English Online with Speak Method

Study English Online: ESL Intermediate Story

Read the story and practice with the questions.

After the Rains

1. This is a picture of a roadside in northeast India. As you can see, the rainy season has just ended. Many plants are young and bright green. It is a beautiful time of year.

2. This part of India has a 4 season climate: there is a dry season (spring), a rainy season (summer), a moderate season (fall), and a cold season (winter). In this area, the weather is not too bad at any time of year. During the cold season, the temperature does not get very low. The most adverse weather happens in the rainy season.

3. When it rains, it pours. It pours for hours at a time. People have to go to work anyway and run from their cars to their buildings. That is very annoying. The roads often become torn up because of the heavy rains.  When people sleep at night, they hear the rain's steady patter on the roof. Many people who grow up here believe that this sound is comforting.

4. There is an acclaimed village nearby named Cherrapunjee (say chair-uh-PUN-jee). This village gets more rainfall than any other place in the world. You would think that would not be acceptable to anybody, but the people do not mind. All the rain comes during the rainy season. Then all of a sudden, abruptly , the rainy season ends and everything is bright green.

Answer the Questions (answers are at the bottom of the page):

1. Put the seasons in order of spring, summer, winter and fall:

A. moderate season, dry season, cold season and rainy season

B. rainy season, cold season, dry season and moderate season

C. dry season, rainy season, moderate season, cold season

D. dry season, rainy season, cold season, moderate season

2. What becomes harmed during the rainy season?

A. people: they catch colds

B. roads: they get torn up

C. roofs: they fall apart

D. buildings: they get torn up

3. What comforts people during the rainy season?

A. knowing the dry season is over

B. knowing the moderate season is coming next

C. going to work anyway

D. hearing the rain on the roof at night

4. Is the climate in this part of India very bad?

A. Yes. The rainy season is very difficult.

B. No. The rainy season is the worst and the temperatures are not bad.

C. No. The rainy season only lasts a few days.

D. Yes and the plants are not in good health.

5. What is the main idea of this story?

A. No one wants to live in a climate with a rainy season.

B. Cherapunjee is a village in northeast India.

C. The four seasons in northeast India are unique.

D. Northeast India has interesting weather, including a rainy season.

6. Match the words with their definitions:

answers: 1. c, 2. b, 3. d, 4. b, 5. d, 6. abruptly: c, acceptable: e, acclaimed: b, adverse: a, annoying: d