Weather and Climate
The Earth is getting warmer, and the weather is getting more extreme. There are more natural disasters³, terrible fires, storms and hurricanes. Many areas are getting very dry. 2010-2020 was the hottest decade documented in human history. July 2019 was the hottest month ever documented. Deadly heat waves⁴ killed hundreds in Western Europe. There were terrible fires in Australia in winter.
Arctic regions have lost a lot of ice, Greenland has lost its first glacier⁵. Ships use new routes in the Arctic Sea that they could never use before. Coral reefs are dying and many animal species have become extinct.

Plastic Pollution
In 2018 people realized that plastic is a huge problem. Ten million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Plastic is everywhere – in the water, in the soil, in animals, and in our food. Experts believe there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.

Positive Changes
It sounds very bad. But there is still hope. Greta Thunberg and other activists have started a real eco revolution. Millions of people have started to fight for ecology. ‘Climate strike’ became the Word of the Year for 2019 in the Collins Dictionary. Young inventors⁶ are working on technologies that clean the oceans. Fewer people are extremely poor and fewer children die each year in the world. It’s up to us all to help our planet. The race⁷ to save the Earth (and us) has just begun.

Do you celebrate Earth Day?
How do you participate in Earth Day activities?

1[hæz čeindžd fə ðə wəːs] – zmenilo sa k horšiemu/ změnilo se k horšímu;
2[ˈdekeid] – desaťročie/ desítiletí;
3[ˈnæčərəl diˈzaːstəs] – prírodné pohromy/ přírodní pohromy;
4[ˈdedli ˈhiːtˌweivs] – smrtiace horúčavy/ smrtící vlny veder;
5[ˈɡlæsiə] – ľadovec v horách/ ledovec na horách;
6[inˈventəs] – vynálezcovia/ vynálezci;
7[reis] – preteky/ závody

Who Was He?

Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers and most famous Britons of all time. His name, the phrase ‘To be or not to be’ or the name ‘Hamlet’ are known to millions of people. We do not know much about William’s life.
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon but we don’t know the exact date. We just know that he was baptized³ on 26 April 1564, which is really interesting because William died on 23 April 1616.
William was one of eight children. We don’t know much about his early years, but he probably had good schooling and spent a lot of time outdoors.

In 1582, William married Anne Hathaway and had three kids. Ten years later William appeared in London and started his career as an actor and playwright⁴. He had a tough time because many other writers were very jealous⁵. His theatre company was called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. They performed at the Globe Theatre. William’s plays were big hits and made him famous and rich.
Queen Elizabeth I and King James were big fans of his. William spent his last years back in Stratford-upon-Avon where he died.

What Was the Theatre Like?

In Shakespeare’s times, the theatre was much different from modern theatres.The Globe was a large, open- air⁶ theatre where the poor had to stand on the floor, rain or shine. The rich could sit in covered galleries in comfy seats. All actors were men.
The audience could shout and throw things at actors they didn’t like.
The theatre used special effects such as fire and smoke, trap doors⁷ or cannons. Actors were somtimes lifted up in the air on wires⁸. A replica Globe was opened in London in 1997.

Vocabulary: 1[fəˈɡet it] – kašli na to/ pusť to z hlavy; 2[ba:d of ˈeivən] – Bard z Avonu; 3[bæpˈtaizd] – pokrstený/ pokřtěný; 4[ˈpleirait] – dramatik; 5[ˈdželəs] – žiarlivý/ žárlivý; 6[ˈəupən eə] – pod holým nebom/ pod širým nebem; 7[træp do:s] – padacie dvere/ padací dveře; 8[waiəs] – drôty/ dráty

      Here is a word search where you can find some words, which are connected with your summer holidays. First, use your dictionary and write the translation of these words. Then look for these words in the word search.

Look at the following picture and answer the questions. Colour the picture.

1. How many ice creams are in the picture?________________________
2. How many boys are in the picture?_____________________________
3. How many boys are in the picture?_____________________________
4. How many butterflies are in the picture?_____________________________
5. How many fish are in the picture?___________________________________
6. How many pineapples are in the picture?_____________________________

Fill the following questionnaire about you. Then ask your classmates about travelling and write the information in the columns.

July Fourth – it’s Independence Day!

The 4th of July is America’s birthday and the day Americans celebrate their independence from Great Britain. This is the day when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and is known as Independence Day. This year, the United States of America is going to be 244 years old!

Independence Day was first celebrated in 1777. Nowadays, on the birthday of the USA, families have picnics or barbecues, people join concerts and parades, and many baseball games are played. Decorations are usually coloured red, white, and blue, which are the colours of the American flag. Every year New York City has the largest fireworks display in the country, when over 22 tons of explosives are put into action.

On Independence Day, Americans eat traditional American food. Some favourite American foods are hot dogs, pizza and hamburgers. Americans eat 155 million hot dogs on Independence Day! Have a great summer!
Oliver

What happens in summer?
Summer is a busy time.
Most animals have babies.
They look for food and teach their young.
It’s the time that people go on holiday and travel the world.
Summer is very colourful because there are flowers everywhere.
The trees are green.
Summer is full of life and it’s a great time for outdoor adventures¹.
We must be careful² because there are also storms in summer.

Why we love summer
Many people love the summer season best of all.
• We spend much more time outdoors and are more active.
• Summer time is picnic time. We can sit on the grass and have fun with friends. Barbecues³ are fine, too. And ice cream!
• It’s time to do sports. Get your bike, inline skates, and skateboard ready.
• It’s light in the evenings so party time is here.
• Fruits! Strawberries, cherries, blueberries,⁴ and other berries are yummy.
• Flowers and fireflies⁵ are magical.
• Swimming and splashing around⁶ is what we all love.
• We wear light clothes and sandals. No more winter coats!
• It’s time for holidays because there’s NO SCHOOL.

What’s the weather like in summer?
Read the definitions. Unscramble the words and complete the sentences.
boiling hot – very hot
sunny day – it is warm and bright and there are no clouds
warm – a little hot
a heat wave⁷ – a period of extremely hot weather
clear up⁸ – brighten up usually after rain

1. I hope it will EARLC PU ……. soon. We’re going on a picnic this afternoon.
2. We hope to have a NUSNY AYD ………… when we go to the beach.
3. It’s cooler now since the TAHE AVEW … ………… ended last week.
4. It’s BINGOIL THO ……………………; let’s jump into the pool!
5. What lovely weather! We’re getting so much UNSHINSE ……… .
6. Wear a T-shirt. It’s RMAW ……………… outside.

What’s in my suitcase?
Match the suitcases to each name.

VOCABULARY: 1[ˈautˌdoːr ədˈvenčərs] – dobrodružstvá vonku/ venkovní dobrodružství; 2[bi: ˈkeəfəl] – dávať si pozor/ dávat si pozor; 3[ˈbaːbikjuːs] – opekanie na ražni/ grilování na rožni; 4[ˈstroːbəris, ˈčeris, ˈbluːˌbəris] – jahody, čerešne, čučoriedky/ jahody, třešně, borůvky; 5[ˈfaiəflais] – svätojánske mušky/ světlušky; 6[splæšiŋ əˈraund] – pľačkať sa/ čvachtat se; 7[hiːt weiv] – vlna horúčav/ vlna veder; 8[kli:ə ap] – vyjasniť sa/ vyjasnit se

Are you feeling shockedamused² or bored^{3 ?}

Smiley Facts About Emoji
• The plural of emoji is emoji (not emojis!)
• Last year, 158 new emoji were added⁴.
• Emoji is the latest trend in tattoos⁵.
• The most popular emoji in many countries is the face with tears of joy.
• It was named Word of the Year by Oxford dictionaries.
• The dab emoji is very popular, too.
• There are apps which will turn your selfie into an emoji⁶.
• World Emoji Day is celebrated on 17 July.
• A whole book – Herman Melville’s Moby Dick – was translated into emoji.

Activity: Emoji Your English!
Which emoji will you choose for these texts? Reply with your own emoji.

Jana Chrtianska

VOCABULARY: 1[ðə faːstist ˈɡrəuiŋ ˈlæŋɡwidž] – najrýchlejšie rastúci jazyk/ nejrychleji rostoucí jazyk; 2[əˈmjuːzd] – pobavený;
3[boːd] – znudený/ unuděný; 4[wəː ædid] – boli pridané/ byli přidány; 5[ðə ˈleitist trend in tætˈuːs] – najnovšie trendy v tetovaní/ nejnovější trendy v tetování; 6[təːn jo ˈselfi ˈintuː iˈməudži] – zmení tvoju selfie na emoji/ změní selfie na emoji

1 June

Are you ready to celebrate your holiday? What do you usually do and eat? Here’s a tip for you. Prepare your own owl sandwiches for your party. You’ll need bread, butter, and ham for the owl’s body, cheese or cucumber slices for the wings, and a sliced carrot for the beak. Hard-boiled eggs, olives, or blueberries will make great owl’s eyes. Any other tips what other food you could use?

Flag Day

14 June

Flag Day is celebrated in the USA. It honours the U.S. flag. The flag is called the ‚Stars and Stripes‘ and it’s clear why. There are 50 stars representing 50 U.S. states and 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies. On Flag Day, many Americans fly the U.S. flag outside their homes. Some cities hold Flag Day parades.

Midsummer’s Night

24 June

All across Europe, people used to celebrate the middle of summer. It was (and still is) celebrated on St. John’s Day or the evening before. People had bonfires to celebrate the Sun. People believed that it was the day of witches, fairies, and dancing, and that herbs picked on this night were more powerful. Girls picked flowers to see their future husband. Are there bonfires in your town on this day?

Jana Chrtianska

Prom is short in English for the word ‘promenade’ — a noun that means to show yourself in a public place, to meet or be seen by others — American high school proms are just that: an occasion to get dressed up, socialize with your best friends and dance the night away.

Prom was born in the United States more than 100 years ago, and has spread to other parts of the world. In America, it has become an industry similar to the wedding business. 

Prom Preparations

During the year, an elected prom committee meets up to discuss what the prom will be like. Students discuss the theme, the venue, the music, DJs, and security. Some committees raise money for the prom by having auctions or talent shows. Tickets cost around USD 50 per couple and around USD 100 if you want dinner. Girls plan what they’re going to wear months before, and can spend hundreds of dollars on hairdressers, shoes, and make-up. Guys usually buy tuxedos, or rent them.

Read the facts about American proms. What do you think?

Many schools have a band, a DJ and a restaurant.

You can´t wear jeans and trainers to the prom.

The girls must wear ball gowns.

The boys must wear a tuxedo.

Students must pay for the ticket.

The boys must give flowers to the girls!

Some students go to the prom in a limousine!

Project

Imagine you are going to have a party to celebrate the end of the school year with a prom. Design prom tickets with all the details of your prom including times and dates, the theme, dress code etc.

Matilda Blahová

To Take a Break
You might like going to school. You might even love it. Still, we all need a break sometimes. Summer is a perfect time to take a rest and have fun. When we take a holiday, we relax and get new ideas. Our minds relax too and when school begins again, we have much more energy to study.

To Spend Time With Family and Friends
We are so busy during the school year that we don’t have time enough just to hang out with friends or chat with our brothers and sisters. We can also travel to other towns to visit grandparents. Family holidays are fun when you’re with your cousins.

To Be Healthy
In summer we have more time to get outdoors, ride a bike, or go swimming. We get our dose of vitamins C and D when we go out and eat fresh fruit. We do sports so we keep fit.

P.S.: You can get all benefits from any holiday – at the seaside, in the mountains, or at home.

What other reasons are there? Discuss in class.

Jana Chrtianska

Llechwedd Caverns Trampoline Park, Wales

Do you like jumping on trampolines? If so, you might like a trampoline park. And if you also like underground spaces, such as caves and mines, this park is the place for you. Deep under the mountains of Snowdonia, Wales, lie slate mines which are full of caverns the size of a cathedral, and a system of tunnels. Thousands of miners called this home in the past. Today, visitors can take an excursion and, what’s more, have a lot of fun. The caverns have been made into an underground adrenaline trampoline park where you can bounce some 60 m above the ground. To move between the trampolines you can take zipline rides, crawl through a tunnel, take a slide or a spiral staircase. Would you like to try it?

Anna 5/5 It was absolute fun. I took my teen sons there and they had the time of their lives. The only problem was with my feet – I was wearing flip flops. A very bad idea for a cavern where it’s cold and wet.

Omar 2/5 Well, it sounds cool on the internet but actually, it was dark, wet and there were no toilets. It was also crowded and expensive! But my kids had fun.

Longleat Hedge Maze, England

If you like getting lost, you should visit the world’s longest maze. It’s made up of 16,000 English yew trees. It’s nearly 2 miles long and is full of dead ends. The point is to find the way to the tower in the middle and the way out, of course. It is fun to go down the paths and get lost for an hour or two. The maze is built in the garden of a historic castle. Its owner loves mazes so there are four more on the grounds. The coolest is probably the underground mirror labyrinth. There’s a safari park with wild animals, too.

Sasha 4/5 We had a fantastic time. We took a drive around the safari park safari and the park ranger was funny. We also went to the maze. A great day for the whole family.

Mike 3/5 They let too many people in, so it was crowded. There were too many cars and the monkeys got a cough from car fumes. The maze was great, though.

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida

This water park is a must for everybody who loves mermaids. It lies around a spring in the short and fast Weeki Wachee River. This is the place where you can see the famous underwater mermaid shows and live mermaids. The theatre was built about 7 m below the water’s surface. ‘Mermaids’ have been performing for more than 60 years in the natural spring’s clear water. They perform Andersen’s classic story of The Little Mermaid, dance to the music, even eat and drink. The water park has lots of other attractions too.

Stephanie 5/5 My daughters love mermaids so they were absolutely happy there. The show was great. Their breathing techniques are fantastic.

Paul 2/5 I loved all the water attractions but I’m not into mermaids so I was bored at the show. My little sister was excited, though.

Discuss

• What are the best fun places in your countries? Have you visited them?
• Which attractions in the world would you like to visit? Why?
• Would crowds of people prevent you from going?

Jana Chrtianska