The Reading / Listening - Cold Air - Level 4

We learn that warm air rises and cool air sinks. This is basic science. A new study found circumstances in which cool air rises in tropical areas. Cold air rises because of the lightness of water vapour. In humid climates, water particles become lighter and help cool air rise. A researcher said: "Water vapour has a buoyancy effect which helps release the heat of the atmosphere to space and reduce the degree of warming."

Scientists say humid air is lighter than dry air at the same temperature. Cooler air with water droplets rises to make clouds and storms. Rain cools tropical areas. More research is needed to find out how rising cool air affects global warming. A researcher said: "Now that we understand how the lightness of water regulates tropical climate, we plan to study whether global climate models accurately represent this effect."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cold Air - Level 5 or  Cold Air - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200506162159.htm
  • https://phys.org/news/2020-05-cold-air-riseswhat-earth-climate.html
  • https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/19/eaba1951


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. warm air rises and cool
  2. circumstances in which cool air
  3. the lightness of water
  4. water
  5. become lighter and help
  6. Water vapour has a buoyancy
  7. release the heat of
  8. reduce the degree
  1. particles
  2. the atmosphere
  3. air sinks
  4. of warming
  5. rises
  6. cool air rise
  7. effect
  8. vapour

Paragraph 2

  1. humid air is lighter
  2. at the same
  3. water
  4. Rain cools tropical
  5. Now that we
  6. the lightness of water
  7. global climate
  8. accurately represent this
  1. areas
  2. effect
  3. temperature
  4. regulates tropical climate
  5. models
  6. than dry air
  7. understand how
  8. droplets

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

We (1) ___________________ air rises and cool air sinks. This (2) ___________________. A new study found circumstances in which cool air (3) ___________________ areas. Cold air rises because of the lightness of water vapour. In humid climates, water (4) ___________________ and help cool air rise. A researcher said: "Water vapour has (5) ___________________ which helps release the heat of the atmosphere to space and reduce the (6) ___________________."

Scientists say humid (7) ___________________ than dry air at the same temperature. Cooler air with water (8) ___________________ make clouds and storms. Rain (9) ___________________. More research is needed to find out how (10) ___________________ affects global warming. A researcher said: "Now that we understand how the (11) ___________________ regulates tropical climate, we plan to study whether global climate models accurately (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Welearnthatwarmairrisesandcoolairsinks.Thisisbasicscience.Anews
tudyfoundcircumstancesinwhichcoolairrisesintropicalareas.Coldairr
isesbecauseofthelightnessofwatervapour.Inhumidclimates,waterp
articlesbecomelighterandhelpcoolairrise.Aresearchersaid:"Waterva
pourhasabuoyancyeffectwhichhelpsreleasetheheatoftheatmospher
etospaceandreducethedegreeofwarming."Scientistssayhumidairisli
ghterthandryairatthesametemperature.Coolerairwithwaterdroplets
risestomakecloudsandstorms.Raincoolstropicalareas.Moreresearch
isneededtofindouthowrisingcoolairaffectsglobalwarming.Aresearch
ersaid:"Nowthatweunderstandhowthelightnessofwaterregulatestro
picalclimate,weplantostudywhetherglobalclimatemodelsaccurately
representthiseffect."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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