• Fires in Montana: A listening exercise with weather vocabulary

    Its hot here, in Whitefish, Montana where LOI is based. Much hotter than normal. Fires are burning in the forests and smoke is in the air. We’ve got an interesting listening exercise about natural disasters in the United States that will test your “weather language,'” which is important for small talk and opening a conversation with someone.

    First will start off with some vocabulary to prepare you for the video.

    Match the vocabulary words with the definition.

    1. Quake
    2. Drought
    3. Flood
    4. Forest-fire
    5. Crops
    6. Tornadoes
    7. Hail
    8. Prairie
    9. Remote
    10. Mother nature
    11. Mud

    A. soft and sticky wet matter mixed from earth and water.
    B. Pieces of frozen rain of varying sizes that fall during a storm.
    C. A large open area of grassland.
    D. Nature described as a powerful person or force.
    E. A long period of very little rainfall, creating a shortage of water.
    F. Comes from Earthquake when tectonic plates cause the earth to move.
    G. A large amount of water that causes damage, due to rain, snow, or rivers.
    H. A plant that is grown in large amounts for food.
    I. A fire that burns woods and mountainous areas.
    J. An adjective to describe far from population centers, cities, and towns.
    K. A storm of violently rotating winds in a circular motion.

    Ok, now watch the video below, and then answer the listening questions.

    Answer the questions below in comments, and we’ll respond.

    1. What do the government and insurance companies call a natural disaster?

    2. How much did the damage caused by natural disasters cost the United States?

    3. What is California’s biggest threat?

    4. What was the most notable ‘act of God’ in 2014 in the Northwest?

    5. What is the bigger threat to the Northwest?

    6. Why is it going to get worse in the Northwest?

    7. What is the natural disaster that is most common in Oklahoma and Kansas?

    8. Is it the wind that does the most property damage in a hurricane?

    9. Why does snowfall cost so much? (he names two things)

    10. What region is considered the ‘safest’ from natural disasters?

    What natural disasters happen in your country? What is the weather like there? Is it common to make small talk about the weather?

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