CROSSROADS Language StudioÊs Newsletter August,August , 2023
Hurricanes and typhoons are very often supermassive structures that can only be seen in
their entirety when viewed from outer space.
The global temperatures are going up, there’s
no question about it, and we can bear witness tothis change almost on a daily basis, when theworld news constantly reports on wildfires,droughts and flooding in all corners of the globe.
This year, a weather phenomenon called El
Niño is responsible for an increased number andseverity of storms, born in the tropical regions of
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

These storms are called cyclones if they form
in a southern hemisphere, and are further
identified as hurricanes (formed in the Atlantic)
Ellaor typhoons (formed over the Pacific), bothoriginating in the northern hemisphere. On theother hand, storms that form exclusively on land
areJaniscalled tornadoes, and these have their own
set of characteristics to identify them by.
Tornadoes take theshape of a single thinfunnel of spinning air,often completely invisible
until they begin pickingup debris from the land
and water condensation.
Their lifespan is relatively
short, counted in minutes,
and rarely cause hugeamounts of destruction in
their path. They are often,
however, a part of muchbigger storm system, withtornadoes forming anddying off multiple times.

Frequently spanning a thousand kilometresin diameter, they move slowly for many days
over the oceans, gaining momentum, and when
they make a “landfall”, they are capable ofcausing immeasurable damage. Heavy rainscause floods, and winds of over 74 mph uproot
trees, destroy electrical infrastructure and ripbuildings to pieces.
As the air becomes warmer, it can hold morewater and that translates to not only more
frequent but also more powerful storms.
Anotherinterestingobservation,that
researchers have noticed is that hurricanes andtyphoons transform from weak to strong storms
much faster than before and travel further
inland carrying more rainfall.
Unfortunately, global warming will continue
to get worse for the next 3-4 decades and theonly thing we can do is to adapt to these new
climatic conditions. Better warning systems
and evacuation procedures will surely prevent
disruption of life and potential death tolls
resulting from severe weather effects.

Article by Marek

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
For more info on this subject, go to:https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cyclones-arcticintensefrequent-climate

Joshua Says: It’s strange how things happen in cycles. Recently I ran into a
few of our (very) old students at various places around town. Three inparticular go back to our first location some 30 or more years ago! We lost all
contact with them during that time and running into all three within a weekor two was surprising to say the least. And we are also starting to see some ofour pre-corona students coming back. Good news all round!
Junko Says: Language acquisition can be as natural for adults as it is for children. A
child’s way of acquiring language is realistic and quick. The concept of “comprehensibleinput” encourages understanding naturally without the use of translations andgrammar. When we understand the content, we acquire language easily. We have astock of short stories with illustrations in our library to support this idea. Please feel free
to borrow them. Using this kind of material at home between lessons can help you.
Marek Says: We are currently in the El Niño phase, which means the averagetemperature in the Eastern Atlantic is higher by at least 0.5C. This means thatthe global weather will be disrupted and many parts of the world will experience
more storms and more rainfall, but also drier conditions in some regions thattypically get wetter weather. This event lasts around 9-12 months and is usually,
but not always, followed by a reverse phenomenon, called La Niña.
Mandcy dit Avez-vous passé un bon été? Et oui, c'est bientôt la rentrée. En France,cest le moment le plus important de toute l'année. Fini les rediffusions interminables
des séries des années 70, C'est non seulement la rentrée scolaire des enfants, mais aussi
la rentrée des programmes télévisés, radiophoniques et internet, c'est aussi la rentrée
politique, les politiciens vont reprendre les débats. Et enfin, c'est aussi notre rentrée ànous les travailleurs, sniff sniff. Mais cette année est très particulière car c'est lapremière fois qu'il fait 40°C en septembre. A vos maillots de bain et bonne rentrée !!!
ACROSS
2 displacement.
discontinuity, disorder
7 atmospheric moisture
12 regular and often,
13 impossible to calculate
14 remaining after being destroyed
17 extremely negative
9
10
18 total, complete12
19 not often
20 covering a large areaDOWN
1 a forward driving force
3 remove or destroy completely
4 change to suit a new purpose
5 without variation
6 many, numerous
8 only, without others
9 change the nature orappearance of something
19
10 half of the globe
11 a remarkable development
15 convey and support as fact
16 revolving quickly on an axis
(print version here)

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Here’s another look at idioms. This time involving clothing. See if you
can complete each idiom with an item of clothing from the list below.
The boss told Ronald that he’d soon be out of a job if he didn’t
pull his ______ up. (try harder)
Janette looked worried for Ronald when she heard about thisand said she would hate to be in his ______ right now.
(exchanging places with someone)
I met Ronald a little while later and he looked really hot underthe ______. (angry)
He said he had told the boss to keep his ______ on! This made the boss even angrier.
(don’t get angry or excited)
The boss said he was serious and if Ronald didn’t ______ down and do his job properly,
he’d ______ him out of the company! (try harder and fire him)
Ronald insisted he was a hard worker and said he felt that the boss was hitting below
the _____, by complaining like that. (not being fair)
But after a few minutes talking with me, he began to smile.
This made me curious and so I asked him what he had up his ______. (what’s thesecret, what are you hiding)“Oh, it’s OK,” he said. “The boss is just in a bad mood today. I’m not going to get my_____ in a twist over it”. (get angry or excited over some trivial matter)shoes – collar -- hat – belt –socks – buckle – knickers – boot –sleeve
OPSTBLGIUIRC O M P L E M E N T A R YUKMIEMIC O N V E R T E DXPNLPH U F F I N G
E X P E L L E DFACLFSC A P A C I T Y
ITRNC O N S E R V A T I O NAGOLSM
G R O S S L YSEHTUI M P L YEEMYD I S S U A D E

Last Month’s Puzzle SolutionACROSS
5 matching, going together well
7 changed from one state toanother10 blowing hard and loudly
12 forced to leave
13 amount that can be contained
14 unchanged, maintained
16 repellently disgusting
18 express indirectly
19 turn away fromDOWN
1 best, most favorable
2 taking off weight
3 large in mass
4 small part of a substance
6 force to leave
8 solutions that conductelectricity
9 forcefully exhaling
11 go without food
14 pleasing to look at
15 suppose, guess
17 to remove

Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.