Learning English Vo Xuan Vinh Volume 1B November 7, 2013 !!!Seasons & Weather

!!VOLUME 1 LEARNING

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Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,

wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

— there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of

good weather. John Ruskin

Reading !!Autumn Colors

After the heat of the summer and before the cold of the winter there are a couple of months of autumn in Canada. One of the features of autumn is that leaves on the trees change colors. The green leaves turn to yellow, orange, or red. After a short time the leaves then fall off the trees. The branches of the trees are bare during the winter months.

Leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll a substance that is able to use light and energy from the sun to help make sugars. These sugars are food for the trees. During the summer months leaves have lots of chlorophyll. At the end of the summer the temperatures get cooler and the daylight hours become shorter. When this happens, the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves decreases. They then change color.

Many people like to go for walks in the woods, or drives through the country, to enjoy the colorful scenery.

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Vocabulary Help !!autumn (noun) - one of the four seasons, after summer and before winter

bare (adjective) - lacking clothing or covering; naked

cooler (adjective) - comparative form of cool - slightly cold but not too cold

a couple of - more than one, but definitely a small number, often two

daylight hours - the amount of time that there is sunlight during the day.

decrease (verb) - to become less in number, amount, size, strength, or the like; diminish.

during (preposition) - for a period of time, example - The sun shines during the day.

energy (noun) - power or heat from sources such as the sun, wind, petroleum, natural gas, or coal that can be put to use by humans.

feature (noun) - a distinctive property, characteristic, or quality.

scenery (noun) - the attractive, natural things that you see in the countryside

temperature (noun) - is how hot or cold something is.

!!Facts About Autumn !!

1. The autumnal equinox is the first day of fall! It’s also one of the two days of year when the north and south halves of the world face the Sun in equal amounts!

2. During autumn, the days start to get shorter. That’s because our planet is actually tilted in space! When it’s fall where you live, that means you point more away from the sun, causing longer nights and shorter days.

3. Zzzzz! Did you know that animals like bats, hedgehogs, and many kinds of fish all hibernate during winter?

4. Squirrels rely on a storage of nuts to eat during winter, so they collect and bury nuts all fall. Plus, the nuts they bury but don’t retrieve sprout into new trees!

5. In order to know which way to go when they fly south, birds use a variety of techniques such as the position of the sun or the stars, and big landmarks like lakes, rivers, or mountains!

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Comprehension Check !!Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true? !1. Leaves change colors in the autumn. Yes or no?

2. Chlorophyll is a substance in leaves that makes them look green. Yes or no?

3. Leaves do not have much chlorophyll in the summer. Yes or no?

4. Leaves change colors when the temperatures get warmer. Yes or no?

!Fill in the blanks !5. In the winter the branches of the trees are ___________.

6. The leaves are very ________________ in the autumn.

7. Many people like to ______________ in the woods in the autumn because they like the different colors of the scenery.

8. Chlorophyll helps to make ____________________ that the trees use for food.

9. Chlorophyll uses energy from the _______________.

10. In the autumn, the daylight hours become ___________________.

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Dandelions

!Dandelions are one of the first flowers that you see in the spring in Canada. Many people think they are weeds because they grow everywhere. The grow on lawns. They grow in parks. They even grow in the cracks in sidewalks. In the spring and summer, you can see these yellow flowers all over the place!

Not everyone thinks this plant is a weed. The leaves of the dandelion plant can be eaten. They can be used in salads or they can be cooked. The leaves contain lots of vitamins so they are a healthy food.

Parts of the dandelion plant can be used to make wine. The roots of the dandelion can be roasted and used to make dandelion coffee.

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Vocabulary Help !!crack (noun) - a break in something.

healthy (adjective) - good for you, good for your health so you don't get sick

lawn (noun) - the green grass in the front or the back of a house

leaves (noun) - plural of leaf, the green part of a plant

park (noun) - a public place

roast (verb) - to cook in the oven

root (noun) - the part of a plant that grows under the ground

vitamins (noun) - any of a number of natural or synthetic substances required in human nutrition to keep healthy

!!Facts About Dandelions !!

1. Dandelions originated in Asia where they are used as both food and medicine.

2. The word "dandelion" comes from the French name for the plant "dents de lion" which means "teeth of the lion" in reference to the jagged leaves of the plant.

3. On a breezy day, a strong wind can transport the tiny seeds of the plant miles away from the parent dandelion plant.

4. Dandelion flowers are photosensitive; they bloom under the morning sun and close in the evening or in dull, gloomy conditions.

5. In Chinese medicine, the dandelion plant has been used for over thousand years in treating various conditions like diabetes, cancers, as well as bacterial and fungal infections.

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Comprehension Check !!Did you understand the story? Are these sentences true? !1. Dandelion leaves make good coffee. Yes or no?

2. Lots of dandelions grow in parks and on lawns. Yes or no?

3. Dandelions have orange flowers. Yes or no?

4. Some people eat dandelion leaves in salads. Yes or no?

!Fill in the Blanks !5. Many people think that dandelions are ______________ because they grow everywhere.

6. Parts of the ________________ plant can be used to make wine.

7. Dandelion coffee can be ______________ with ___________ dandelion roots.

8. Dandelion leaves are can be used in _______________. They can also be _______________.

9. These plants grow in lots of places, usually in the spring and the __________________.

10. The green leaves of the dandelion plant have lots of _______________ in them.

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Notes !!!Reading Answers ! !

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AUTUMN COLORS 1 yes DANDELIONS 1 no

2 yes 2 yes

3 no 3 no

4 no 4 yes

5 bare 5 weeds

6 colorful 6 Dandelion

7 walk 7 made/roasted

8 sugars 8 salads/cooked

9 sun 9 summer

10 shorter 10 vitamins

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