BI Crema
Postato il: 23/06/17
Tempo di lettura: 2 minuti, 12 secondi
Level: B1+
Heatwave? Sunburn!
Gone from the lips of Brits are boring words like clouds, rain and sun. Oh no! These are the first weather words we learn, but you won’t hear anyone in Britain saying them this summer! Even umbrellas are obsolete. How would the Roald Dahl’s Umbrella Man survive in this case ?
Something unusual and extremely exciting is happening in Britain this year. Yes, you guessed it - a heatwave! Scorching temperatures of around 32°C have hit the island. Vitamin-D deficient Brits are rushing outdoors to soak up the rays but rather than gaining a glowing tan, often end up with patchy sunburn. It’s fast becoming the land of walking lobsters! In fact, a recent report in a newspaper said 75% of Brits don’t understand the difference between UVA rays and UVB rays so that would explain why.
Chatting about the weather remains popular. It’s a must, just like the daily cuppa* and is perfect to break the ice with someone you don’t know - at a party, at the bus stop, or even in the dentist’s waiting room (distracts you from the sound of the dentist’s drill in the other room!). The only thing that’s different is the language and a modern-day chat at the bus stop might go something like this:
A: It’s another gorgeous day, isn’t it?
B: Mmm, lovely. But I got terribly sunburnt the other day!
A: Oh dear. How did you manage that?
B: So, it was at the park down the road where I went on my lunchbreak. After about ten minutes I felt boiling sitting in the sun so I moved to the shade of a lovely oak tree. Gorgeous it was. I almost fell asleep. Anyway, I thought I was ok, but when I went back to work my colleagues just burst out laughing when they saw me. My face was as red as a beetroot! I had to stop at the chemists on the way home to buy some after-sun lotion. When I got home I spread it all over the red bits and couldn’t sleep it was so painful!
B: I bet it was! I’ve got a really good sun cream….….
The only problem is that by the time people gets heatwave savvy, you can be sure things will switch back to the more traditional summer pattern: clouds, sun, rain - four seasons in one day!
*a cup of tea
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