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| Rain -artwork by freeschool.id- |
Part 1 - Talking about Familiar Topics
Weather
What kind of weather do you like the most?
I really like the rainy season, because rain always soothes me. The smell of wet soil and the sound of thunder rumbling from distance make me feel comfortable. I know some people may not like the rain that much, since they have to carry umbrella wherever they go and may find it difficult to do their activities like they always do. Everything is soaking wet and they have to wash their clothes and shoes every day. But I'm the kind of person who stays indoor most of the time, and I really like it when it rains.
Does the weather affect the way you feel?
Yes, it does. While the rainy season provides comfort and peace, the dry season in my country is extremely hot. I live in a tropical country where it is hardly possible to walk outside in the daylight without getting your skin burnt. I sweat a lot and usually becomes more easily irritated. Well, I'm actually a very calm person, except when the weather becomes extremely hot, then I may become a little bit more hostile. Things become even worse when I have to go outside riding a motorcycle, because it means that I have to wear jacket, shoes, gloves, and mask to protect myself from the sunlight.
Do people like the weather in your country?
Most people always find a way to enjoy the weather, no matter how annoying the heavy rain or extreme heat could be. During the dry season, people can do outdoor activities. The rainy season is the perfect time for staying at home, reading books or watching movies.
Do the kinds of outside activities people do in your country change when the weather changes?
Yes. People tend to avoid outdoor activities during the rainy season. For example, people who like doing exercise would rather go to the gym or practice yoga, things that can be done indoor. In the dry season, people go jogging, or playing tennis. Well, basically, they can do whatever they want during the dry season. The only problem is the extreme heat that may burn their skin and severe dehydration that may come along with it.
What jobs can be affected by different weather conditions?
Construction industry is definitely the kind of job most affected by weather condition, especially if the construction workers have to work on the roof, which means that they have to work in open space. When it rains heavily, it may be too dangerous to work in construction site, so the project may have to be postponed indefinitely. Construction industry is a very risky job, and it becomes even riskier when there is an inclement weather.
The same goes for dry season, I suppose. It's tough to work in construction site during the dry season. People get exhausted pretty quickly when the weather is extremely hot. I mean, roofing in the daylight when the temperature hits 47 degree Celsius is definitely not the kind of job that people want to do.
How important do you think it is for everyone to check what the next day’s weather will be?
It's quite important to see the weather forecast if you have an important meeting next day, like when you have to attend a job interview or when you want to go on a date. In the rainy season, it is more likely that someone will come to an appointment late, and here is why it happens.
So, in my country, the most common transportation is motorcycle. It is more preferable to ride a motorcycle because you can take alternative routes and avoid congestion. However, riding a motorcycle is definitely not the first option during the rainy season, because there's a possibility that it will rain and your clothes will be soaking wet. Even if you wear a raincoat, your shoes will still get wet. If you happen to wear suite, or any formal clothes, the rain will definitely be a nightmare.
Most people would rather drive a car during the rainy season. Because there are too many people driving their private cars, the road becomes more congested and it will take much more time for you to get to your destination. So, you either have to check the weather forecast and to go as early as possible, or risk coming late to a meeting. This happened to me several times, so I'm quite familiar with this situation.
Part 2 - Self-Presentation (Cue Card)
Inclement Weather
Describe an occasion when the weather prevented you from doing something
You should say:
When it was
Why did the weather prevent your activity
What you did
Explain how you felt about it.
When it was
This happened a long time ago, but I'm still pretty upset about what happened. So, one day, a friend of mine wanted to go to a concert of a local band, and she wanted me to accompany her. I am not a big fan of that local band. The reason why I wanted to go to that concert was because I was going to attend the concert with this friend, and I sort of liked her. She is smart and funny and we have been talking on social media for months, so, I thought it would be more fun if I met her in person and got to know her better.
Why did the weather prevent your activity
The concert was held during the rainy season, and right before I picked her up, it started raining heavily. At that time, I didn't think it would be a good idea to attend a concert when it rained. We had to stand among the crowd and since it was an outdoor concert, it would be extremely uncomfortable because everything would get wet, and cold. There would be dirty mud and puddles in the venue. The last time I attended a concert in the rain, I was busy protecting my phone and camera from the rain instead of enjoying the concert, so, I was rather hesitant to go to the concert at that time.
What you did
Not wanting to make my friend disappointed, I decided to text her, telling her that I would pick her up. I would let her decide whether or not we should go to the concert. She then told me that there was a thunderstorm and heavy rain where she lived. She lived in different part of the town and the weather there was pretty alarming. Her parents did not allow her to go to the concert, so she cancelled it.
Explain how you felt about it.
I was pretty upset and relieved at the same time. If the concert were held indoor, it wouldn't have been much of a problem. I really wanted to go with her at that time, and I was all excited when she asked me to accompany her to the concert. So, it was pretty upsetting. On the other hand, I also felt relieved knowing that I wouldn't have to attend a concert during the inclement weather, because I had had bad a experience from the previous concert.
Part 3 - Discussion
How Weather Is Changing
Do people from your country talk about weather when they meet for the first time?
No, people don't really talk about weather here. If they want to strike up a conversation with a stranger, it is more likely that they will ask about their job, like what do you do for living? Where do you work? How long have you been working there? Weather is simply not a good conversation starter here.
What are some of the worst things that may happen during a bad weather?
Damaged property, power outage, and accident are some of the bad things that happen during an inclement weather. The worst thing would be the loss of life, like when there is a road accident or people who get struck by a lightning. Heavy rain can trigger landslide, so natural disaster is another thing to worry about. Drought and lightning can spark a bushfire.
Do different parts of your country experience different types of bad weather?
Based on my experience living in different parts of the country, I can say that different regions have their own weather problem. When I was a child, I live in a mountainous area, with the typical forest and harsh terrain. During an inclement weather, people were really concerned about the possibility of landslide or torrential flood.
I also had an experience living in a very dry area. The long drought is a serious problem there, especially for farm community. It is difficult to get clean water and you have to buy several jars of water for drinking and washing.
Do you think bad weather can ever be dangerous?
Of course, it can be very dangerous at times. Recently, my town saw a very strange phenomenon. It rained heavily, but it was an icy rain. What I mean by icy rain here is like solid ice cubes falling from the sky. The icy rain continued to wreck havoc for several days and had caused significant damage to several properties. My roof was damaged, and so were other houses in the neighborhood. People were scared and stayed at home most of the time because of the icy rain. I mean, it would be really hurt if your face was hit by ice cubes the size of a tennis ball falling from the sky. Well, because of the global warming, the mother nature has been acting weird lately.
Do you think there is anything that we can do to prevent bad weather?
I'm not really sure if anything can be done to prevent bad weather. But I think geo-engineering has been used to create artificial rain. This is done by the government when the long drought is threatening the farm community. The authority will create artificial rain to prevent damaged food crops and the possible food scarcity. I don't know how it's done though. I only saw it in the news, and the news only depicted the aircraft used to create artificial rain, but did not explain how the geo-engineering thing is carried out.
Do you think the world's weather or climate is changing?
Yes it is. The weather becomes less and less predictable these days. We often have heavy rain during dry season. Temperature can sometimes hit a record-high during a rainy season, which is weird. The distinction between rainy season and dry season used to be very clear, but now the weather patterns become extremely strange and more chaotic.
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