SEASONS 1

   The most pleasant season in Europe is the spring, from March till June. In May the weather is fine. The trees put forth little buds, the meadows grow green; the flowers begin to bloom. There are no sharp frosts during the night. The nightingale, swallow, cuckoo, and other birds come back from Africa, build their nests, lay and hatch their eggs and rear their young ones. The new crop is shooting (up). Nature looks full of promise.

   By the end of June the weather becomes considerably warmer: summer has come. Sometimes it is very close, and the heat is almost unbearable; then a thunderstorm usually brings relief. Dark clouds gather in the sky; it lightens and thunders, and the rain falls shortly after. A heavy downpour or a hailstorm makes the air cool down very quickly.

   When the heat gets too oppressive and people can no longer bear it, they go bathing and swimming.

   In summer cherries, apricots, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, currants, blackberries, and other fruits ripe.

 In September autumn begins. The weather is cooler than in summer, and the leaves change colour and fall off. Apples and pears are now ripe. Most birds go away to warmer countries; only the sparrow and a few others remain.

   November is the month of fogs. A London fog – " as thick as pea-soup”, or even at times quite black – is a thing to be remembered. When it comes on the street-lamps must be lighted. Fog-signals are heard on the Thames and the railways, and the trains are late.

   Winter is the season of snowstorms and of ice. During the winter there is a lot of rain in England but little snow. The British Isles being surrounded by the Ocean, and washed by the warm Gulf Stream, have a more equable climate than Central Europe.

SEASONS 2

   Spring is the liveliest season of the year. But not from the very beginning.

   People suffer a great deal from bad weather in early spring. That is why in England they call the first spring month " windy and blustery March”.

   There are two English sayings characterizing March as a cold and unpleasant month: "March comes in like the lion and goes out like the lamb” and "Never cast a clout till March be out”.

   It is April that brings in fine weather and people call it "the sweet month”. It brings the lengthening of the days – the translucent quality of the light at dusk, the gusty, showery winds. "April showers bring May flowers,” they say. The air is rich with a fragrance of young grass and the breath of the early spring flowers foremost among them "the herald of spring – the snowdrop”.

   Dickens called summer the prime and vigour of the year. Summer is a luxuriant season: the larks send their thrilling songs from the blue sky; the robins fill the forests with their voices. The meadows are fragrant with hosts of wild flowers such as bluebells, buttercups, poppies, daffodils and daisies.

   The air rings with the shrill sounds produced by insects. Everywhere dragonflies, bees and bumblebees dart with a buzzing sound; beetles and furry caterpillars hasten to and fro about their business, gnats and butterflies fly in hosts. Autumn is dear to man due to its mellow fruitfulness. All fruit are filled with ripeness to the core. The mossy cottage-trees bend with apples, pears and plums. The vine is heavy with grapes. The watermelons, pumpkins and cucumbers swell on their beds. And in the woods the hazel shells are plump with sweet kernels. Autumn is a maturing season.

   Autumn is a season full of significance for man. His efforts are never in vain. Nature will always kindly and generously reward man for his exertions.

   After the pleasant time of harvesting the picture changes – in comes the late autumn with its rains, gusts of wind, grey cloudy skies and mists. The roads are muddy, there are pools everywhere. The flowers begin to wither, the trees shed their leaves. Here and there one can see a solitary vine clinging to the mouldering wall. But at every gust the dead leaves fall. The days are dark and dreary.

   Both sides of autumn – the merry harvesting time and the dreary rainy time – have always attracted poets, painters, and composers. After autumn comes winter.

   Winter is a season of black and white. The colours are washed away from the trees leaving the naked branches black while snow is covering the earth.

   Winter is a season of black and white. The colours are frozen. The snow covers the fences and hedges so that they no longer mark the road over the plain. The clouds are grey like ashes. The red sun flashes through the grey clouds on the windows and they glimmer red.

   But the pictures of winter are not always gloomy and dreary. The sun in winter can shine from a clear blue sky and the snow sparkles then under it like jewels.

   Winter sports are magnificent: skating, skiing, tobogganing are the favourite winter sports of young people.

   Winter is not the same everywhere of course. In Siberia for instance and North Canada winter is snowy, severe, cold and long lasting. The temperature falls as low as 50-60 Centigrade. Blizzards rage for days covering vast areas with a thick layer of rains and winds. It never snows there.

   Each season of the year possesses its own charm, has its own beauty and significance to man.