Winter is between autumn and spring, and is the coldest season. In northern parts of the world it starts in December and finishes in March, and in southern parts of the world it begins in June and
ends in August. Some countries use the temperature to decide when springs begins and winter
ends.
The name winter comes from an old German word which means 'time of water', because of the
rain and snow that falls in northern areas. When there is enough snow, many people go skiing,
snowboarding or sledding. Ice skating is also popular.
Animals either travel to a warmer place in the winter, or sleep until the weather gets warmer. If
Ley don't sleep and stay outside, their fur gets thicker and keeps them warm.
The lowest temperature in the United States was in Alaska on January the 3rd 1971, when the
temperature went down to -62°c. In December 2017 and January 2018, there were also very cold
temperatures in the US. Scientists think that winter weather is getting worse, maybe because of
climate change, and that people should prepare for more extreme winters.
Sources: Wikipedia, Live Science, Time and date. com
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
1-Read the text again, and answer the following questions.
1-Guess the meaning of the words in bold through the context clue.
2-What do some countries use instead of a calendar to show the end of winter?
ID
3-Why is winter called the time of water'?
4-What sports do people do in winter?