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The naughtiest thing in the world is the weather. It is like a capricious woman who always does the opposite to what you ask her. The year is divided into four seasons: autumn, winter, spring & summer.
The Urals has a variable climate. The weather changes so frequently that it is difficult to forecast. It is not unusual for people to complain that the weathermen were wrong.
Spring is the season when nature awakens from its long winter sleep: the temperature grows milder, the snow melts, brooks (ручьи) run down the streets, the sky becomes blue, the sun grows warmer, under the bright sunrays the ice sheet (пелена) on the rivers & lakes cracks (трескаться) & begin to melt. Everything is full is new life again. The days grow longer & warmer, the ground gets covered with fresh green grass. The buds burst into leaves fresh, green & lovely. Everything begins to blossom & you can see the first spring flowers – snowdrops. As the proverb goes, “April showers bring May flowers” there are many beautiful flowers in May: tulip, lilac. Of course, it is also cold in spring. The sky is overcast, the strong wind blows & it rains. And we may say that the weather in spring is awful. The temperature rises above +200C or may fall below +100C. If the shower comes down, the clouds soon lift, it clears up & stops raining & you can see a rainbow in the sky, you can also hear a clap of thunder & see a flash of lightning.
Summer is the hottest season. The sunrays become hot, the days are long, the nights are short & warm. The bright sunshine scorches (палить, жарить) the earth. Not a single cloud in the sky. There is a lot of sunshine. There are long periods without any rain, the sky is cloudless but if the heat-wave lasts too long black clouds cover the sky all of the sudden the warm air the warm air becomes hot & sultry (знойный, душный). After rains with thunderstorm the grass & the trees green, refreshed, everything looks bright. In summer we may pick up berries or gather mushrooms or flowers. We can also listen to the songs of birds, buzzing of insects & get sunburn. In summer, we eat many fruit. As the Urals has a variable climate the summer can be not very warm with rains that is why many people go to the South in summer.
In autumn the days become shorter, the sunrays loose their glittering force. The birds have flown away to the warm countries. And the November fogs & mist & sleet are not pleasant things. Late autumn is generally an unpleasant season. Everything begins to take a different color. The trees look bare. The flowers have faded away. The sky is overcast with low clouds – the period of clouds has set in. The mud sticks to boots. The streets are covered with slush, everything looks gloomy. The temperature falls below 00C. But “every cloud has a silver lining”. Autumn is a silver time for hungers besides it’s a season of reach harvest, of fresh fruit & vegetables. It’s pouring with rain.
Winter is the season of snow. The ground & the roofs on the houses are thick with snow. It’s the season of snowstorms, ice, frozen rivers & slippery streets. The sun shines rarely, its rays are pale, it sets early & rises late. The sky is grey & has low leaden clouds. Snowflakes fall from the sky. The winter is severe. In the morning there is hoarfrost on the trees & icicles hang from the roofs of the houses. The days are frosty. The temperature falls below (rises above) –250C. And there is a violet cutting wind that turns the snow into a regular snowstorm. In winter we may skating, skiing. Children make snowmen & play snowballs. In a world winter has its own interest & beauty.
In a conclusions every season of the year is beautiful & pleasant in its own way. As Pushkin said: “ There is really no such thing as bad weather – only different kinds of good weather”.
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