The Weather

For the last few days, we have had plenty of winter weather. This of course depends on where you live. If you live in the far north of New Zealand, you have probably had rain and cold temperatures. If you live in the far south, you have probably had rain, hail, sleet, snow, ice and frost. In fact, many parts of New Zealand had snow during the weekend.

Dunedin had plenty of snow overnight. At first, we heard that schools would open at 10am today instead of the usual time. Then we heard that some schools would not open today at all because of ice on the roads. Some roads on the hills were closed to buses, and the motorway in and out of the city was closed for a time. Dunedin and Queenstown airports were closed also in the morning.

While snow can be a problem for cars, buses, and planes, snow makes some people happy. Skiers and snowboarders are excited by excellent conditions on the mountains. Children who have a sled and can find a hill are also happy.

For the rest of us, it gives us something to talk about. New Zealanders love to talk about the weather. We can say, “Isn’t it cold?” or “Cold enough for you?” to people we meet, and they might reply, “Certainly is!” Do people in other countries talk about the weather too?

Vocabulary

• sleet – rain when the temperature is close to 0 degrees, nearly snowing
• overnight – during the night
• excellent conditions on the mountains – plenty of snow, powder snow (soft, not icy)
• sled – sledge, toboggan

Grammar

• have had rain / snow – present perfect, to show it started in the past and may be continuing now
• had snow – past, to show it has finished.

Idioms

• It gives us something to talk about
• “Isn’t it cold?” “Cold enough for you?” These are not really questions – they are examples of small talk, statements for making contact with people.

Discussion

Discuss the purpose of small talk. Find examples.