~

SEVERE WEATHER

Text I
SKIMMING

1 The newspaper article opposite comes from the London Evening Standard.
Read through the main article quickly to find out what the chief effects of the
severe weather were. When you've finished reading, work with a partner and
see how much you can recall.

SCANNING

Now scan the article to find answers to these questions as quickly as possible.
Look for names and numbers.
1 BR is mentioned in the headline. What does it stand for?
2 How many rail travellers were unable to travel?
3 Four counties outside London were affected by the weather. Which ones?
4 How many buses were running north of the river Thames?
5 Which two Underground lines had near normal service?
6 Which railway station was completely closed?

READING FOR DETAIL

Read the short reports in the 'In brief' section to find answers to the following
questions.
1 Where did rescuers have to be rescued?
2 Where were winter sports events cancelled, and why?
3 Where did winter conditions give someone's game away?
4 Where was the temperature especially newsworthy?
5 Where was there a warm welcome for the elderly?
6 Where was warm water a life-saver, and why?
7 Where was hot water potentially dangerous, and why?
8 Who or what might have benefited from some frozen water?
9 Who found two legs better than four wheels?

GUESSING UNKNOWN
VOCABULARY

Find words or phrases in the two reports which mean the same as:
Main article
First paragraph
Left-hand column

Right-hand column

In brief

STYLE

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

people who travel to and from work regularly (n)

urgent request (n)
alarming (adj)
piles of snow blown up by the wind
a very slow speed (n)
surrender/giving up a fight (n)
unable to get away (adj)
have no false beliefs (phrase)

9 in a desperate situation (adj)

10 keep away/deter (phrasal verb)
11 hiding place (n)

a Look at these extracts from the text. Notice the words in italics. What are
these words usually associated with? Why have the writers used them?
The weather has beaten us.
The chilling admission of defeat ...
... the greatest threat so far to commerce and industry

24

SEVERE WEATHER

b The writers deliberately use a number of other words and expressions for
dramatic effect. Add some more examples to these lists:
Reproduced by permission of the Evening
Standard Company Ltd.
In brief section Times Newspapers
limited and the Evening Standard
Company Ltd.

Nouns: nightmare, chaos,

.
Adjectives: chilling admission, blinding blizzards,

c How appropriate is this language to the topic? How serious do you think
the writers are?

Forget it, says BR, the weather has beaten us

And don't try by car, it's a nightmare

TODAY IS
CANCELLED!
by Colin Adamson and Patrick
McGowan

BLINDING BLIZZARDS
brought London to a virtual
standstill today and British
Rail told 700,000 commuters:
'Forget it. There's no way we
can get you to work.'
As Arctic conditions spread eastwards from
snowbound Essex and Kent into Sussex and
Surrey, rail chiefs extended their 'stay at home'
plea to the whole of the Southern and Eastern
regions.
The chilling admission of defeat was the
greatest threat so far to commerce and industry
in the capital. Weather men warned there could
be worse to come.
The nightmare was no better on the roads.
Millions of commuters forced to take to their
cars faced the worst conditions since the big
freeze began.
Heavy overnight snowfalls, driven into huge
drifts by fierce winds, brought chaos to every
major route into London and reduced traffic to
a crawl.
Even in the heart of London, where snow
rarely settles, the heavy falls gave roads the

appearance of isolated country lanes.

South of the Thames, only one bus in ten was
running on some routes. Others had no more
than a one-in-five service.
North of the river, only half the usual number
of buses were running. They were caught up in
huge traffic jams in many areas.
The Jubilee and Victoria Underground lines
were the only ones with anything like a normal
service. All the others ran into trouble as soon as
lines came up onto the surface.
The rail capitulation reached its lowest point
at 6 am with the total closure of Waterloo
Station, caused by major drifts.
As thousands of freezing commuters were left
stranded on empty platforms and trapped in
dozens of London-bound trains, British Rail
said: 'That's it. We can no longer guarantee any
sort of service. The weather has beaten us.'
Only a tiny number of trains were still
attempting to move across the Eastern and
Southern Regions.
An Eastern Region spokesman said: 'If
people have any sense at all they will stay
indoors and forget trying to make it to work.
Those who do make the effort should be
under no illusions that they will get there. Even
if by some miracle they do, it will be a rotten
journey. The service everywhere is awful.'

IN BRIEF
MOTORISTS stranded in snow
and traffic yesterday were
overtaken by a man on a pair of
skis on the Al2 in Essex.
HOVE's swimming pool complex,
which is kept at a steamy 80 degrees
F, is to open its doors free to
pensioners today so they can keep
warm.
A FIRE crew was called in to help
dig out five ambulances snowed in
at Chelmsford Ambulance Station
in Essex overnight.
A POLICEMAN who went to pull a
stricken schoolboy from a frozen lake
in Dagenham had to be rescued
himself ... when he fell in.
In LINCOLNSHIRE, an outdoor
skating championship at Baston
Fen, near Spalding, was cancelled
because there was too much snow
on the ice.
At LONDON ZOO, lion keepers kept
the animals indoors to prevent them
escaping when the moats surrounding
their enclosures froze. Elephants were
given warm baths to stave. off
hypothermia.
In BLYTH, Northumberland, the
snow trapped burglars who had
raided a supermarket.
Their
footprints led police to their
hideout.
In SWITZERLAND, the village of La
Brevine recorded a record low
temperature for the country of
-41.8C. The village lies on an
exposed plain known as the Siberia of
Switzerland, more than 3,000 ft above
sea level near the French border.
Parts of NORWAY were colder
than the North Pole yesterday. The
Norwegian
ice
skating
championships at Hamar were
cancelled
because
officials
considered temperatures of - 30C
too dangerous to the contestants.
Doctors there warned people
against
taking
hot
drinks
immediately after coming in from
the extreme cold, to avoid cracking
tooth enamel.

SEVEREWEATHER

Text 2

1 This article describes how the Swiss deal with problems of severe weather.
Read it and underline the differences between the British and the Swiss response
to severe winter conditions. Why do you think there is this difference?

HOW SWISS SKATE OVER THE PROBLEMS OF A BIG FREEZE-UP

Where snow means go

Trains: longest
delay only 20
minutes

from John Marshall

in Berne

AS SNOW
and ice
bring chaos to Britain,
life in Switzerland
experiencing
a record
minus 41.8C - runs as
smoothly as an expert
skier.
'The latest any train has been
this week was 20 minutes,' said a
railway spokesman.
At the slightest hint of snow,
engines fitted with ploughs and
blowers are out clearing the
tracks.

Where there is a train holdup due to freezing points or

failure of the electrical contract
points, tearns of repair men on
stand-by
quickly move into
action.
In fact the use of trains goes
up by 10 per cent as drivers
switch from road to rail.
The unemployed are kept
busy clearing minor roads and
sweeping the snow off open-air
railway platforms.
To obtain unemployment
benefit, a claimant must show

Roads: jobless
sweep up the
snow

Pavements:
residents must
keep them dear

that he or she has applied for at

Anyone trying to drive without

them will be stopped by the police.
Keeping
the
pavement
outside a house or business clear
is the legal responsibility of the
owner.
Hospitals
report a slight
increase in the number
of
accidents involving aged people
falling on icy pathways, but say
it is only slight.
Farmers in the mountain
regions are well stocked up.
Food for cattle is flown in, as
many towns have communal
helicopters.

least 10 jobs in the past month.

Work done for the state,
such as clearing snow, counts as
a job application.
Most
roads
motorways

and

all

are cleared of snow

by 7 a.m. and regularly during

snowfalls throughout
Custom

the day.

posts warn foreign

drivers they should drive with

snow tyres or carry chains.
Chains are obligarory
in
almost all of the ski resorts.

Reproduced by permission of the Evening Standard Company L::ti

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a Describe the differences between Britain and Switzerland by combining the

sentences in the two columns below, using contrast links from the Study
Box on page 27.

<l

Britain
1 Snow and ice bring chaos .
2 Motorists get stranded when it snows.
3 Slippery pavements are a hazard.
4

Many farms are completely cut off.

JNo'ri-

WALKr

Switzerland
Life continues to run smoothly.
Most cars have snow tyres or chains..
Householders have to clear the
pavement outside their house.
Food for cattle is flown in by
helicopter.

Examples:
While snow and ice bring chaos to Britain, life continues to run smoothly in
Switzerland.
Snow and ice bring chaos in Britain. In Switzerland, by contrast, life
continues to run smoothly.
b Use the information in the two articles to make more, similar sentences
contrasting the following in London and Switzerland:
rail travel

26

roads

use of cars

SEVERE

.'.=-!.--= -

Contrast links
.... while ...
..., whereas ...

CUSSION POINTS

..., but

... yet

Tim is idealistic while/whereas Jane is more practical .

He caused the problem, but/yet she's the one who solved it.

A/though ...,

Although Pete eats a lot. he never puts on weight!

... by contrast ...

Summer in Scotland is mild and wet. Summer in Italy, by

contrast, is hot and dry

As a group, discuss the effects that climate has on lifestyle. Think of things like
housing, clothes, food, entertainment, holiday destinations. Compare your
country with Britain, or another country you know. What differences or
similarities can you think of between them that might be related to climate?

In Britain, the weather is a favourite topic of conversation, often used as an

ice-breaker. What are typical topics of conversation in your country? What
topics can you talk about when you don't know someone very well?

Paper 5. Part I

SEVEREWEATHER

Climate Change

oeus on Listening I

Paper 4, Part I

1 What do you know about 'global warming'? What do you think could be the
connection between global warming and the severe weather conditions
described in this unit?

You will hear part of a radio science programme in which an expert on climate
and environmental issues talks about the link between climate change and
global warming. You have to complete the notes below with up to three words.
You will hear the recording twice.

STRATEGY

Before you listen, read through the notes, which summarise the information
in the recording. Think about what kind of information could fill the gaps it could be a name, a number, a date or a key phrase.

As you listen the first time, fill in the missing information in no more than
three words. Remember that these are notes, rather than complete
sentences. Write only key words.

Check your answers when you listen a second time.

Climate Chaf/qe8
British Isles: large part of

---'[T]

now classified as

semi-arid.
Northern

and central Europe: increased incidence of

Southeast Asia: violent cyclones ruining

~DO
~[3J'_3___'

a_n_d

more frequently
North America:

in spring

(jlobal warmli1q
Rise in temperature

of 0.5 degrees Cover

Most recent Ice Age caused by fall of

Moisture in atmosphere
Additional

has increased by

moisture affe~ts

Global warming thought to result from I

___'0

________________
~cn
-------'[8]

-----'[!]

29

SEVEREWEATHER

Focus on Grammar
I
I

Review

of the

a Underline the passive forms in these examples.

Some idiot obviously didn't set the burglar alarm

properly.

To my knowledge, nobody said anything at all critical

about you.

Buses were caught up in huge traffic jams in many

areas. (Text I)

Food for cattle is flown in, as many towns have

communal helicopters. (Text 2)

Anyone trying to drive without snow chains will be

stopped by the police. (Text 2)
Most roads and all motorways are cleared of snow by
7 a.m. (Text 2)

Passive I

A policeman who went to rescue a schoolboy had to

be rescued himself (Text I)

Global warming may be caused by the build-up of

greenhouse gases. (Listening I)

b Complete
is formed.

It appears that

Nothing
3

Remember that you can't use dictionaries or grammars

in the exam.

No
4

I know it's a great shame but we've cancelled the

summer party.

Unfortunately

Normally we send out the goods as soon as we

receive an order.

There just haven't been enough people showing an

interest in the event

the table below to show how the passive

Verb:

Goods

Not enough interest

(Check your answer on page 145 of the Grammar
where you can find more detailed information
passive.)

File

on the

I think it'll be quite some time before they can repair

all the storm damage.

The storm damage

c Which tenses (or other forms) are used in each of

the examples!

this note on the use of the passive using

Because the passive is more impersonal, it is

normally used in more formal contexts. Convert
spoken statements
using the passive.

these

into a more formal written form,

Example:
While the meeting was going on, some rotten person
stole my overcoat from the cloakroornl
During the meeting, my overcoat was stolen from the
cloakroom.

30

to be + past

We got stuck in a traffic jam in the town centre.

Maybe your letter got lost in the post.
The college got opened was opened by the Queen.
Complete the following sentences, using verbs from the
list below in get + past participle constructions.

Exercise I are examples of that use. Which one is the

exception!
(There is a fuller list of uses of the passive in the
Grammar File on page 146.)

used as an alternative

participle to form the passive. It is less formal and tends

to suggest accidental or chance events, rather than
planned or intentional ones, for example:

We use a passive form when we are more interested

in what
than in the agent (the person or
thing that
it).
b A very common use is when the agent is not known
or is not important. All but one of the sentences in

get + past participle

Get is sometimes

2 a Complete
three words:

beat up
steal

chase

sweep

fine

pay

catch

Just my luck! I
in the rain and arrived for the
interview dripping wet!
2

If you leave that briefcase on the seat, you're asking for

it
.

We

I wonder how much he's

advertisement

$100 on the spot for speeding.

The eat's been a nervous wreck since it

door's dog.

He thought if he tried to stop the fight he might

himself

It was blowing such a gale that my hat

for appearing in that TV

by next
.

into the sea.

SEVEREWEATHER

Focus on Listening 2

Weather and Mood

Paper 4, Part 2

You will hear a doctor talking about how the weather affects us. As you listen,
fill in the missing information for questions 1-8. You will need to write
between one and three words for each answer.
In the examination, the recording
important information is repeated
chance of catching it. For practice,
during the first hearing, but listen

will be played once only. However, the

using different words, so you have a better
see if you can answer all the questions
again if you need to check your answers.

EHect

Weather

Advice

Low pressure
Slow reflexes

[!]

I
Warm winds

'[2]

Low pressure

Don't do too much

IT]

exercise

[IJ

II]

Don't do complicated
work

Low pressure and

above-normal humidity
I
High temperatures
and humidity

Irritability, edginess
Increased proneness to

IT] L_

[!]

I~

Focus on Vocabulary
1

Weather Idioms
The phrase a chilling admission of defeat in the article 'Today is cancelled' is a
metaphor. The literal meaning of chill is 'make colder' but here the word
suggests that it was an admission which made people feel worried or alarmed.
Words to do with weather are often used metaphorically.
Put the words on the right into the.gaps in A and B to make some common
phrases. Then say what you think they mean.
A
1 a

2 a
3 a
4 a
5 a

relationship
look
smile
manner
remark

sunny
biting
breezy
stormy
frosty
31

SEVEREWEATHER

1
2
3
4
S

a storm of
.
to shower (someone) with
a hail of
.
gales of
.
to be in floods of
.

tears

gifts
laughter
protest
bullets

Complete the sentences below with one of these weather idioms.

blow hot and cold
under the weather
(be) snowed under

the foggiest (idea)

a storm in a teacup
like (greased) lightning
on cloud nine

1 'You're not ill, are you?' 'Not really, I'm just feeling a bit
at the moment.'
2 'Why don't you join us for lunch?' 'I'd like to, but I'm completely
with
work.'
3 'What was all the arguing about?' 'Don't worry, it was only
'
4 'How do you work this photocopying machine?' 'Sorry, I haven't
'
S 'Didn't anyone help you wash up?' 'No, when the meal was over, they were
all off
'
6 'Is Henry in favour of the idea?' 'I don't really know, he keeps
'
7 'What's Jane looking so happy about?' 'Oh, she's been
ever since she got
engaged.'