V. B. Look at some ways of talking about the weather

It is often foggy. It was cool yesterday. It will be sunny tomorrow.	There’s often wind. There was shower. There will be hurricanes.		It often rains. It snowed yesterday. It might rain tomorrow.
The temperature is 15º (degrees) above zero.		The temperature was 15º below zero.

V. C. Translate the sentences

1. What’s the weather like today? – It’s hot and sunny. 2. What was the weather like yesterday? – It was wet, cloudy and windy. It rained. 3. What will the weather be like tomorrow? – It will be sunny in the morning. There will be some sunshine and then it will get colder. 4. There may be thunder in Wales. 5. In East Texas the climate is hot and often very humid. 6. It quite often rains heavily for 2 or 3 days. 7. The climate conditions in Russia are rather different: from arc­tic to continental and subtropical.

V. D. Practise the dialogue (EE № 35) -Hello, Mike, how are you? - Hi, Joanna, fine, thanks, and you? - I always feel great when the weather is so beautiful. - Yes, the sun is shining, it’s a cloudless sky and there is a gentle breeze. - And what is the weather like in your country? - December and January are the coldest

months and it is usually very wet. - It’s just like in Chicago. - Really? I thought there is a lot of snow during the winter in Chicago. - Sometimes it snows but it is usually wet and chilly. And what about spring in Ireland? - In spring it is generally cool, wet and windy but in June the weather improves. - In Chicago it is usually warm in May and it can be really hot in June.

V. E. Translate the following word combinations: binding materials, the influence of certain conditions, the ability to harden, be applied as a finish, a hard surface, receive whitewash and paint, wall paper, a partial insulation, the passage of heat, air and sound, according to the character of its base, lime plasters, gypsum plasters, set quickly, quite light in weight, exposed to weather, pure gypsum, Plaster of Paris, cast ornamental plaster work, be excellent for this purpose, produce hard surfaces, sharp contours and arrises, to set in 20 minutes, form a finishing coat, hollow tile, concrete blocks, wood frame, a structural material, ordinary Portland cement, rapid hardening Portland cement, blast furnace Portland cement, low heat Portland cement, high alumina cement, sulphate resisting cement, to manufacture cement, mix clay, mass concrete walls, heavy foundations, coloured pigments

VI. A. Read the text and speak on binding materials

We call binding materials such material which under the influence of certain physical conditions has the ability to harden passing from a liquid state to a solid one.

From the most widely used binding materials we know gypsum, stucco, plaster, lime, cement.

Plaster is applied as a finish for walls and ceilings in the interior of buildings. It forms a hard surface which satisfactory receives whitewash, paint or wall paper and acts as a partial insulation against the passage of heat, air and sound. According to the character of its base plasters may be classed as lime plasters and gypsum plasters.

Gypsum is soft, fire resistant, sets quickly and is quite light in weight, but is never used in situations exposed to weather. Pure gypsum is called alabaster.

Plaster of Paris is used for cast ornamental plaster work, and it is excellent for this purpose. It produces hard surfaces, sharp contours and arrises.

Stucco is applied to the exterior of buildings to form a finishing coat. Stucco is usually applied to walls of concrete, brick, hollow tile, concrete blocks or wood frame. Architectural and sculptural ornaments, such as fruit, flowers, garlands, festoons, etc. are made of it.

Portland cement now ranks second only to steel as a structural material. Ordinary Portland cement is used for most engineering and building work. There are different types of cement: rapid hardening Portland cement, blast furnace Portland cement, low heat Portland cement, high alumina cement, sulphate resisting cement.

Low heat Portland cement is manufactured for use in such structures as dams, mass concrete walls and heavy foundations. High alumina cement is not easily attacked by frost. By the addition of coloured pigments many coloured cements can be produced.