Mostly very warm.

(Details, page 2) Observer 22.7.84

Mostly dry and sunny.

Sunday Times 5.8.84

What is the weather forecast today? What will the weather be tomorrow?

Ex. 6 Paul and Judy live in Birmingham. It's a large city in the Midlands. They are planning a weekend holiday.

- I know, Judy! Why don't we go to Scotland?

- It's a very long way.

- Oh, it isn't too far. Anyway, the motorway's very good, so we can get there quickly.

- But Scotland's often cold at this time of the year. It may snow!

- Well, yes ... it may ... but I don't think it will.

I'm not sure. It is February, and I'm frightened of driving in snow. And we may not be able to find a hotel. They may be closed.

- Oh, that's no problem. I can book a hotel by phone.

Well, perhaps, it's not a bad idea. We may have beautiful weather.

- Oh, we'll enjoy ourselves anyway. Let's watch the weather forecast on TV. We may not go to Scotland, we may go to Wales or London. We can decide after the forecast.

Good evening, and here is the weather forecast for tomorrow. Northern Scotland will be cold, and there may be snow over high ground. In the north ol Fngland it will be a wet day and rain may move into Wales and the Midlands during the afternoon. East Anglia will be generally dry, but it will be dull and cloudy. In southern England it will be a bright clear day with sunshine, but it may rain during the evening. In the south west it may be foggy during the morning but the afternoon will be clear. It may be windy later in the day.

Answer the questions:

1 Where does Paul want to go for the weekend?

2. Why doesn't Judy want to go to Scotland?

3. What will the weather be like in Northern Scotland/ in the North of England and Wales?

4. Will East Anglia be dry or wet?

5. Will it rain in Southern England?

Ex. 7 Look at the weather map and complete the gaps in the following weather report.

wind	sunny	strong	high	raining	skies
cloudy	windy	cold	winter	colder	snow
	winter	rains		warmer

Well, as you can see from the weather map, there's varied weather activity across the United States and Canada today. Let's start with the West Coast, where it's a)_________ from British Columbia down to northern California. The b)_________ in Seattle will be 50 degrees. Southern California will be in better shape today - they'll have c)_________d)__________and e)__________ temperatures. We are looking for a f)_________ of 78 degrees in San Diego. The Midwest will be having clear but g) _________ weather. Oklahoma City will see a h) _________ of 65 and i)_________ skies with very j)___________winds. Down in Houston we're looking for k)__________ skies and a l) _______of 69. Over to the east in Miami we expect the thermometer to reach 64 degrees, but it'll be m)___________and quite n)_________. Up in the north-east, it looks like o)__________just won't let go! New York City will be having another day of heavy p)________, q) _________ winds and r)_________temperatures, with a s)_________ of only 35 degrees expected. Further north in Montreal it's even t)________ - 28 degrees, with u) _______ flurries expected today. Over in Toronto it's v)__________ but a w)____________ 30 degrees. And that's this morning's weather forecast. We'll have a complete weather update today at noon.

Role-play

Task 1. Ann comes to hospital to see her sick brother. But it is the rest period. The nurse asks her to wait. They both make small talk about the weather. They compare this August with last year's August. Last year the nurse was visiting Moscow at this time of the year. She compares the weather in Moscow with that of London.

Task 2. Two neighbours are going up in the lift. Both feel like saying smth in order not to remain silent. The most proper subject is the weather which is very hasty indeed.

Task 3. You drive up to the gas-station. While your car is being filled you make small talk about the weather with the gas-station attendant. You ask the assistant to bring a newspaper to read the weather forecast in it.

Speak of the Sun and We See It Rise

Revision and Consolidation