Reading Comprehension Year 8 Term II V. 1

Read the text. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

Singing in the rain

You wake up in the morning and there’s snow on the ground, but on the walk to school the sun comes out and it feels like summer. You go outside at lunchtime because it’s still sunny, but you get caught in a thunderstorm. On your way home, it’s so hot that you have to take off your jumper. Does it sound familiar? If it does, then you probably live in the UK.

The weather in the UK is unpredictable, and this is partly because of the location of the British Isles. Cold polar air from the north and warmer air from the Tropics, brought by the Gulf Stream, push against each other to create the UK's changeable weather patterns.

This means that weather forecasting in the UK is a difficult job, and the people who do it can have embarrassing moments. For example, in 1987, weather forecasters missed a huge storm that was coming towards the UK. There was no mention of the storm during the daytime weather forecast, but later that night, a place called Sevenoaks near London lost six of its seven famous oak trees when the strong wind blew them down.

These days, UK weather forecasters usually know about extreme weather that is about to hit the country, and they also try not to make unrealistic predictions about the weather. For example, they don’t say that there’s going to be a ‘barbecue summer’ (a very hot summer when people can cook outside all the time) or a freezing winter, because usually the opposite happens. They now only forecast a maximum of five days, and people don’t even trust that – they check regularly to see if a forecast is still correct.

You may think that living with this sort of weather every day makes people unhappy, but actually it has an unexpected effect on a lot of people in the UK. They tend to get more excited by sunshine than most people. They are likely to change into summer clothes whenever they see the sun, whether it is August or December. They don’t mind the rain and they’re always prepared for it, with their waterproof coats, boots and umbrellas ready by the front door. They also know how to have a good time despite the weather. Rainy summers are so common that people try not to let the weather spoil their fun. In fact, for some people, particularly young children, the rain can be fun, and you may even find them singing in the rain!

Task

The UK’s position causes changes in the weather.

Read the text. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

Singing in the rain

You wake up in the morning and there’s snow on the ground, but on the walk to school the sun comes out and it feels like summer. You go outside at lunchtime because it’s still sunny, but you get caught in a thunderstorm. On your way home, it’s so hot that you have to take off your jumper. Does it sound familiar? If it does, then you probably live in the UK.

The weather in the UK is unpredictable, and this is partly because of the location of the British Isles. Cold polar air from the north and warmer air from the Tropics, brought by the Gulf Stream, push against each other to create the UK's changeable weather patterns.

This means that weather forecasting in the UK is a difficult job, and the people who do it can have embarrassing moments. For example, in 1987, weather forecasters missed a huge storm that was coming towards the UK. There was no mention of the storm during the daytime weather forecast, but later that night, a place called Sevenoaks near London lost six of its seven famous oak trees when the strong wind blew them down.

These days, UK weather forecasters usually know about extreme weather that is about to hit the country, and they also try not to make unrealistic predictions about the weather. For example, they don’t say that there’s going to be a ‘barbecue summer’ (a very hot summer when people can cook outside all the time) or a freezing winter, because usually the opposite happens. They now only forecast a maximum of five days, and people don’t even trust that – they check regularly to see if a forecast is still correct.

You may think that living with this sort of weather every day makes people unhappy, but actually it has an unexpected effect on a lot of people in the UK. They tend to get more excited by sunshine than most people. They are likely to change into summer clothes whenever they see the sun, whether it is August or December. They don’t mind the rain and they’re always prepared for it, with their waterproof coats, boots and umbrellas ready by the front door. They also know how to have a good time despite the weather. Rainy summers are so common that people try not to let the weather spoil their fun. In fact, for some people, particularly young children, the rain can be fun, and you may even find them singing in the rain!

Task

In 1987, forecasters warned people about a storm.

Read the text. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

Singing in the rain

You wake up in the morning and there’s snow on the ground, but on the walk to school the sun comes out and it feels like summer. You go outside at lunchtime because it’s still sunny, but you get caught in a thunderstorm. On your way home, it’s so hot that you have to take off your jumper. Does it sound familiar? If it does, then you probably live in the UK.

The weather in the UK is unpredictable, and this is partly because of the location of the British Isles. Cold polar air from the north and warmer air from the Tropics, brought by the Gulf Stream, push against each other to create the UK's changeable weather patterns.

This means that weather forecasting in the UK is a difficult job, and the people who do it can have embarrassing moments. For example, in 1987, weather forecasters missed a huge storm that was coming towards the UK. There was no mention of the storm during the daytime weather forecast, but later that night, a place called Sevenoaks near London lost six of its seven famous oak trees when the strong wind blew them down.

These days, UK weather forecasters usually know about extreme weather that is about to hit the country, and they also try not to make unrealistic predictions about the weather. For example, they don’t say that there’s going to be a ‘barbecue summer’ (a very hot summer when people can cook outside all the time) or a freezing winter, because usually the opposite happens. They now only forecast a maximum of five days, and people don’t even trust that – they check regularly to see if a forecast is still correct.

You may think that living with this sort of weather every day makes people unhappy, but actually it has an unexpected effect on a lot of people in the UK. They tend to get more excited by sunshine than most people. They are likely to change into summer clothes whenever they see the sun, whether it is August or December. They don’t mind the rain and they’re always prepared for it, with their waterproof coats, boots and umbrellas ready by the front door. They also know how to have a good time despite the weather. Rainy summers are so common that people try not to let the weather spoil their fun. In fact, for some people, particularly young children, the rain can be fun, and you may even find them singing in the rain!

Task

In the storm, Sevenoaks lost most of its famous trees.