The Climate of Ukraine

The geographical location of Ukraine determines its climate. In general the country’s climate is continental, and only on the southern coast of the Crimea it is subtropical.

Many factors: the latitude, relief, altitude and proximity to seas and oceans cause the differences in climate. The climate varies not only from the north to the south, but also from the north-west to the south-east as the warm damp air moves from the north-west Atlantic and becomes drier.

A feature of Ukraine’s climate is the fluctuation in weather conditions from year to year. Besides very wet years there are droughts, frequent oscillations in weather of the Crimean and Carpathian mountains.

The average yearly temperature in Ukraine is +5*C - +7*C in the north, and +11*C - +13*C in the south. The coldest month is January, and the warmest month is July.

Precipitation ranges from about 76 cm a year in the north to about 23 cm in the south.

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Read and translate the text and say what influence weather has on you?

Weather and mood

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, observed in the 4^th century BC that “whoever wishes to pursue the science of medicine must first investigate the seasons of the year and what occurs in them.”

People who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) are depressed, predisposed to over-eat and need a great deal of sleep. The disorder is linked directly to the amount of light traveling through the optic nerve. The acronym first hit the headlines in the early ‘80s. Many SAD sufferers have been successfully treated using light therapy.

Countries in the higher altitudes (including Sweden, Finland, Alaska, Iceland) often suffer psychological problems through lack of sunlight, with high rates of suicide, depression and alcoholism. The inhabitants of the world’s most northerly city - Tromso, Norway - have to endure two months in darkness. The result is bio-rhythmic confusion: many people can’t sleep, feel as if they have jet lag, put on weight.

Local winds such as le Mistral can have effect on mood. Le Mistral is a strong, dry, cold wind that blows through the Rhone Valley and the South of France to the Mediterranean. Symptoms include tiredness, headaches, insomnia, and bad temper.

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Read the text, translate it and discuss.

Weather wisdom

Some people watch ants for weather clues. Anytime you see ants industriously building huge mounds around their holes – prepare for rain. About two hours before a downpour, all kinds of ants – but especially large black and red ants – will break up their caravans, scurry into their nests, and begin building dams around the ant hill. These mounds, which are sometimes several inches in height, prevent rainwater from running into the ant hills.

Bees give weather clues, too. They are usually active several hours before it starts raining, but as the humidity increases, they return to their hives. Some American Indians say that the longer the increased activity lasts, the longer the rain will be.

Other insects are also good humidity indicators. Butterflies usually flit from flower to flower all day long. When they suddenly disappear and hide on tree trunks or on the underside of leaves, they are seeking shelter to protect their fragile wings from hard rain.

Fireflies fly very low when there is high relative humidity. But an old saying states: When fireflies are about in large numbers, the weather will be fair for the next three days.

And if you hear lots of locusts singing, you can be sure the air is dry, because locusts sing only when it is hot and dry.

Plants are also handy humidity indicators. They are affected in different ways. Just before a rain many flowers such as daisies, dandelions and tulips close their blossoms, and clover plants draw their leaves together. It is believed that the absorption of moisture from the air causes a change in the leaf stalk, making the leaves turn over. It may be that the rough underside of the leaf can absorb rain better than the smooth topside.

Animals are good at predicting the weather. Frogs croak when the air pressure rises. Before rain, ants move to higher ground and sheep’s wool uncurls.

Almost everyone knows what humidity does to hair. Curly hair gets curlier and straight hair gets limp. The reason is that hair absorbs moisture from the damp air. Straight hair actually gets longer. A Swiss geologist used this fact to invent the first hydrometer. In 1783 Horace Benedict de Saussure fastened some human hair to a needle. The hair expanded when the air was moist and contracted when the air was dry, moving the needle across a numbered scale. His instrument is called a hair hydrometer and is still used by meteorologists.

Some people are very sensitive to humidity. People who have arthritis are, in a sense, “living hydrometers”. High humidity causes the fluids in their tissues and joints to increase, making movement difficult and painful. That is why many older people say: “It’s going to rain. I can feel it by my bones”. They actually can.

By learning to read weather signs, you can get a few hours advance warning if a storm is in the air. It may keep you from getting your new shoes ruined in the rain, from having a family picnic spoiled, or your garden beaten down by a storm. If you are backpacking, camping, boating, or doing similar outdoor activities it might even save your life.

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Fill in the gaps with the information from the text.

1. Such insects as _________________________________ give weather clues.

2. Ants build their huge mounds around their ____________.

3. ____________ prevent ___________ from running into a(n) ____________.

4. If bees are active, ____________ increases.

5. Bees return to their ____________.

6. Insects and plants are good ____________ indicators.

7. Butterflies ____________ from flower to ____________ and hide on the tree ____________ or on the ____________ of leaves.

8. Butterflies seek shelter to protect their ____________ wings from a hard rain.

9. When there is a high relative humidity, ____________ fly low.

10. Locusts sing when it is ____________ and ____________.

11. Frogs ____________ when the air ____________ rises.

12. Sheep’s wool ____________ before rain.

13. Such flowers as ___________________________ close their ____________.

14. ____________ plants draw their leaves together.

15. The absorption of ____________ from the air causes a change in the leaf ____________.

16. The ____________ of the leaf absorbs rain better than the ____________.

17. Curly hair gets ____________, straight hair gets ____________.

18. Hair ____________ moisture from the ____________ air.

19. The hair expanded when the air was ____________, and ____________ when the air was dry.

20. High humidity causes the ____________ in the tissues and ____________ to increase.

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Complete the sentences.

1. If ants ………………………………………………….., prepare for rain.

2. If red ants ……………………………………..……….., prepare for rain.

3. If bees ………………………………………………….., prepare for rain.

4. If butterflies …………………………………………….., prepare for rain.

5. If fireflies ……………………………………………….., prepare for rain.

6. If locusts ……………………………..…………..…….., prepare for rain.

7. If frogs ………………………………………...……….., prepare for rain.

8. If sheep’s wool ………………………………..……….., prepare for rain.

9. If daisies and dandelions ……………………………….., prepare for rain.

10. If clover plants ……………………………..…………., prepare for rain.

11. If leaves ……………………………………...….…….., prepare for rain.

12. If curly hair ……………………………………...…….., prepare for rain.

13. If straight hair ………………………………………….., prepare for rain.

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What kind of weather is it or is going to be, when:

1. Large black and red ants break up their caravans, scurry to their nests and build dams around the anthill.

2. Ants build huge mounds.

3. Bees are active.

4. Bees return to their hives.

5. Bees remain active very long.

6. Butterflies flit from flower to flower all day long.

7. Butterflies disappear, seeking shelter.

8. Fireflies are about in large numbers.

9. Locusts sing.

10. Flowers close blossoms and draw leaves together.

11. Hair gets curly or limp.

12. It’s painful for old people to move.

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Translate into English.