Reading: Storm chasing

1Read the blog and choose the correct answers. 

• 1What is the blog about?

  the weather in Tornado Alleyscientists' reports on tornadoesone man's hobby

• 2Storm chasers spend most of their time

  at home on the internet.in a truck or a car.in a shelter.

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

2Read the blog. Match the sentences to gaps 1–5 in the blog. There is one sentence that you do not need. 

MOVE
• He thinks there are some storms 150 km away.
• Basically, I follow storms.
• We're going home.
• The storm isn't here.
• The sky is black.
• We can see the tornado.

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²  So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³  There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds!

⁴  We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵  But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

3Read the blog. Are the sentences True or False? Underline the information in the blog that tells you which sentences are true. 

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. It's exciting! I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere!⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

• 1This is the writer's first trip as a storm chaser.TrueFalse

• 2Storm chasers are always scientists.TrueFalse

• 3Storm chasers watch weather reports on TV to find out where storms are.TrueFalse

• 4Storm chasers don't always see tornadoes when there is a storm.TrueFalse

• 5Sometimes storm chasers drive long distances.TrueFalse

• 6It isn't safe to stay in a truck when a tornado is coming.TrueFalse

4Match the highlighted words in the text to definitions 1–7. 

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

• 1(noun) objects people use to calculate and measure something

• 2(noun) small pieces of ice that come from the sky

• 3(adjective) angry, bored, frustrated

• 4(noun) a safe place

• 5(adjective) very big

• 6(adjective) covered with water

• 7(adjective) amazing; great

5Complete the sentences with the words in the box. 

MOVE
• instruments
• incredible
• flooded
• fed up
• hail
• huge

• 1It's raining a lot. We need to find a 

• shelter
.

• 2We're driving a   car. There are seven of us and all our bags!

• 3A pilot uses lots of   to fly a plane.

• 4The   is making holes in the grass.

• 5The children are  , because it's rainy and they can't play outside.

• 6The new film in the cinema is  . Go and see it!

• 7The bathroom is   after my brother's bath.

6  Study the advert. Would you like to go on a tornado tour? Write two or more reasons why you want to go and two or more reasons why you don't want to go. 

1.  Write your task in another program (e.g. Word).
2.  Save the file to your computer.
3.  Upload your file.
4.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
5.  Select Submit to Dropbox to send your work to your teacher.

1Read the blog and choose the correct answers. 

• 1What is the blog about?

  the weather in Tornado Alleyscientists' reports on tornadoesone man's hobby

• 2Storm chasers spend most of their time

  at home on the internet.in a truck or a car.in a shelter.

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

2Read the blog. Match the sentences to gaps 1–5 in the blog. There is one sentence that you do not need. 

• Basically, I follow storms.
• We're going home.
• He thinks there are some storms 150 km away.
• The sky is black.
• The storm isn't here.
• We can see the tornado.

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²He thinks there are some storms 150 km away. So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³The sky is black. There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds!

⁴The storm isn't here. We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵We can see the tornado. But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

3Read the blog. Are the sentences True or False? Underline the information in the blog that tells you which sentences are true. 

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. It's exciting! I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

• 1This is the writer's first trip as a storm chaser.TrueFalse

• 2Storm chasers are always scientists.TrueFalse

• 3Storm chasers watch weather reports on TV to find out where storms are.TrueFalse

• 4Storm chasers don't always see tornadoes when there is a storm.TrueFalse

• 5Sometimes storm chasers drive long distances.TrueFalse

• 6It isn't safe to stay in a truck when a tornado is coming.TrueFalse

4Match the highlighted words in the text to definitions 1–7. 

Subject: Storm chasing in Tornado Alley, Nebraska USA

Tornado Alley. Nebraska USA

Welcome to my blog. I'm a storm chaser. What does this mean? ¹Basically, I follow storms. I do it every spring − spring is tornado season! Some storm chasers are scientists. Others, like me, just like the adventure. We do it in our free time.

This month, I'm chasing storms with my friend, Joe. We don't see a tornado with every storm, but we often do!

Day 1

We're driving through Tornado Alley in the USA. We're starting our trip in Nebraska. We've got a computer, a video camera and instruments that tell us about the weather. Joe is looking at satellite weather reports on the internet. He uses information in the reports to calculate where the storm is starting.

Joe says we've got a long drive in our truck today. ²__________ So let's go!

Day 2

We're in the middle of an incredible storm! ³__________ There are a lot of clouds and it's very windy. The wind speed is 160 km per hour! It's raining. Driving is very dangerous at the moment because there's a lot of water on the roads. It's flooded in places. But there aren't any tornadoes!

Day 3

It's not a good day today. After a seven-hour drive, we're near Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there aren't any clouds! ⁴__________ We're tired and fed up! I'm looking at some satellite information. Joe and I are deciding where to drive tomorrow. There's a possible storm 200 km from here tomorrow. So, another long drive …

Day 4

This is it! The clouds are moving quickly. Now there's lots of hail – huge balls of hail are falling on the truck. It's really noisy and there's ice everywhere! ⁵__________ But we're driving away from it. It's too dangerous! We need to get out of our truck and find a shelter to stay in.

It's the end of the storm! But what a day! Fantastic! Time to sleep …

• 1(noun) objects people use to calculate and measure something

• 2(noun) small pieces of ice that come from the skyhail

• 3(adjective) angry, bored, frustratedfed up

• 4(noun) a safe placeshelter

• 5(adjective) very bighuge

• 6(adjective) covered with waterflooded

• 7(adjective) amazing; greatincredible

5Complete the sentences with the words in the box. 

• huge
• instruments
• hail
• fed up
• incredible
• flooded

• 1It's raining a lot. We need to find a 

• shelter
.

• 2We're driving a huge car. There are seven of us and all our bags!

• 3A pilot uses lots of instruments to fly a plane.

• 4The hail is making holes in the grass.

• 5The children are fed up, because it's rainy and they can't play outside.

• 6The new film in the cinema is incredible. Go and see it!

• 7The bathroom is flooded after my brother's bath.