Present Simple vs Present Continuous Exercise 1

Complete the exercise from the text.

Freezing in Siberia!

It’s winter here in Yakutsk. I’m sitting indoors and writing my blog because it’s too cold to go outside. It’s not snowing now but I’m looking at the thermometer outside and it says -34 C!

Yakutsk in Russia is the coldest town on Earth. From November to March, it’s only light for three or four hours a day and the temperature hardly ever rises above freezing. The average daytime temperature is -30 C and at night it sometimes falls as low as -60 C.

Well, I’m not going out today — I’m staying indoors. People don’t go out a lot here, at -20 C, the air freezes inside your nose. At -40 C, you can’t stay outdoors for more than ten minutes. At -45 C, the metal on your glasses sticks to your face! I’m learning how to play a popular sport called kyyly — a kind of jumping competition. It uses a lot of energy and it keeps you warm and strong. I play kyyly three times a week. I’m trying to keep fit, which is really important when you live in sub-zero conditions!

In summer, Yakutsk is a different city. The snow melts and the temperature rises to 30 C and more, but people are usually happy to have a heatwave after ten months of winter. It’s the season of ‘white nights’, when it never gets dark, not even at midnight. Camping and barbecues are the favourite summer activities. You can’t imagine how much I am looking forward to it!