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Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. hail
    • ex. I heard small pieces of ice hit the roof when hail started to fall.
  2. examine
    • ex. The doctor will examine your throat to see why you're coughing.
  3. the heart of (something)
    • ex. Our new office is in the heart of the city, near all the shops.
  4. a radar
    • ex. The airplane showed up on the radar screen.
  5. an adrenaline rush
    • ex. Riding the roller coaster gave me a big adrenaline rush!

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The Midwestern United States has begun experiencing storms again. And a team of scientists called ICECHIP is driving into these storms to study hail, a weather danger that damages roofs, cars, and crops. Damages often cost up to $10 billion (about ¥1.5 trillion) a year in the U.S. So, researchers from several universities formed this team to examine storms from the inside.

How is the team doing its research? Scientists are driving straight into the heart of the storms. They then use drones, cameras, radars, and other special equipment to see how the storm works. Some of their equipment can measure the hail impact. Then, they collect hail before it hits the ground and gets dirty.

But the team is not just looking for an adrenaline rush. It’s serious science research into weather that affects the Midwest. A 2024 study by Victor Gensini, one of the lead researchers, found that larger hail can become more common as the world warms from human-caused climate change. The ICECHIP team believes that the size of hail could soon increase 15% to 75% this century, depending on how much the world warms. 

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Hail

  • What was the most extreme weather you have experienced (ex. storms that bring hail, floods)? Discuss.
  • The team of scientists called ICECHIP is driving into these storms to study hail. If given the chance, would you join the group? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • A 2024 study by Victor Gensini says that larger hail can become more common because of climate change. How does this information make you feel? Discuss.

Adrenaline Rush

  • Describe your personal experience that has given you an adrenaline rush. Discuss.
  • Are you the type of person who likes activities that will give you an adrenaline rush? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you are invited to join an experiment similar to ICECHIP’s research. Would you join for the adrenaline rush? Why or why not? Discuss.