Trees and Plant Metaphors

Seed(s) is often used to talk about the start of an idea or feeling:

the seeds of success/ discontent/ revolution.

Root(s) is used to suggest the origins of something. You can talk about going back to your roots, for example, meaning going back to the place where your family came from.

You can also talk about the root of a problem or the roots of a tradition.

Putting down roots means settling down and making your home in one place.

When an idea becomes known or accepted, it can be said to take root.

Deeply and firmly collocate with rooted as in, for example: Its origins are firmly/ deeply rooted in the nineteenth century.

The grass roots of an organisation or society are the ordinary people in it, not the leaders.

Stem is used as a verb to signify that something originates in something else.

A branch is something that grows off or branches out from a main organisation. So we talk about branches of a shop or a business branching out into new directions.

Bud (=flower before it opens) is used in the expression nip in the bud (= stop something before it develops into something).

The adjective budding can also mean showing promise of future development.

1. Alec has spent most of his life in London, but he is keen to _______back to his

roots when he retires.

2. The business is firmly ________in the west of England.

3. The idea took some time to_________ root, but it's very fashionable now.

4. His grandfather sowed the ___________of the business's success.

5. The US bookshop chain is opening a number of _______ in the UK.

6. It's about time she __________ down some roots.

7. The idea for her novel _________ from her interest in mountain climbing.

8. St James's Drama College turns out a hundred ______ actors every year.

budding flourishing withering

fading deeply rooted

ACQUIRING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

lie north/ south of __ parallel of latitude

temperature

continental / tropical/ moderate/ subtropical/ subarctic climate

be bounded by / border on/ abut

administratively, _____ includes ___ states/ counties/ provinces/ cantons

an area constitutes

from north to south/ west to east ____ extends more than ___

encompass ___ time zones

Northern/ Southern/ Western/Eastern hemisphere

stretch across

mark the boundary

principal islands

mountain chains

geologic structures

surface formations

be divided into several broad geographic regions

a) The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climate zones. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east, where much snow falls in winter. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast. The region around the Great Lakes is known for its changeable weather. In general, the climate in North America is much colder than in Europe and the average annual temperature of New York, for example, is 11° C.

b) The weather in Washington reminds me of a winning candidate who promises everything, but you never know just when to expect it at all.

Sometimes it’s April in January, and March often behaves like December or May. Or as Mark Twain found it here: “When you arrived (at the station at night) it was snowing. When you reached the hotel it was sleeting. When you went to bed, it was raining. During the night it froze hard and the wind blew some chimneys down. When you got up in the morning, it was foggy. When you finished your breakfast at ten o’clock and went out, the sunshine was brilliant, the weather balmy and delicious, and the mud and slush deep and all-pervading. You will like the climate - when you get used to it.”

If you care to follow Mark Twain’s advice, take an umbrella, and an overcoat, and a fan, and go forth.

My advice on what to expect, season by season, regarding the weather is:

Spring - it’s a wonderful, most attractive, liveliest time of the year. Mild weather usually arrives earlier than it does in most northern cities. (Prepare for possible 27° C in March), flowers burst into bloom starting with magnolia, and then followed by cherry blossoms, azalea and pansies.

Summer - it can be hot, humid, and sticky. Men wear tropical outfits.

Autumn - the best season except for spring; in some ways the best of all. The climate is dry and mild. If you are driving, the colour in the mountains is beautiful.

Winter - unpredictable, some years raw, cold and soggy, others - short and mild. You don’t have to bring your umbrellas, but come prepared to buy them.

Model:

A: What country are you from?

B: From India (1).

A: What’s the climate like there?

B: I like it, but it’s often (2) very hot (3) in summer (4).

(1) Russia Britain Sweden Canada Cuba France Egypt Norway

(2) always occasionally sometimes often seldom frequently never

(3) cold frosty sultry stormy pleasant windy rainy

snowy stifling

(4) spring winter autumn summer

1. I need an umbrella, it’s ______.

2. Let’s go skiing, there’s a lot of ____.

3. Shut the window, it’s getting ______.

4. The ______ blew the leaves into the hall.

5. When it _____, children make snowmen.

6. The sky is blue, it’s a lovely ____ day.

7. It’s very _____ today, let’s go swimming to cool down.

8. Take a sweater. It might be ____ later.

9. I think it’s very ____ in Antarctica.

10. It doesn’t often _____ in the desert.

Model:

for skiing the bad weather is: mild weather which makes the snow melt;

good weather: cold, clear days

1. Planting flowers in a garden.

2. Having an evening barbecue.

3. Going out in a small sailing boat.

4. A day of sightseeing in a big city.

5. Camping out in a tent.

6. Looking at ships through binoculars.

7. Travelling by balloon.

8. Flying a kite.

9. Making a snowman.

10. Dreaming about your future.

Model: Put on your coat.

a) Put on your coat. It’s cold outside. You may catch cold.

b) Put on your coat. It’s very windy today. The coat will keep you from the wind.

c) Put on your coat; it's getting cold.

1. Open the window, please.

2. Will you please switch on the light?

3. Please hurry up.

4. We’ll have to take a taxi or go by bus.

5. You needn’t put on your warm jersey.

6. Don’t make so much noise, please.

7. I think you should take your sun glasses.

8. You haven’t forgotten your umbrella, have you?

9. Let’s go for a swim.

10. I hope we’ll be able to go skiing tomorrow.

11. Very soon we’ll be skating.

The Weather Forecast

Announcer: And now the weather. In Scotland it’s snowing. The temperature’s

around minus one degree. In the Midlands it’s windy. Temperatures

are around nine degrees. In Bristol in the West it’s raining. Temperatures are around twelve degrees. Finally, in Brighton the weather’s fine. It’ll be sunny but cold all day. Maximum temperature is about 11 degrees.

1. In which months is the weather fine in your town?

2. Are we always pleased to have dry weather? When are we not pleased to have it?

3. Would it be wise to go for an outing in wet weather?

4. Is it usual to have occasional rain in September in Russia? What about

February?

5. Does it clear up quickly after rain? Is this a feature of any particular season?

6. Where do you get the weather forecast from? Do you always rely on what it

says?

7. Would you take a raincoat with you if the forecast said about occasional

rain?

8. What do you usually do if you are wet through?

9. Which do you like better: when it’s cold or hot?

10. What weather do you like best of all?

11. What is the weather like today?

12. What would you like to do on a nasty rainy day?

13. What part does the weather play in your plans for a holiday?

14. Why do most people prefer summer to any other season of the year? What is your favourite season?

15. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each season of the year?

1) April: Saturday: mainly cloudy, occasional rain with sleet or snow over hills slowly dying out, hill fog patches, wind NE fresh or strong, max temp 5° C.

Outlook for Sunday: Bright weather with sunny intervals showers will spread slowly during Saturday, replacing the mainly cloudy weather with occasional rain or drizzle. On Sunday all districts will have sunny intervals and showers.

March: Dull misty start with rain at times; becoming dry and brighter, wind SE light, max temp 10° C.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26