Task 1

Look at the photo. Have you ever experienced an event similar to this?

Task 2
Match the words with their meaning.
Word IPA transcription Meaning
consecutive /kənˈsɛkjʊtɪv/ h a. to cause something to start
stranded /ˈstrændɪd/ b. to return something or
someone to an earlier good
condition or position
abandon /əˈbændən/ c. left without the means to
move from somewhere.
trigger /ˈtrɪgə/ d.twisting
waterspout /ˈwɔːtəspaʊt/ e. special, or this and not any
other
particular /pəˈtɪkjʊlə/ f. to leave a place, thing, or
person, usually for ever
restore /rɪsˈtɔː/ g. a tornado filled with water
that forms over the sea
swirling /ˈswɜːlɪŋ/ h. following each other
continuously.

Snow blankets Greece and Turkey as wild weather system creates rare
'snownado'
A rare and severe snowstorm has blanketed parts of Greece and
Turkey, causing chaos on the streets of major cities and forcing the
evacuation of thousands of people.
Storm Elpida swept across Greece on Monday, covering Athens
with heavy snow, which rarely falls in the Greek capital but has
now occurred in a second consecutive year.
Athens has only seen six snow events since 2000, and while it
usually experiences average snowfall of 1.3 centimeters (0.5
inches) annually, Elpida has already brought around 8 centimeters
(3.1 inches), the most since February 2021, when 10 centimeters
(3.9 inches) fell. The islands of Mykonos and Santorini also
experienced rare snowfalls.
Parts of Athens were hit by power cuts, and the grid operator said
crews were working to restore electricity.
Rescue crews, including the army, through the night to assist thousands of people stranded
in their cars on a motorway in the Greek capital after the snowstorm swept through the
country on Monday.
As temperatures fell overnight, soldiers handed out food, water and blankets to drivers, some
of whom were stranded for more than 10 hours. TV footage showed the road and vehicles
covered in snow.
More than 3,500 people had evacuated by early Tuesday, some abandoning their cars on foot;
around 1,200 cars remained stuck on the Attiki Odos, the capital's main ring-road,
government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said.
Monday's storm also triggered a rare 'snownado,' a tornado-like funnel traveling over a
snow-covered landscape, after a waterspout moved onshore, swirling snow around the base
of the twister.
Snowfall in Istanbul began late last week and has picked up in recent days in the city of 16
million people. Footage from the airport -- among the world's largest -- showed runways
covered in a thick blanket of snow with aircraft and vehicles barely visible.
Across the country some 4,600 people were left stranded on roads and elsewhere, and
thousands had moved into temporary housing, the Disaster and Emergency Authority said.
While scientists have not yet analyzed the link between this particular storm and climate
change, global warming has pushed average temperatures in the Mediterranean up by more
than 1 degree Celsius since the early 1990s, according to the EU's Copernicus environmental
monitoring program.
Source: CNN

Task 3
Read the text and answer the questions.
a. How has the situation affected people?
b. What time periods are mentioned in the story?

Task 4
Read the text again and highlight all the verbs in the Present Perfect and Past Perfect.
a) Complete the table.
Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple
Form: have + past participle had + part participle
has + past participle
Example: has picked up had moved / hæd muːvd/
has blanketed /hæz had evacuated
ˈblæŋkɪtɪd/
 has now accured
has only seen
has already brought
have not yet analysed
has pushed
Meaning: a recent action an action which happened
before another short action
in the past

A rare snowstorm has blanketed parts of Greece.

/ ə reə ˈsnəʊstɔːm həz ˈblæŋkɪtɪd pɑːts əv griːs./
Thousands had moved into temporary housing.
/ ˈθaʊzəndz həd muːvd ˈɪntuː ˈtɛmpərəri ˈhaʊzɪŋ./

“Never have I seen such a big snowstorm.” stated one truck driver stranded on the Attiki
Odos.

Grammar focus:
Inversion is used in order to give more emphasis or a more dramatic effect.

I have never seen such a big snowstorm.

Never have I seen such a big snowstorm.

Task 5
Use inversion in the following sentences. Start the new sentences with the underlined part.
1) I have never seen such a big snowstorm. Never have I seen such a big snowstorm.
 2) Ted has hardly ever caught such a big fish. Hardly ever has Ted caught such a big
fish.
3) Terence has hardly ever spoken to me.Hardly ever has Terence spoken to me.
4) We have never eaten such bad scrambled eggs. Never have I eaten such bad
scrambled eggs.
5) He has never seen such a wonderful bride. Never has he seen such a wonderful
bride.
6) I have never seen a whale. Never in my life have I seen a whale.
Finish the sentences with your own ideas:
Never have I…seen a flower growing upside down.
Hardly ever have I …felt exhausted after doing what I like.

Task 6
You are news reporters and have to prepare a report on a recent story for a news programme.
Choose a story you are familiar with. Note down the most important facts.
Report your news story to the whole class – remember to use Present Perfect, Past Perfect.
You can also use inversion to give it a more dramatic effect.