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Thunderstorms

Learn English with this thunderstorms English lesson

Date: Oct 12 2018

Themes: Weather

Grammar: Passive Voice

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Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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What’s the weather like in your part of the world? Do you see extreme changes, or is it more temperate and predictable? Your climate has a big impact on what you do, what you wear, how you live, and even what you eat.

Thunderstorms are more common in certain parts of the world than others. In some places, lightning and thunder happen so frequently that you become used to them. In other places, a thunderstorm is so rare that it’s scary and can catch you off guard. Whether you think thunderstorms are boring or shocking, they really are an incredible phenomenon in nature.

Find out Greta and Mason’s opinions about extreme weather in this English lesson about thunderstorms.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Greta

Mason

Greta: One of the things that I miss since I started living on the west coast is the thunderstorms that are so frequent in the Midwest.

Mason: It’s always kind of a big deal when you get to see lightning, or even hear thunder. But the lightning is super rare.

Greta: I know, and in the Midwest, it happens all the time. You get these amazing bolts of lightning coming down. I guess the Midwest sees a lot more extreme weather than we get here on the west coast where things are pretty temperate.

Mason: Sure. Do you know anyone who’s been struck by lightning?

Greta: My fourth grade teacher was struck by lightning three times.

Mason: That’s, like, impossible.

Greta: She survived all three times, but her hair was very frizzy.

Mason: Did she have a metal plate in her head or something?

Greta: There’s no explanation for it. I was in fourth grade, but I remember that I thought that she was super cool when I found out that she’d been struck by lightning three times.

Mason: I had no problem with thunder and lightning before this moment, but right now, I’m afraid it’s going to get me.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Greta and Mason are discussing extreme weather. Greta misses the frequent thunderstorms she experienced while living in the Midwestern part of the US. She lives in a part of the country now where thunderstorms don’t happen that often, and lightning and thunder are kind of exciting.

Mason wonders if Greta knows anyone who was hit by lightning, and it turns out she does! Greta’s fourth grade teacher was hit three times. Since being hit once is highly unlikely, being hit three times is pretty hard to believe. Mason jokes that lightning and thunder weren’t scary to him before, but now that he knows the story of Greta’s teacher, he’s not so sure anymore.

Do you live in a place where there are thunderstorms? How do you feel when you’re in the middle of one? Do you know anyone who was hit by lightning?

Comments

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inventive2

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Thunderstorm is very pretty and sometimes is very dangerous, but it is very magical too 👌 because it teaches us something like another phenomenon in nature.
For example, We were able to achieve ozone and plasma by studying it.
After the thunderstorm, air is very clean and lovely.
Thunderstorm is one of the beauties of God’s creation

Mosesbaby

Brazil

... but her hair was very frizzy…. LOL hahaa

Cyrus532

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

iran that i live here, in my idea is phenomenon in all aspect of weather. and i like lightning because i’m sure after that comes rain, i like rain. i haven’t seen anyone that hit by lightning but i saw a tree was hit and had long line on itself. i remind benjamin button movie. there was an elderly man that seven times hit by lightning :)

take care of ourselves…

buttafly

Germany

Thank you so much, Alston!
It’s been quite a trip.
But it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t take home more than I brought…and I am not talking about consumer kind of things.
It’s just the experience that makes us to who we are!!
I love California…next time I am heading across the pond it’ll be to the Golden State ;)

englishteacher24/7

United States

Hello Anja, I hope you enjoyed your stay in Miami and dodging the scattered thunderstorms.

California rarely have thunderstorms and rain. California needs rain!!!

Have a safe return trip to Germany. :)

buttafly

Germany

I’ve just escaped a brief afternoon thunderstorm by jumping on a bus. The thing here in Miami is that it can pour buckets down on 5th Street but as you proceed further down it’ll be just a quick episode of another thunderstorm rolling through the city. Within seconds it’s just another gorgeous day…..

kimnga

Viet Nam

It’s rainy season in my country now but I seldom hear thunder near my place.

Peter Nagy

Slovakia

And what about this?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/08/31/incredibly-strange-sounds-coming-from-the-sky-in-terrace-bc-aug-29th-2013/

Amedmoh

Mauritania

In my country it happens very rarely, I saw once a palmtree hit by thunderstorms. It was very green and it turned yellowish.

Nairon

Brazil

It’s impossible for someone to get hit 3 times, unless it happened in a row right off she was hit by the first one. Where I live, it’s not that usual to have thunderstorms, thank God! I live it better when it rains ‘cause here it’s hot all the time but I certainly pass up the thunderstorms and all stuff of the sort.
As to the teacher hit 3 times, better luck next time. Whenever you see a thunderstorm brewing head for a shelter immediately.

modaher

Iraq

He estimated Rabbani and God said all floating in an orbit. Implant to be us in the season and then picking fruit in another season.

mudrlant91

Slovakia

Hi…My name is Tomas. Iam from Slovakia and I study medicine..I am preparing on USMLE in USA..I am looking for friend for skype becose I have to improve my English ! my skype ID : mudrlant91

dreadslayer

Turkey

In my place thunderstorms and lightings happen very rarely.It’s even to run into such incidents around here.It rains but not extremely.I feel anxious when i’m in the middle of one because i cant say that’s nice to stand in there until it finishes.I’d rather go home rapidly steps :) it’s natural phenomenon it can be appeared all of sudden .i also dont know who was hit by lightning around my environment.

Hamody_kh_95

Egypt

Nice information.

libya_mohammad

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

i like it , it’s interesting :)

ola33

Japan

Thunderstorms are not that bad, eh? :)

julito

Argentina

About the fourth grade teacher that got struck three times by lightning. It might be that although unusual, some people for unknown reasons attract it . I have known of a woman in the USA that got hit several times , she was so afraid that decided to move to another state where lightining are infrecuent. Hard to believe but she also got hit in that state while she was at her home. I like thunderstorms specially at night , although it could be that the roof of my apartment when the rain is too heavy would likely start leaking . Then thunderstorms are not fun anymore . lol…...

DanielBorges

Portugal

I don’t live in a thunder spot!
Which has some advantages and disadvantages. As advantages i can refer the low risk of falling trees, damaging cars or staying without electricity. An enormous disadvantage is that it is a quite great spectacular! I like both, the lightning for it’s splendour and the thunder, for is incredible power and sound. Sometimes it happens that everything trembles, in case of a strong thunder and if we were close to the event!
I don’t know anyone who as been struck by a lightning. I have the idea that the person’s die in that moment because of the voltage that is transported in the lightning! But we can always joke a little bit with the question and said that are some persons that seems to have caught up, others that need thunders in their lives once in a while….. :)

narges

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

the place where i live, it rarely happens . i really love to get to see and hear the thunderstorm and lightning :) , it has a good feeling on me bbut not about being in the middle of thnuderstorm specially a heavy one :( i scare when heavy thunderstorm is happened.

and about knowing a person who was hit by lightning … emm, no i havent heard about this kinda persons near myself except on TV or other mass communications .

mitya09

Russian Federation

Thunderstorm often catches me off guard. Because in our place the weather doesn’t easy predictable, especially in autumn, when storm clouds often appear in the sky. I don’t know, who was hit by lighting. It has so energy, so it’s very hard to survive.

During thunderstorm one desire is bigger than others: wish it ended quicker.