Listening for Specific Information: Weather Report

Besidesunderstanding the main idea of a listening text, we often find it necessary tograsp the important details as well. What counts as important details dependson the kind of information we want. Generally speaking, if we are listening tothe narration of an event, we need to sharpen our ears not only for whathappened, but also when and where, how and why it happened. In listening to aweather report, on the other hand, the important details we should watch out for are thecurrent weather conditions,temperature, andweatheroutlook.

There are some typical expressions used in a weather report:

•mostly cloudy

•occasional showers

•a high of thirty degrees

•a low of -35

•30 percent chance of snow

•mainly sunny

•sunny with cloudy periods

•record high/low

•above/below average temperatures

•temperatures are going to drop/rise

•temperatures are going to plunge/soar

•a warm/cold front is moving in (air from another region is arriving)