Lightning

10/26/2022 9:02:56 AM
What causes lightning? And why do heatwaves lead to thunderstorms? - Verdict
Image: www.verdict.co.uk

Do you know?

  • Lightning is a gigantic electrical spark. A single lightning flash has enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for three months!
  • Lightning is most common in tropical regions. However, thunderstorms with lightning happen in almost every region of the world. 

Let's explore more in the following passage!

Let's learn some new words before you read the passage:

Listen and complete the passage.

charge strike leaps
static electricity spark whirl


A lightning bolt is a huge electric  created in a thundercloud. The spark across the sky. Water droplets and ice crystals crash together in a thundercloud. They create . There are two electrical charges in the cloud. Lighter positive charges around at the top of a cloud, and heavier negative charges are at the bottom of the cloud. Lightning is created when a positive from the ground and a negative charge at the bottom of the cloud jump together. Then electrical energy is released. A flash of lightning can contain one billion volts of electricity. Lightning heats the area around it even hotter than the sun. Forked, zigzag, and sheet lightning are the most common shapes.

About 1,000 people a year are injured by lightning, and about one hundred people a year are killed. People die from burns, shock, or heart attacks. To protect yourself from lightning during thunderstorms, try to get inside a building. If you can’t find protection, stay away from trees, especially from a single tree. A tree or pole is the highest point. It will attract lightning because it provides the shortest path to the ground. Do not hold umbrellas or other metal objects because they attract the electric charge. Lightning does  the same place twice and often many times. For example, tall structures like skyscrapers and towers are struck many times a year. As long as you know what to do when there’s lightning in the sky, you will be safe.

Read and answer the following questions.

Lightning

Lightning is the bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm. Image: commerce.gov

A lightning bolt is a huge electric spark created in a thundercloud. The spark leaps across the sky. Water droplets and ice crystals crash together in a thundercloud. They create static electricity. There are two electrical charges in the cloud. Lighter positive charges whirl around at the top of a cloud, and heavier negative charges are at the bottom of the cloud. Lightning is created when a positive charge from the ground and a negative charge at the bottom of the cloud jump together. Then electrical energy is released. A flash of lightning can contain one billion volts of electricity. Lightning heats the area around it even hotter than the sun. Forked, zigzag, and sheet lightning are the most common shapes.

About 1,000 people a year are injured by lightning, and about one hundred people a year are killed. People die from burns, shock, or heart attacks. To protect yourself from lightning during thunderstorms, try to get inside a building. If you can’t find protection, stay away from trees, especially from a single tree. A tree or pole is the highest point. It will attract lightning because it provides the shortest path to the ground. Do not hold umbrellas or other metal objects because they attract the electric charge. Lightning does strike the same place twice and often many times. For example, tall structures like skyscrapers and towers are struck many times a year. As long as you know what to do when there’s lightning in the sky, you will be safe.

Source: Daily Warm-ups- Nonfiction Reading Grade 6

Lightning happens when _____. 

  • a negative charge in the bottom of the cloud is attracted to a positive charge in the ground
  • a positive charge in the cloud and a negative charge from the ground jump together
  • a negative charge and a positive charge in the cloud crash together during a thunderstorm

What is true according to the passage?

  • About 1000 people die from lightning each year.
  • A lightning bolt contains at least a billion volts of electricity.
  • The area around the lightning bolts has a higher temperature than the sun.

According to the passage, what is NOT a reason for death by lightning?

  • burns
  • shock
  • infection

According to the passage, what should you do during thunderstorms?

  • You should hide in a place that used to be struck by lightning.
  • You should buy a large dark umbrella to avoid getting wet.
  • You should not shelter from lightning under a flagstaff.

What is the main idea of this passage?

  • The potential danger of lightning and how to predict it
  • Explanation of lightning and safety tips when lightning strikes
  • A warning of deaths caused by lightning and some immediate solutions

Build your vocabulary by learning these intensive phrases/idioms

Sandy _____ when she announced that she was pregnant two days before I'd planned to tell people about my pregnancy.

  • cleaned up her act
  • clipped my wings
  • stole my thunder
  • racked her brain

Rearrange the words in a correct order to make a complete sentence (kéo từng từ/cụm từ về vị trí đúng để tạo thành câu hoàn chỉnh).

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in a bracket. You must use between THREE and FIVE words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.

If we want to meet the project's deadline, we are going to have to try our best. (PEDAL)

=> We are going to have to put  if we want to finish the project on time.