Transcript
It might look like a scene from a Christmas card, but not for long. In the north-east of the US, hundreds of volunteers have joined the effort to clear the snow.
Many areas are bracing themselves for floods as temperatures begin to rise.
Several days of heavy snowfall have caused serious disruption in New York state.
In Michigan, this plane slid off the icy runway at Detroit Airport, shortly after landing.
Vocabulary
volunteers
people who work of their own free will, expecting no payment for their work
clear
(here) get out of the way, remove
bracing themselves
preparing themselves (for something unpleasant)
disruption
(here) interruption of daily activities like work and transport; disorder
slid
slipped, moved smoothly and quickly
To do
Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports. Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
volunteers / clear / bracing themselves / disruption / slid
1. Winds of more than 90mph have hit the Devon coast causing the closure of a railway station and train __________.
2. There have been huge landslides and parts of the road are still blocked. Rescue workers are struggling to __________ the blockages.
3. People on Australia’s north-west coast are __________ for the arrival of a tropical cyclone, with forecasters predicting winds of more than 170 km (106 miles) an hour.
4. A Delta Airlines jet has __________ off the end of the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US state of Georgia.
The plane was testing its brakes by accelerating on the runway and then attempting to stop.
5. In total 40 __________ are taking part in the Mali study – all of them are health workers who could be called upon to deal with Ebola should more cases appear in the country.
Answers
1. Winds of more than 90mph have hit the Devon coast causing the closure of a railway station and train disruption.
2. There have been huge landslides and parts of the road are still blocked. Rescue workers are struggling to clear the blockages.
3. People on Australia’s north-west coast are bracing themselves for the arrival of a tropical cyclone, with forecasters predicting winds of more than 170 km (106 miles) an hour.
4. A Delta Airlines jet has slid off the end of the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US state of Georgia.
The plane was testing its brakes by accelerating on the runway and then attempting to stop
5. In total 40 volunteers are taking part in the Mali study – all of them are health workers who could be called upon to deal with Ebola should more cases appear in the country.