lid

Weather
Jacqueline Martin
nd I cov r all about different types
of weather ...
• What is a hurricane?
re i th coldest place on Earth?
Read and discover more about the world!
This series of non-fiction readers provides
interesting and educational content, with
activities and project work.
Series Editor: Hazel Geatches
.f

Audio CD Pack available

Word count for this reader: 3,397

LeveL 3
600 headwords

V rJ!\
"i.J

Level 5
900 headwords

Level 4

Level 6

750 headwords

1,050 headword

ISBN 978 () 1'1

9

II I

UJ,I ]

oct]

Weather
Jacqueline Martin

; Cont~nt~ ,

Introduction

3

1 What Is Weather?

4

2 World Weather

8

3 ALL About Clouds

12

4 Here Comes the Rain

16

5 Cold Weather

20

6 Hot Weather

24

7 Windy Weather

28

8 In the Future

32

Activities

36

Projects

52

Glossary

54

About Read and Discover

56

OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS

O XFORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Great Clarendon Street. Oxford

OX2

6DP

Oxford University Press is a department of the University
of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence
in research, scholarship, and education by publishing
worldwide in
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Me lbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in

Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France
Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Porrugal
Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey
Ukraine Vietnam
and OXFORD ENGLISH are registered trade marks
of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other
countries

nlustrations by: Kelly Kennedy pp.5, 9, 15, 17, 22, 31; Ian Moores
pp.4, 8, 10, 15, 16, 32, 38; Dusan Pavlic/Beehive Illustration
pp.36, 44; Alan Rowe pp.36, 44.
The Publishers would aIso like to thank the folWwingfor their kind
pennission to reproduce photographs and other copyright material:
Alamy pp.12 Uason Smalley/Wildspace/stratus, A.T.WilIett/
cumulus, FB Rose/imagebroker/cirrus), 13 (Andrzej Gorzkowski
Photography), 26 (Andrew McConnell), 35 (Charles Crust/
Danita Deiimont, Agent/solar panels); Corbis pp.7 (Staffan
Widstrand), 9 (Fridmar Damm), 19 Uayanta Shaw/Reuters).
20 (Galen RoweIIfLatitude ), 22 (Visuals Unlimited), 30 Uim
Reed Photography), 35 (Hashimoto Noburu/Corbis Sygma/
solar boat); Getty Images pp.11 (Alan Copson/photographer's
Choice), 18 (Sebastian D'Souza/AFP), 27 (Peter Turner/Stone);
Oxford University Press pp.3, 5, 6, 14, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 34;
Photolibrary p.21 (Mark Cassino/Superstock); Science Photo
Library p.17 (Simon Fraser); StilI Pictures p.33 (Biosphoto/
Vemay Pierre/Polar Lys).

Wind, rain, cloud, and snow are all types of weather.
Weather is different in different places around the
world. In some places the weather is the same
every day, and in other places it changes every hour.
Weather can be calm or wild!

OXFORD

© Oxford University Press

2010

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published 2010
2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

With thanks to: Ann FuII ick for science checking

What are these types of weather caLLed?
Do you know what pLaces have these types of weather?
What types of weather are there where you live?

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

No unauthorized photocopying
Al l rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without the prior permission
in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly
permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate
reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning
reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent
to the ELT Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at
the address above
You must not circulate this book in any other binding or
cover and you must impose this same condition on any
acquirer
Any websites referred to in this publication are in the

public domain and their addresses are provided by Oxford
University Press for information only. Oxford University
Press disclaims any responsibility for the content
ISBN:

9780194644983

An Audio CD Pack containing this book and a CD is also
avai lable, I SBN 9780194645386
The CD has a choice of American and British English
recordings of the complete text.
An accompanying Activity Book is also available.
ISBN

9780194645089

Printed in China
This book is printed on paper from certified and
wel l-managed sources.

Now read and discover more
about different types of weather!

Around Earth, there is a blanket of air called the
atmosphere. Weather is the different conditions in
the atmosphere. What types of weather do you like?

How Does Weather Happen?
Most of the weather on Earth happens because of
two things - the sun, and air pressure. The sun heats
some parts of Earth more than others, so air is
warmer in some places and cooler in others. Areas of
warm or cold air, called air masses, move around and
bring different types of weather. When two masses
meet, the weather changes.
You can't feel it, but the air is pushing down on you.
This is called air pressure. Air pressure can change.
Low air pressure brings rain and wind. High air
pressure brings clear skies, which means hot, sunny
days in summer, but cold days in winter.
Air Masses Meeting

( warm air mass)
( cold air mass)

Knowing About the Weather
We need to know about the weather so that we can
build the right type of homes, wear the right clothes,
and travel at the right time. If people on ships and
planes know about the weather, they can avoid bad
storms. If farmers know about the weather, they
can plant and cut down crops at the right time.
In 1992, weather forecasters warned people in the
USA that Hurricane Andrew was coming. Sadly,
54 people died, but lots of people survived.

In the past, the Chippewa Indians
in North America thought that the sun
was in a bag aLL winter. They believed
that every spring, a mouse bit a hole
in the bag and the sun came out!

Many years ago, scientists flew in hot-air balloons to
measure the weather. Today, they collect information
from weather stations, weather planes, weather
balloons, and satellites, to understand what the
weather will do. Millions of measurements are taken
every day. The information helps scientists to predict
the weather.

icting the W

her

A good way to predict the weather is to look at
the types of cloud in the sky. Today, scientists use
computers to predict the weather, but in the past,
people watched nature. They watched what
happened to plants, animals, the moon, or the
stars. Many people still do this.
Some people think that cows or sheep can predict
the weather. They think that if animals sit down, it
will rain. People also believe that a red sky at night
means good weather the next day, but a red sky in
the morning means bad weather .

II

weather stations around the worLd.

.. Go to pages 36-37 for activities.

d p.
Weather can be very different around the world
depending on the climate and the landscape.
The climate is the usual weather for a place. The
landscape is what the land is like.

eather and Climat
Weather can change, but climates stay the same most
of the time. There are different types of climate
because of the sun. The sun shines most strongly on
the middle of Earth, called the equator. Places near
the equator have hot climates with lots of hot, sunny
weather. Places far from the equator have cold
climates with cold, snowy weather. Places in between
have temperate climates, where the weather is mild.

temperate

coLd

to Climate

Different things live and grow in different climates.
Plants and animals adapt to where they live, for
example, animals in cold climates often have thick
coats to keep them warm.
Only plants with short roots can grow in cold climates
because the ground is frozen for most of the year.
Very few plants can grow in deserts because
there isn't enough water. Cactus plants
survive because they can store water.

If lightning hits a cactus,
it can expLode. The lightning
boils the water inside the
cactus and the steam makes
part of the cactus expLode!

Weather an

We the

Earth goes around the sun. For some of the year,
one half of Earth is nearer the sun, so it has warmer
weather called summer. At the same time, the other
half is away from the sun, so it has colder weather
called winter. This is how the seasons work.

The weather of a place can change depending on the
landscape. If you climb a mountain, the air gets about
6 degrees centigrade (OC) colder every 1,000 meters
that you climb. So there can be snow at the top of a
mountain near the equator!

nd Land r

Land gets warm faster than the ocean, so in summer,
inland places are warmer than places near the ocean.
Inland places cool down faster, too, so they are colder
in winter.

How the Seasons Work

sun

summer here

Most places have summer and winter, but in
temperate climates there are also seasons called
spring and fall, when the weather isn't as hot as
summer or as cold as winter. Places near the equator
are usually hot, but they have wet and dry seasons.

PLains have some of the hottest weather.
They have hot summers, and coLd, dry winters
because they are far from the ocean and they
can be protected by mountains, too.

CLouds Look light, but even a small cloud can be
as heavy as 100 eLephants! Every cloud is made
of millions of tiny drops of water.

There are many cloud shapes, but they all come from
three types of cloud. If we look at the type of cloud in
the sky, this can help us to predict the weather.
Stratus clouds are low, thin blankets of cloud. These
can bring light rain. Cumulus clouds usually bring
good weather, but if they get too big or low they can
change into cumulonimbus clouds - and that means
storms! Cirrus clouds form high in the sky. They are
made of ice crystals and they often mean that bad
weather is coming.

stratus clouds

Mist a

d Fog

At night the ground cools down and it also cools the
air above it. When the air gets cold, the water in it can
turn into mist. Mist is like a very thin cloud.
Fog is like mist, but it's a thicker cloud that forms
nearer the ground. It's very hard to see in fog and you
can easily get lost, so it can be dangerous. Driving in
fog is also dangerous, but cars have special fog lights to
help other drivers to see them.

Storm Clouds
When hot air rises on a hot day, it can change into
storm clouds. In a storm, strong winds make the tiny
drops of water inside clouds hit each other, and this
makes electricity. The electricity moves between
the cloud and the ground, and it makes very bright
flashes of light called lightning. Lightning is about
30,000 degrees centigrade! Lightning heats the air
around it, and the air moves away very fast and makes
a loud noise called thunder. There are about 40,000
thunderstorms every day!

•

ightning F cts'
There are many different types of lightning. Forked
lightning and zigzag lightning are the most common,
but there are also sheet lightning and rocket lightning.

~

Light travels faster than sound, so you see
lightning before you hear thunder. Count the
seconds between lightning and thunder. If you
count three seconds, the storm is a kilometer away.

About 100 lightning flashes happen every second
on Earth, but most of them don't hit the ground.
Lightning usually hits tall things like trees and
buildings. The Empire State Building in New York
in the USA is hit by lightning about 100 times
every year. Lightning doesn't usually hit people,
but a park ranger in Virginia in the USA has been
hit seven times!

Go to pages 40-41 for activities.

leNCo• •
tIIelaln
People, animals, and plants all need water. Enough
rain falls every day for 100 baths for every person on
Earth! Sadly, some people don't have enough water
because more rain falls in some places than others.

What Rain?
Rain is water that falls from clouds onto the ground
and into rivers, lakes, and oceans. When the sun heats
the water, some of the water changes into a gas called
water vapor. This is called evaporation. Water vapor
rises into the sky where it cools and changes back into
tiny drops of water that make clouds. The drops of
water get bigger and then they fall as rain. Rainwater
goes into rivers, rivers go into lakes and oceans, and
the process starts again. This is called the water cycle.
The Water Cycle

Rainbows
When there is rain and sun at the same time, raindrops
break light from the sun into different colors and we
see a rainbow. There are seven different colors in a
rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet. Sometimes you can see two or more rainbows
in the sky at the same time. You can only see a rainbow
if you are between the sun and the rain.
Have you ever seen a rainbow at night? Rainbows
made in the light from the moon are called moonbows!

If you see a rainbow from
a plane, it will look like a circle.

Is Rain Good or Bad?
We need rain to help things grow, but if there is
heavy rain, rivers sometimes overflow and make
floods. Floods can happen anywhere, even in deserts.
Floods can destroy buildings and crops, and they can
kill animals and people. Floods can be good, too. The
mud from a flood makes soil more fertile, so crops
grow better.
In Bangladesh, there are floods after the monsoon
almost every year. Bangladesh has the most fertile
soil in the world!

Monsoons
In tropical climates, where it's hot and wet, there are
only two seasons. For half of the year, winds blow
from the land to the ocean and there is a hot, dry
season. For the other half of the year, winds blow
from the ocean to the land and there is a long, wet
season. When the winds change, and they blow from
the ocean, it's called the monsoon. Monsoon winds
bring heavy rain. People need monsoon rain for their
crops to grow, but it can bring problems, too.

•

.-

~

One of the wettest places on Earth is Cherrapunji in
India. About 11.5 meters of rain falls there every year!
Go to pages 42-43 for activities.

nowan

About 11,000 years ago, more than 30% of Earth was
covered in ice! Earth is warmer today, but we still
have cold weather.

e

When the air temperature is less than 0 degrees
centigrade, water drops in the clouds change into ice
crystals. As more drops freeze, the crystals get bigger.
Then, as the crystals fall through the clouds, they hit
each other and form snowflakes.
Snow can be fun, but it can make it difficult for people
to travel. When it's cold, you must keep your hands,
toes, and nose warm or they can go numb. If you get
too cold you can get hypothermia - this is when your
body is so cold that it stops working.
If the temperature near the ground is more than
o degrees centigrade, snowflakes start to melt and they
change into sleet. Sleet is a mixture of rain and snow.

Snowflakes

e Is It

0

d?

The coldest climates on Earth are near the North and
South Poles. Most of the ice there never melts. Some
ice has been there for more than two million years!
The coldest place in the world is Vostok in Antarctica.
The temperature there is usually about minus
57 degrees centigrade, but in 1987 it reached
minus 89 degrees. That's the coldest temperature
ever recorded!

All snowflakes have six parts,
but every one has a different pattern.

Blizzards
A heavy snowstorm with icy winds and temperatures
less than minus 12 degrees centigrade is called a
blizzard. Blizzards can happen very quickly and the
snow can cover buildings, cars, and trains. Power
cables can fall down, leaving people in their homes
with no electricity.
In a strong blizzard you can't see where the sky meets
the ground. This is called a whiteout. In white outs,
planes can crash and birds can fly into the ground!

Hail
When air rises and carries water drops up to where
the air freezes, the drops freeze and form hailstones.
Small hailstones start to fall, but they are pushed up
again by more rising air, and another layer of ice
forms on top of the hailstone. This keeps happening
until the hailstones are heavier than the air, and
then they fall to the ground. If you cut a hailstone in
half, you can count how many times this happened
by counting the layers of ice!

Q

Heavy snow can also make avalanches happen this is when a lot of snow falls down mountains very
quickly. Avalanches cover everything as they move.

~

Most hailstones are
very small, but the biggest
hailstone ever recorded was
almost 18 centimeters wide.
That's as big as a soccer ball!
Go to pages 44-45 for activities.

•

let Wexailixer
Weather is hottest in places near the equator because
they are nearer the sun. Weather here can be hot and
dry, or hot and wet. The highest temperature recorded
was in Libya in 1922. It was 58 degrees centigrade!

Hot Deserts
Places with less than 25 centimeters of rain every year
are called deserts. Deserts can be hot or cold, but they
are almost always dry because the winds there blow
from the land to the ocean. During the day, the skies
are usually clear and sunny, but with no clouds to
keep the heat in, the nights can be very cold!

Droughts and Fires
The driest place in the world
is the Atacama Desert in Chile.
It once had no rain for 400 years!

If rain doesn't fall for a long time, rivers and lakes
can dry up. When this happens it's called a drought.
Crops can't grow without water, so if there's a long
drought, people don't have enough to eat and there
can be a famine.
Hot sun can start fires. Fires can be a big problem in
hot, dry countries because trees and other plants are
dry. Forest fires are not always bad because they clear
up dead leaves and help the soil. Some plants need
strong heat for their seeds to grow!

urnid eath
Hot places are not always dry. Hot places near water
are often humid because air sucks up the water that
evaporates from oceans and rivers. The amount of
water vapor in the air is called its humidity.
In hot, humid weather your sweat can't evaporate, so
you can't cool down. You must drink lots of water in
hot weather. If your body gets too hot you can get
heatstroke and be sick.

a

~

On a clear, humid day you can sometimes see the
water vapor in the air - this is called a heat haze.

A Heat Haze

andstorm
When storm clouds form after a hot day in the
desert, sandstorms can happen. Most sandstorms
are not dangerous and they are only a few meters
high, but sometimes strong winds blow the sand up
to 3 kilometers in the air and carry it for thousands
of kilometers. Big sandstorms can break rocks and
they can last for three or more days! It's difficult to
see and breathe in a sandstorm.
•
Go to pages 46- 47 for activities.

As Earth moves, air moves with it. Warm air rises and
cooL air takes its pLace. As air moves, the pressure
changes. Air goes from the high pressure to the Low
pressure, and this makes wind .

so Wind
Winds get their names from the direction that they
blow from. For example, a north wind blows from
north to south. We can see which direction a wind
is blowing from by looking at a weathervane.

torm

ind

Storm winds are called hurricanes over the Atlantic
Ocean, cyclones over the Indian Ocean, and
typhoons over the Pacific Ocean.
A hurricane starts as a thunderstorm over the
ocean. The warm, wet air rises quickly and as Earth
moves, it makes the storm spin upward. The center
of a hurricane is called the eye - here the weather is
calm, but around it there is heavy rain, and winds
of up to 350 kilometers per hour. It's difficult to
predict where hurricanes will go because they can
change speed and direction very quickly. Hurricanes
can last for a week!

Q

~

Since 1978, every hurricane has had a name.
The strongest hurricane ever recorded is Hurricane Wilma.

A Tornado

Tornadoes

Measuring the Win

Tornadoes, or twisters, are the fastest winds
on Earth. The storm clouds are a funnel
shape, and they spin down from
thunderclouds. When the tornado
touches the ground, it starts to move
like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up
things from the ground. Tornadoes
move quite slowly, at about
40 kilometers per hour, but
winds inside the funnel can
have speeds of up to 800
kilometers per hour!
Tornadoes are much
smaller than hurricanes
and they usually only
last a few minutes,
but they are
very strong!

A British man called Francis Beaufort found a way
to record the strength of the wind. This is called the
Beaufort scale.

In 1986 some
were sucked up
by a tornado that
destroyed their
school. They were
put down safely
20 kilometers away!

0

calm
= 0 kph

1

light air
= 3 kph

2

3

The Beaufort Scale

~a:-~: light breeze
~~:4f
-tif<:;: : - = 9 kph
~

gentle breeze
= 15 kph

7

moderate gale
= 56 kph

8

fresh gale
= 68 kph

=

......

.. -

whole gale

~

= 94 kph

~~.,
...

moderate breeze
= 25 kph

10

5

fresh breeze
= 35 kph

11

6

strong breeze
= 45 kph

4

strong gale
81 kph

9
.~~.:.:.

'\ '

.~'I
....
.

~' "

~

~-~-....,;;:

12

storm
= 110 kph
.'• .-~
" • .'=
§§ ,..:;-

".. . ........

~

hurricane
= 118 kph

There are different scales to measure stronger winds,
like tornadoes and hurricanes. These scales go from
1 to 5. Level 1 tornadoes can push cars off the road,
and level 5 tornadoes can lift a house off the ground!
Level 5 hurricanes can damage a lot of things, for
example, they can pull up trees and destroy buildings.
A really big hurricane can be as big as Australia!

Go to pages 48-49 for activities.

Earth is getting warmer. The climate has become
warmer and coLder in the past, but scientists think
that it's now getting warmer faster than ever before
and that it will stay warmer in the future.

hv Is the lim t

On

?

Earth gets heat from the sun. Some heat escapes,
but some is trapped by a blanket of gases like carbon
dioxide. This keeps Earth warm enough for us to live
here. It's called the greenhouse effect. The problem
now is that our vehicles, factories, and power stations
have made a lot of carbon dioxide. So we're trapping
too much heat, and Earth is getting too warm!

Weather in the Future
More heat means that there will be more rain,
stronger winds, and storms in some places, and
more droughts and famines in others. It also means
that the snow and ice on mountains and around
the Poles will melt, so sea levels will rise. If all the
glaciers in the world melt, sea levels will rise more
than 60 meters, and places near the ocean will go
underwater! Ocean ice also helps keep Earth cool.
If it melts, Earth will get even warmer!

tCanWe 0 .,
It's probably too late to stop the climate changing,
but we can help to slow it down. We must make less
carbon dioxide to help to keep Earth cool. We can
use our cars less - we can walk or ride a bicycle. We
can also plant more trees. Trees use carbon dioxide
to make food, so if there are more trees, there will
be less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

in Energy f 0

e

ea

hr

We need electricity, but we don't have to make it in
power stations. Instead, we can make it from energy
from the weather. Wind energy and solar energy
are called green energy. Green energy makes less
carbon dioxide.
To make electricity, we can use strong winds to turn
windmills that power turbines. Lots of windmills
together are called a wind farm. Wind farms
are often on hills or out in the ocean
because the winds are
stronger there.

Solar panels can change
light from the sun into
electricity. This electricity
can power small machines
or heat homes. People use
solar panels all around
the world.
The sun can even power cars and boats! Solar-powered
vehicles can be expensive, but they don't make carbon
dioxide. People keep finding new ways to use our
amazing weather!

In 1996, Kenichi Horie from
Japan crossed the Pacific Ocean
in this solar-powered boat.

3 Write complete sentences. Use these words.

What Is Weather?

plant

.. Read pages 4-7.

sky

/

1

/

bUi\d the right

moon

re+rt

cloud

crops

"e",e~

~
,

/

2
"

....

.

~

•

.. '.

SO

drive

that \>Je Gan

of homes.

3 Farmers need to know about the weather, _ _ _ _ __

.

4 Pilots need to know about the weather, _ _ _ _ _ __

3

",. •

t~pe

storms

2 Drivers need to know about the weather, _ _ _ _ _ __

stars

/

rain

mme

1 We need to know about the weather,

1 Write the words.
sun

avoid

..

4 Correct the sentences.

>t

1 A good way to predict the weather is to look at the stars.

4

5

A. good \>Ja~ to predid the \>Jeather is to \oo\( at
the douds.

6

2 Circle the correct words.

2 Today, scientists use cows to predict the weather.
1 Around Earth, there is a blanket of water I@called
the atmosphere.
2 Weather is the different conditions in the atmosphere
ocean.
3 Most weather happens because of the moon
air pressure.

I sun, and

4 An area of warm or cold air is called an air mass
5 The air is falling
6 High

I pushing down on you.

I Low air pressure brings rain and wind.

I

I pressure.

3 In the past, people watched food to predict the weather.

4 Some people think that if animals stand up, it will rain.

5 People believe that a red sky in the morning means
good weather the next day.

4 Complete the sentences.

World Weather
+

Read pages 8-11.

equator hot climates
cold climates temperate climates

1 Write the words.

winter short l!I"iml!l~~
spring summer water
1 Plants and

anima\s

four
coats
adapt to where they live.

2 Animals in cold climates have thick _ _ _ _ _ to keep

1 _ _ _ __

them warm.

2 _ _ _ __

3 Plants with _ _ _ _ _ roots can grow in cold climates.

3 _ _ _ __

4 Few plants can grow in deserts because there isn't
enough _ _ _ __

4 _ _ _ __

5 We have colder weather in - - - - 6 We have warmer weather in - - - - 7 Temperate climates have _ _ _ _ _ seasons.

2 Complete the chart. Write five more places.
Hot Climate

Cold Climate

Temperate Climate

I\ntarc.tic.a

8 The season after winter and before summer is
called _ _ _ __

5 Order the words.
1 place. / usual / a / climate / the / The / is / weather / for

The dimate is the usua\ weather for a p\ac.e.

3 Write weather or climate.
1 the usual weather for a place

dimate

2 warm / Land / ocean. / faster / gets / the / than

2 this changes all the time

3 this stays the same most of the time

3 hottest / have / the / weather. / Plains

4 there are different types of this
because of the sun

5 sun, rain, and snow are types of this
6 this changes every season

4 Plains / dry / have / winters. / summers / cold, / hot / and

~ All About Clouds

Complete the sentences.
lightning electricity clouds
thunderstorms thunder tall

.. Read pages 12-15.

1 When hot air rises on a hot day, it can change into
storm _ _ _ __

1 Match. Then write sentences.
Cirrus clouds are ~ low, thin blankets of cloud.
Cumulus clouds are

thick cloud near the ground.

Stratus clouds are

made of ice crystals.

Mist is

clouds that often bring good

Fog is

weather.

2 Water drops inside clouds hit each other and this
makes _ _ _ __

3 Electricity from the cloud makes bright flashes of light
called _ _ _ __

4 When the hot air around lightning moves away, it
makes _ _ _ __

very thin cloud.

5 There are 40,000 _ _ _ _ _ every day.

1 Girrus douds are made of ic.e c.r'lsta\s.
2 __________________________________________

6 Lightning usually hits

things.

4 Answer the questions.

3 __________________________________________

4 __________________________________________
5

1 How can you know how far away a storm is?

Gount the sec.onds

bet~een

\ightning and thunder.

2 What are the most common types of lightning?

2 Order the words.
1 elephants. A I can

2 of

I are I

3 many

I

Clouds

different

I

cloud

I of I
I

I

be

l as I

heavy

I

I of I

100

millions

I

water.

shapes. I are

I

There I cloud

I as

made

I

3 How often does lightning hit the Empire State Building?

drops

4 How hot is lightning?

5 Have you ever seen a thunderstorm?

;

Here Comes the Rain

+

3 Match. Then write sentences in order.

Read pages 16-19.

1 Write the coLors in the correct order.
Then coLor the rainbow.
yellow

red

violet

green

orange

indigo

blue

1 _...---!-r~
e.d
=--__

The sun heats

rivers and oceans.

Water vapor rises

the water.

Some water changes

and changes back into water.

Rain falls into

into the sky.

Drops of water fall

into water vapor.

Water vapor cools

from the clouds as rain.

2 _ _ _ _ __

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

3 _ _ _ _ __

2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

4 _ _ _ _ __

3

5 _ _ _ _ __

4

6 _ _ _ _ __

5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

7 _ _ _ _ __

6 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
4 Answer the questions.

2 CompLete the sentences.
animals

overflow

fertile

deserts

soil

year

1 How many seasons are there in tropical climates?

1 If there is heavy rain, rivers sometimes
2 Why do people need the monsoon rains?

2 Floods can happen anywhere, even in

3 Floods can destroy crops and kill
3 Write two things that floods can do.

4 In Bangladesh there are floods almost every
5 Mud from a flood makes soil more

6 Bangladesh has the most fertile
the world!

in

4 Have you ever seen a flood?

4 Complete the puzzle. Write the secret word.

Cold Weather

1 ~I

f i r I eIe z. e

.. Read pages 20-23.

s

2~
3~

1 Write the words.

snow

hail

sleet

4~r

ice

1
6~

7~ 1
1

2

3

3

DoC

2 parts of a snowflake

11,000 years ago

3 the temperature when water freezes

minus 89°C

4 30% of Earth covered in ice

two million years

5 some ice has been near the Poles

6

6 coldest temperature ever recorded

18 centimeters

CD
Hailstones are pushed back up by the rising air. 0
Rising air carries water drops up into the sky.

Heavy hailstones faLL to the ground.
Water drops freeze and form hailstones.
Another layer of ice forms on the hailstones.

,,

SmaLL hailstones start to faLL.

I I I 1 11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Number the sentences in order.

0
0
0
0
0

I

8~
9~

1 biggest hailstone ever recorded

Hailstones become heavier than the air.

I I

4

2 Match.

I I I I

5~

~
.
I

Water _ below 0 degrees centigrade.
Rain changes into this below 0 degrees centigrade.
If your