
Read the text and enjoy the
poems.
Winter starts in December. The days are short in winter,
and the shortest one is on the twenty first of December. After that, each
day becomes longer than the other, but they are still shorter than the
nights. It often snows. Snowflakes fall fast and thick. Snow is everywhere –
on the roofs of the houses, on the trees, on the ground. The air is crisp
and clear. Cold makes the air smell better and the streets look cleaner. The
temperature drops. The lakes and rivers are frozen. Everything looks so nice
covered with ice and snow!
Sometimes a blizzard sweeps in. Snow
stings like sand; it piles up in waist – high drifts.
There is nothing to do, but stay indoors and wait it out.
Sometimes, it gets so cold that classes
are cancelled and it makes children happy. Some of them stay home and
get some extra sleep, but there are some bold ones, who go out and
enjoy the cold weather!
It is difficult for
birds to find food in winter. They need your help. Make a bird
feeder, place somewhere – on your balcony or among the tree branches,
and don’t forget to put some food every day. Keep feeding birds all through
the winter. They will appreciate that and their songs will make you happy in
spring.
Children like winter very much. In winter,
they can do a lot of things that they cannot do during the rest of the year.
The most popular outdoor winter activities are skiing, sledding, and
ice-skating on a lake or pond. If you like to do this, be sure the ice is
thick enough to support you. Besides, kids like to make snowmen, build snow
huts, play snowballs, throwing them at one another. It’s great to speed
down snowy slopes, with a group of friends! Even if you don’t
like winter, don’t hide from it, go out, and meet it. A hard walk with a
breath of a frosty cloud is much more refreshing than a sweaty
walk in the hot sun.
In winter, everybody is looking forward to
celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Day. Even St. Valentine’s Day is now
celebrated In Russia where it was not observed before. It is a great
pleasure to see happy people enjoy the holidays!
All of a sudden, in winter we have some warm
days, with icicles dripping from the roofs, and the sun shining brightly. It
looks like spring’s around the corner; and many people who don’t like winter
very much would like to say, “Come, spring, come again!”
When All World Is Full of Snow
by N. M.
Bodecker.
|
I never know
just where to go,
when all the world
is full of snow.
I don’t want
to make a track
not even
to the shed and back. |
I only want
to watch and wait,
while snow moths settle
on the gate.
And swarming frost
flakes
fill the trees
with billions
of albino bees. |
I only want
myself to be
as silent as
a winter tree.
To hear the swirling
stillness grow
when all the world
is full of snow. |
Snow
by Eve Merriam.
|
Snow fell
in the city,
It fell through
the night,
And the black
rooftops
All turned white.
Green garbage cans
All turned white,
Gray sidewalks
All turned white, |
Red fire hydrants
All turned white,
Blue police cars
All turned white.
Yellow “no
parking” signs
All turned white
When snow fell in
the city
All through the
night. |
I Heard the Bird Sing
by Oliver Herford.
|
I heard the bird
sing
In the dark of
December.
A magical thing,
And sweet to
remember: |
“We are nearer to
Spring
Than we were in
September.”
I heard the bird
sing
In the dark of
December. |
 |
Snowflakes
by Mary Jim.
|
Merry little
snowflakes
Falling through
the air,
Resting on the
steeple
And the tall tree
everywhere,
Covering roofs and
fences,
Capping every
post,
Covering the
hillside
Where we like to
coast. |
Merry little
snowflakes
Do their best
To make a soft,
white blanket
So buds and
flowers may rest.
But when the
bright spring sunshine
Says it’s come to
stay,
Those merry little
snowflakes
Quickly run away. |
Snow
by Karla Kuskin.
|
We’ll play in the
snow
And stray in the
snow
And stay in the
snow
In a snow-white
park.
We’ll clown in the
snow
And frown in the
snow
Fall down in the
snow
Till it’s after
dark.
We’ll cook snow
pies
In a big snow pan. |
We’ll make snow
eyes
In a round
snowman.
We’ll sing snow
songs,
And chant snow
chants,
And roll in the
snow
In our fat snow
pants.
And when it’s time
To go home to eat
We’ll have snow
toes
On our frosted
feet |
 |
Ex.1. In the text “Winter” find the English
equivalents for these Russian words.
Кормушка, наваливать, метель, склон
(наклон), отмечать (праздник), пережидать (бурю, шторм, и т.п.), бодрящий (о
воздухе), потный, смелый, сугроб, мчаться, освежающий.
Ex.2. Which word means...
1.
... “a mass of snow formed into a ball”?
a) snow-drop b)
snowball c) snowman
2. ... “snow piled up by
the wind”?
a)
snowball b) sand c) snowdrift
3. ... “easy-broken or
fresh and firm”?
a)
gentle b) crisp c) thin
4. ... “covered with, or
made into ice”?
a)
frost b) frozen c) froze
5. ... “a severe storm
accompanied by heavy, driving snow”?
a)
storm b) snowstorm c) blizzard
6.
... “a body of water smaller in size than a lake”?
a)
pool b) river c) pond
7. ... “to celebrate”?
a) to
play b) to observe c) to watch
8. ... “a hanging spike of ice made by
dripping water that freezes”?
a) ice
water b) ice pick c) icicle
Ex.3. Answer the
questions.
1. When does winter begin
in your region?
2. How long does it last?
3. Your winter is cold,
isn’t it?
4. Which is the coldest
month?
5. February is different from the other
winter months, isn’t it? In what way?
6.
Are the shortest days in February or in January?
7. Does it often snow in
your region?
8. What is the snowiest
month?
9. What does your town
look like in winter?
10. Do you often have
blizzards?
11. How cold is it
supposed to be to cancel classes?
12. Do you like it when
your classes are canceled? Why?
13. What is your favorite
outdoor winter activity?
14. Do you like to have PE lessons in
the park named after Yuri Gagarin?
15. What holidays and
festivals do you have in winter?