Cold Weather Life
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Mary
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Adrienne
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Adrienne: So, Mary, are you from Minnesota?
Mary: I am. I lived here all my life.
Adrienne: Wow. It’s a great place but it’s really cold this time of year.
Mary: It is, but if you’ve lived here a long time you get used to it. A lot of people from the South get really chilly when the temperature gets around 50 and right now that’s, that’s actually sounding pretty good because a Minnesotan will probably just be wearing a lightweight jacket when it is about 50 degrees, but we’re OK with that. You know it gets to be kind of fun when you have a big snow fall and you go outside with all your neighbors, pushing cars out of the snow drift and kind of enjoying it that way so we have a lot of fun with it being cold and snowy and you have to make some fun on the inside of your house too, you know. A lot of people have fireplaces, so there’s a way to enjoy being inside for long stretches of time and opposed to just kind of, I guess, being locked in and not being able to enjoy house or that kind of thing.
Adrienne: What do you do to warm up in the winter?
Mary: Well, there’s always sweaters. You know we like our sweaters here, that keeps us warm. Actually, you can get pretty warm outside. A lot of people enjoy cross-country skiing which I do from time-to-time and the more you exercise outside, you can actually get pretty warm doing it even though the temperature is cold, but as far as being indoors, that’s when, I think that’s when people start really kind of researching their hobbies, things they like to do, that’s activity that will keep you busy while you are inside the house for such long stretches and things.
Adrienne: Yeah, that’s true. I like to drink hot chocolate when I get cold. Do you like hot chocolate?
Mary: Yeah, that will always help, and tea, really enjoying my tea as well, but there’s nothing like, you know, hot chocolate and maybe roasting something in the fireplace and making smores.
Adrienne: That sounds great.
Mary: Yeah, that would be kind of fun.
Adrienne: Very cozy.
chilly
A lot of people from the South get really chilly when the
temperature gets around 50.
When you are 'chilly' it means that you feel a little cold.
Notice the following:
- I am little chilly. I think I will put my jumper on.
- It gets chilly in the evening.
lightweight
A Minnesotan will probably just be wearing a lightweight
jacket when it is about 50 degrees.
When a piece of clothing is 'lightweight' it means that it
is made out of thin material that will not keep you very
warm.
Notice the following:
- When I go on holiday I always pack a couple of
lightweight sweaters.
- When you go camping it is best to wear a few lightweight
layers of clothing rather than one bulky jacket.
locked in
Just kind of, I guess, being locked in and not being able
to enjoy the house or that kind of thing.
When you are 'locked into' something it means that you are
stuck in that situation or place. You have committed to
something and you can't escape from it.
Notice the following:
- I am locked into the loan for another 10 years.
- I am locked in and can't go outside.
from time-to-time
A lot of people enjoy cross-country skiing which I do from
time-to-time.
When you do something 'from time-to-time' it means that you
do it once in a while, but not very often.
Notice the following:
- I enjoy a Chinese take-out from time-to-time.
- From time-to-time I have clear out of my attic.
smores
There’s nothing like, you know, hot chocolate and maybe
roasting something in the fireplace and making smores.
A 'smore' is a sweet treat that is traditionally eaten
around the campfire. It is made with sweet cookies,
chocolate and marshmallow that has been cooked over an open
fire. The name means 'some + more' because they are so good
that you will always want more.
Notice the following:
- I have never tried smores before. They are delicious.
- We had a great time and ate smores all night!
Vocabulary Quiz
locked • smores
