Beginners.

Some people say that the weather is changing all over the world. Do you believe that? What do you think? I'm not sure if it is true, but sometimes the local weather does something unusual. Here in Wenatchee, the weather is normally very regular: very hot Summers, very cold, snowy Winters, and short warm Springs and Autumns. No shocks, no surprises. Well, this year has been a little different. A couple of weeks ago, a warm wind blew up from Hawaii. It blew all night. For twenty-four hours, all you could hear was the woosh of the wind and 'drip, drip, drip' of melting snow. The grass and bushes are green again, and we have had no new snow. Instead, a thick fog has appeared. For some days it has been so thick that the traffic has had to move very slowly. It is quite a change for this town; everybody is talking about it. My dog is happy because she can go for walks without getting icy paws. It is a relief for local pets, but you drivers be careful!

Grammar notes.

Questions: Do you believe that/ this? Exs: Can you believe it? Don't you believe me?

Verbs: This year has been very different. Exs: This year has been the best so far for the corn harvest. She has been ill for three months. All the castles in France have been renovated.

To have to. Exs: I have to study more. I had to clean the kitchen last night. You will have to wait. They had to practice for the concert all year. We have had to fix the floor several times.

Useful vocab and expressions: people say that, normally, a couple of, instead, it's a relief, be careful!

Advanced.

Having lived in London, I am quite used to fog. Please don't think that it is always foggy, though. There are plenty of days when the air is perfectly clear and sunny. Also, because it rains often in England, the air after the rain is quite clear. Because England was a large producer of coal, it was burned in every city. The mixture of smoke and fog would make what is called 'smog' or 'pea soup'. In 1956, however, a Clean Air Act was passed which prohibited the burning of coal in public areas. Consequently, London's air is much cleaner. Also the buildings have been cleaned of the dark residue that had been left by the coal smoke. I have been to some countries where there is still smog in certain cities: Los Angeles has bad smog, and so does Mexico City. Fog, on the other hand, is not a health threat. It is simply another type of precipitation. Actually, I think that it is a beautiful phenomena. It certainly conjures up ideas of mystery and romance. Perhaps that is why so many great writers and poets have come from England.....

Grammar notes.

Verbs: Having + past participle. Exs: Having lived in Dubai, she has a great understanding of Arabic culture. Having found the fossil, they preceeded to clean and examine it.

Useful expressions: consequently, a phenomena, another type/kind of, to conjure up, coal, smog, precipitation, fog/ foggy.