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get, the longer the nights become. The days are the shortest in winter and the nights are the
longest. People usually spend more time indoors because it is cold out of doors.
Weather is the condition of the outside air at a certain time and place. Weather has
many features. It can be hot or cold, moist or dry, calm or windy, and cloudy or clear.
Temperature is the relative degree of heat or cold. The place you live has a climate. This is
the usual weather for the location including the temperature, rainfall, and wind. Geographic
features such as oceans, mountains, and plains can impact the weather. For example, one
side of a mountain may get lots of rain, while the other side of the mountain may be very
dry. Meteorology is the study the weather. A meteorologist measures weather, looks at the
causes of weather conditions, and forecasts the weather. A weather forecast is a prediction
about the weather for the next day or the next few days. There are thousands of weather
stations around the world that record information about weather. They have instruments to
measure temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, air pressure, and humidity.
A weather report is made up of many elements. Precipitation is water that falls from
the sky such as rain, sleet, hail, or snow. Wind occurs when the air is heated by the sun. This
heating is uneven and causes wind. The air moves in currents over the earth's surface. Air
pressure is the weight of the air pressing against the surface of the earth. It changes from
day to day. As the elevation increases, the air pressure decreases. Relative humidity is the
amount of water in the air compared to the amount of water that the air can hold. If the air is
filled with water, the relative humidity may be near 100%. In very dry places like deserts,
the humidity may be as low at 5 or 10%. When weather forecasters talk about the weather,
they often refer to fronts. When two very large bodies of air meet, there is a front. A cold
front is a place where cold air pushes out warm air. A warm front is where the warm air
pushes the cold air. Although we have many tools to help us in weather forecasting, weather
is still difficult to predict.

6. Read the following text and translate it.
Weather has a powerful effect on people. It influences health, intelligence, and
feelings.
In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. Southerners
have heart attacks and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast
and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in
these states tend to have heart attacks after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also affect intelligence. For example, in a 1938 study by scientists, the
IQ [intelligence quotient] scores of a group of undergraduate college students were very
high during a hurricane, but after the storm, their scores were 10 per cent below average.
Hurricanes can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can lower it.
Students in many of the United States often do badly on exams in the hot months of the year
(July and August).
Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for
thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel depressed during
cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, overweight people may feel
unhappy. The summer heat may make them tired and irritable.
Low air pressure relaxes people. It increases sexual feelings. It also increases
forgetfulness. People leave more packages and umbrellas in buses and in stores on low-
pressure days. There is a “perfect weather” for work and health. People feel best at a
temperature of about 64 degrees F with 65 per cent humidity (moisture in the air).
Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful, or very intelligent today? The weather may
be the cause.

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