WORKSHEET

Topics: Weather
by Adrian Tennant

READING 2: NEWS IN BRIEF

INTEGRATED SKILLS WORKSHEET

a. Read the newspaper stories below and match 4. Picture:

the headlines and pictures from the previous page
to the correct story. Wildfires have been are almost inevitable.
raging out of control “We’re doing the best
across much of we can,” said one
southern Europe. firefighter, “but things
Serious droughts and are so bad at the
searing heat has led to moment! We’re at our
1. Picture: conditions where fires limit.” Fortunately, rain
is predicted for the
More than 30 centimetres motorist. Airports were weekend.
of snow has fallen in just closed and emergency
24 hours causing havoc services were at full
to much of the south of stretch. “Stay at home,
England. “It’s the worst unless you really have to
winter I’ve ever known,” travel,” was the advice
said one stranded from the authorities. 5. Picture:

With torrential rain freak tornado and then

2. Picture:
Earthquakes and
tornadoes in the UK?
You’re joking! No,
north-west England
experienced an
earthquake of 2.0 last
night. Certainly not as
bad as those in China,
Japan and New Zealand
over the past few years,
but it did damage
buildings and several
minor injuries were
reported. “My house
started shaking. I was
terrified,” said one
resident.
leading to landslides six months later an
and then flooding, earthquake that caused
many people in Brazil severe damage to
are suffering from the many buildings. “These
third natural disaster in people are desperate
the last twelve months. for aid. They’ve lost
Last year the same everything – not once,
area experienced a but three times!”
b. Read the newspaper stories again and answer
these questions.

1. Where do people want rain?

3. Picture:
Hurricane Georgina,
the seventh of the year,
pummelled the coast of
Florida causing significant
damage to property. It’s
the third major hurricane
to hit the coast in the last
2. How many hurricanes have hit Florida in the
last month?
3. What was the second disaster to hit one part
of Brazil?
4. Why were airports in the UK closed?
5. What extreme weather is very unusual in the UK?
four weeks and residents
are worried that this year
will be the worst in recent
history. “It’s unprecedented
for us to have this number
of category seven storms
this early in the year,” said
one expert.

© Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2011

INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Weather / Intermediate + 3