Despite global warming, this winter has exceeded all expectations for cold and snow. Just this past weekend, Washington DC and points south of New York received record amounts of snow, and the weathermen are promising yet another storm tomorrow night. So more shoveling, icy roads, and downed power lines are on the way.
What about ESL students in the winter? For ESL students from warm climes, a New York winter can be quite challenging. The snow is fun if you can have snowball fights and go sledding down the hills at Bethpage State Park or Cedar Creek. Schools close, and life comes to a standstill beneath winter's white blanket. For ESL students from colder climes, our winters may seem tame, and they may be tempted to join the Polar Bear Club.
Vocabulary
global warming -- (noun) the world becoming warmer
exceed -- (verb) be more than
downed -- (adjective) not standing, knocked down
climes -- (noun) climates, places with certain types of climates
challenging -- (adjective) difficult
come to a standstill -- (idiom) stop
tame -- (adjective) calm, quiet, not wild
tempt -- (verb) to try to get someone do do something wrong
Polar Bear Club -- (noun) a group of people who go swimming in the ocean in the winter
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words:
When the wind stopped, the air was _________________.
We recycle or reuse things to stop __________________, which is when the world gets warm too fast.
I like cold water, so I want to join the ________________________.
The tornado was to blame for the ___________ radio tower, which was lying on the ground.
In northern ______________ there are four seasons.
Swimming in the Olympics is very _____________.
This year's snow ____________ last year's snow. We had 5 inches more.
Sam tried to __________ me to eat chocolate, but I am on a diet.
When the college is closed, studies _________________________.
Grammar Point
Can you find all the nouns and verbs associated with the winter?
What is winter like in your country? Write a paragraph about it.
