August

“If the first week of August be unusually warm, the winter will be snowy and long.”

The dog days of summer remain in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere. As the month progresses, the evenings become cooler in northern regions and mountains. But in the Southern Hemisphere, August means winter's end is fast approaching.

Festivals can be found worldwide this month. One of the more outstanding ones is La Tomatina in Spain. If you like tomatoes, then you'll like this one because people throw them at one another!

Is music more to your taste? Then head to the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. Although it's primarily a music festival, crafts and comedy get mixed in as well. The world's largest arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland is on, too.

Or perhaps you like horses. Then head to Siena, Italy, where a bareback horserace is held. It only lasts about a minute and a half!

"Evening emeralds." August's birthstone, the peridot, was called this by the Romans because of the way the peridot reflected lamplight.

"Love at first sight!" August's flower, the gladiolus, held this hidden meaning during the Victorian era.

Info Cloud
For thousands of years, we humans have tried to accurately to predict the weather.

Because it is important for us to know the best time to plant and harvest crops, when to take an ocean voyage, or when to go on a picnic.

Over the years, we've accumulated dozens of English sayings, which help us to determine whether tomorrow's weather will be fair or foul. They're not what we call scientific, but many of them are surprisingly accurate.

Perhaps, the most well known saying is, "Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning.  Red skies at night, sailors' delight".

Right, if the sky is red in the morning, then expect rain. If the sky is red at night, expect the next day's weather to be pleasant.

Now, predictions about the weather are not just made by looking at the sky. They're also made by observing the behavior of animals.

Here is an example: "A cow's tail to the west makes the weather the best. A cow's tail to the east makes the weather the least".

Hmm... who needs weatherman when you have a cow. Other age-old weather predictors include "rings around the moon", clogged salt shakers, and aching bones.

Grammar Gym
... winter's end is fast approaching.
fast approaching: coming quickly or happening soon
- We need to hurry to the station; I see our bus is fast approaching.
- James has been very busy with his assignment because the due date is fast approaching.

Language Lab
in full swing 
if an event or process is in full swing, it has reached its highest level of activity
- The cherry blossom season was in full swing in March in Kyoto.
- The discussion was in full swing, and nobody wanted to stop for lunch.

outstanding adj.
extremely good
- The actor's outstanding performance won him an Oscar.
- George is outstanding at analyzing data.
outstanding adj.
not yet done, solved, or paid
- We still have some outstanding issue to discuss.

primarily adv.
/praɪˈmerəli/
mainly— used to indicate the main purpose of something, reason for something, etc
- The film's failure was primarily due to poor casting. 選角錯誤
- The discussion focused primarily on the company's financial status.
primary adj.
most important : main
- The primary goal of our trip is to find new clients.

reflect v.
if a person or a thing is reflected in a mirror, glass, or water, you can see an image of the person or thing on the surface of the mirror, glass, or water
- This fabric reflects sunlihgt better than those fabrics.
reflect v.
show or be a sign of a particular situation or feeling
- The conflict reflected the tension between races.


mms://webvod.goodtv.tv/SC/20130810_f9cb9.wmv