Nature & there is / there are · News English
White clouds over blue water
A satellite picture shows clouds near California.
Read the story, check the words, then answer the questions and speak.
Look down from space
What colours can you see in the picture?
1There are many white clouds over the Pacific Ocean. They are near California, in the United States. A satellite called Terra took this picture on 6 October 2026.
2The clouds cover a large area of water. They are low clouds. Their long name is marine stratocumulus. Marine means related to the sea. You do not need to remember the long name to describe the picture.
3NASA shared the picture in a feature dated 13 October. The picture is from an earlier day. It does not show the weather today. Look at the white clouds and the blue water. What can you see?
Original teaching summary. Models and practice sentences are illustrative learning examples, not news quotations.
Word help · Three useful words
Read the meanings and examples. Choose one word to use in your own sentence.
cloud
a white or grey shape made of tiny water drops or ice in the sky
There is a cloud.
ocean
a very large area of salt water
The Pacific is an ocean.
low
not high
The shelf is low.
Check your reading · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Useful English: describe what you see
There is one chair. There are two books. Use is for one thing and are for more than one.
Describe two things near you. Start with there is and there are.
Model and help
Model: There is a window. There are three books on my desk.
Speak: your ideas
Describe two things near you. Start with there is and there are.
Labelled model answer
There is a window. There are three books on my desk.
Illustrative learning example, not a news quotation.
Alone: repeat without the model. Tutor: ask one follow-up question.
Mastery check · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Sources and reporting date
NASA MODIS feature dated 13 October 2026. Exact time unavailable. Conservative earliest possible instant: 12 October 10:00 UTC. Satellite picture taken 6 October.
- Marine Stratocumulus Clouds off the California Coast
NASA MODIS feature dated 13 October 2026. Exact time unavailable. Conservative earliest possible instant: 12 October 10:00 UTC. Satellite picture taken 6 October. - Image and credit
True-colour Terra MODIS satellite picture acquired 6 October 2026, featured 13 October. A dated view, not today’s weather.