Диссертация (1146701), страница 39
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Discuss the following question: 1. What causes seasons on Earth?IIa) Read the text. In each paragraph (A – G) of the text some information has been removed.Match the paragraphs (A - H) with the information (1 - 7).AThe Earth’s atmosphere is constantly in motion and it is this which creates our weather.Weather is usually defined as the current state of the atmosphere in a place and time. The averageweather conditions of a place are called its climate. The most important conditions are the averagemonthly temperatures and average monthly rainfall. The world is divided into regions according totheir climate, although the boundaries are not sharply defined, as one type of climate graduallymerges into the next: Mountainous, Tropical, Subtropical, Arid, Semi arid, Mediterranean,Temperate, Subarctic, Polar.
____________________________________________BThe weather we experience at the Earth’s surface is caused by a complex set of interrelatedfactors. These include the impact of solar heating – energy from the sun. Other large –scale, globalfactors include the amount of water vapour and other gases in the atmosphere which influenceglobal temperatures. Other factors affect only relatively small areas of the globe and are morelocalized in their impact. ________________________________________________CAs the Earth makes its orbit around the sun there are changes in the amount of sunlightreceived which affects the temperatures experienced.
As the Earth is tilted on its axis – 23.5° different parts of the world receive different amounts of sunlight at different times of year. At theEquator there is little variance in sunlight and thus in length of day and temperatures, there are nosignificant seasons. __________________________________________________DIn the Northern Hemisphere the longest day, the summer solstice, is on 21 June.
Thiscoincides with the winter solstice or shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. These periodic224variations in the amount of sunlight received, and the temperature experienced, are delineated as theseasons. ____________________________________________________________EBecause the Earth’s surface heats up unevenly, there are varying bands of airflow whichproduce different weather at different locations.
Between the Tropics there is relatively even,intense heating which produces powerful convection currents in the air. The air that has riseneventually reaches the troposphere, can go no further and so cools and descends in the regionbetween 30° N and S and is replaced by air moving from about 30° N and S. This circulation givesrise to the trade winds which carry warm air away from the Equator. _____________FWhen air is warmed by the Earth’s surface it rises, reducing the pressure on the landsurface. The movement of air from high to low pressure is wind.
High pressure creates dry andcalm weather which can produce periods of drought or, in winter, frosty conditions. High pressuresystems are often known as anticyclones. ___________________________________GA front is an imaginary line drawn on a weather map, more appropriately called a synopticchart, and it marks the point at which a cold air mass meets a warm air mass.
Fronts form animportant part of a low pressure system or depression. ________________________1The theoretical movement of winds should be N-S but in reality they move in a generallyNE direction. This is due to the Coriolis force set up at the Earth’s surface as it spins on its axis.The Coriolis effect deflects objects moving along the surface of the Earth to the right in theNorthern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.2Local aspects of physical geography such as valleys or coasts can have impact on localweather: river valleys may experience fog more frequently than other areas and coastal areasgenerally experience cooler temperatures in summer and milder in winter than areas further inland.They may also be windier due to the impact of sea and land breezes.3The solstices mark the longest and shortest days of the year, whilst at the vernal andautumnal equinoxes, day and night are of equal duration.4In contrast, low pressure is associated with cloudy, windy and wet weather.
Areas ofextreme low pressure may develop into tropical storms called hurricanes or typhoons. Pressuresystems are closely monitored by forecasters and are shown on isobaric maps. The map consists oflines of equal air pressure.5There are three different types of fronts – cold, warm and occluded.
Each one is representedon a synoptic chart as a solid line with the different types of front having a special symbol added toidentify them.6The Earth’s tilt means that as it orbits the sun, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres areoriented either further towards or further away from the sun, with the result that the sun appearshigher or lower in the sky, for longer or shorter periods, and its rays are experienced more or lessdirectly or obliquely.7The first person to define the climatic zones was the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 – 322BC).
He divided the world into three zones (torrid, temperate and frigid) based on the height of the225sun above the horizon. Modern climatic maps show many more regions using a variety of criteriaincluding latitude, height above sea level, distance from the ocean, temperature and precipitation.b) Match the images (1 – 6) with their names (The Coriolis effect, A Synoptic chart, Climate,Solstice and equinox, Pressure systems, The trade winds), and with the paragraphs (A – G) theyrefer to:123456(from Lloyd, J. A Concise Guide to Weather.
Parragon, Bath, 2007)IIIVocabularyA) Use the following words to match the nouns (1-11):floatingdeserttemperatepolarsubtropicalsubarctichugeharshMediterranean1. ___ continent2. ____regions3. _____ study4. ____ climate5. ____ climate6. ______ ice7. weather _______8. _____ landscapes9. ______ climate226scientificweather10. ________ climate11. _______ zonethen complete the sentences with the phrases (adj + noun, noun + noun):1.
Meteorology, the _____ of the weather, has developed significantly during the last 60 years.2. __________ are prepared on at least a daily basis, for a given location.3. A _________ implies that the air temperature usually does not fall below freezing.4. ____________ are often composed of sand and rocky surfaces.5. There are vast areas of grassland in the interiors of the continents in the ____________.Various names are given to these grasslands, including prairie, steppe and pampas.6.
The _______ is ideal for growing many fruits, especially grapes, melons and citrus; many ofthese areas are important wine producers. Olives have been grown in these regions for centuries.7. Regions having a _____ are characterized by long, very cold winters, and brief, warm summers.8. During the summer months in the ______, many types of small plants and millions of insectsenjoy their brief life cycle.9. _________ covers much of the Arctic Ocean all year round with ice so thick that even thestrongest ships cannot reach the North Pole.10. The Antarctic region around the South Pole includes a ____ almost covered with ice and snow.11. Antarctica has such a _________ that people have never settled there permanently.B) Fill in the tableverbcoincidenounadjectiveadverbwarmdamphumidC) a) Identify the word-formation model of the following words:permafrost (n)unevenly(adv)interrelated (adj)movement (n) dampen (v)b) complete the sentences with them:1.
The weather we experience is caused by a complex set of _________ factors.2. The warmth of summer is insufficient to thaw more than a few surface metres, so ______prevails under large areas.3. A dark and gloomy day can ________ our spirits.4. The ________ of air from high to low pressure is wind.5.
The Earth’s surface heats up _________.IVA) Scan the text to answer the questions.1. What are the trade winds known for?2. What role did the trade winds play in history?3. What happens in the Doldrums?The trade winds and the Intertropical Convergence ZoneThe trade winds that blow over the great ocean areas of the Tropics and subtropics are largescale convection winds – that is, they are ‘powered’ by the difference between the temperatures atthe two poles and the Equator. The trade winds blow strongly all the time throughout the year, andalways in the same direction. In the northern hemisphere they are northeasterlies, in the southernhemisphere, the trades are southeasterlies.Without the trade winds, European explorers would never have discovered the ‘NewWorld’. European traders also made use of trade winds for the ‘triangular trade’ between Europe,227Africa and the Americas, sending their ships laden with goods on northeasterly trade winds toAfrica, where they were exchanged for slaves.
Loaded with their human cargoes, the ships wouldthen ride the trade winds to the Americas, barter the slaves for cotton or sugar, then return on theprevailing westerly winds to Europe to begin the cycle again.As they reach each other, the trade winds slow down dramatically and enter what is calledthe Intertropical Convergence Zone. Sailors know this area as the Doldrums: it lies withinapproximately 5° – 10° either side of the Equator and is where the winds are very light andvariable, causing sailing ships to be becalmed.
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