English Learning Content: Global Wildfire Season 2025

Dialogue

Alice: Bob, is it just me, or does the air outside feel… extra crispy today?

Bob: Alice! You noticed too? I thought my toast was on fire, but then I realized it was just Tuesday.

Bob: Seriously though, the smell of smoke is getting intense. Is this another ‘Global Wildfire Season’ starting already?

Alice: Another one? Bob, I think we’re just perpetually *in* one now. It’s like an annual subscription we never asked for.

Bob: Right? It feels earlier this year. Didn’t we just pack away the air purifiers from last season?

Alice: I saw on the news, parts of Europe are already battling blazes, and North America isn’t far behind. It’s like the whole planet decided to host a bonfire party without inviting us.

Bob: My allergies are having a field day, or rather, a ‘field on fire’ day. My eyes are watering like I’m watching a really sad documentary about the climate.

Alice: It’s the new normal, isn’t it? Used to be we’d worry about rain on our parade; now it’s ‘will our parade be visible through the smoke?’

Bob: I’m starting to think weather reports should include a ‘smoke index’ alongside the UV. ‘High chance of existential dread with a side of ash, folks!’

Alice: Tell me about it. I was planning a hiking trip, but I guess ‘scenic views’ now mean ‘orange skies and blurred horizons’.

Bob: Maybe we should invest in designer respirators? Make it a fashion statement. ‘This season’s hottest accessory: the N95 couture mask.’

Alice: It’s funny, but it’s also terrifying. The scale of these wildfires is just insane.

Bob: Absolutely. I saw a graphic comparing the burned area to small countries. It’s like Earth is playing a giant game of ‘the floor is lava’ and losing.

Alice: We really need some serious action on climate change, or 2026 will just be ‘Wildfire Season: The Sequel, with bigger explosions’.

Bob: Let’s just hope the sequel comes with less smoke inhalation and more rain. And maybe some actual good news for once!

Alice: Here’s hoping, Bob. In the meantime, pass the air purifier remote.

Current Situation

The “Global Wildfire Season 2025” is a hypothetical, yet increasingly realistic, scenario reflecting a worldwide trend of more frequent, intense, and prolonged wildfire events. Driven largely by climate change, rising global temperatures lead to drier conditions, prolonged droughts, and more extreme heatwaves, creating ideal conditions for fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Regions like the Mediterranean, parts of North and South America, Australia, and even areas not traditionally prone to large fires are experiencing earlier starts and extended periods of wildfire activity. These fires not only devastate ecosystems and wildlife but also severely impact air quality, human health, infrastructure, and local economies, making “wildfire season” feel like a perpetual state for many.

Key Phrases

• extra crispy: Describes something that is very dry, perhaps to the point of being brittle or scorched. In the dialogue, it humorously refers to dry, smoky air.

  Example: After a week of intense sun, the lawn turned an extra crispy brown.

• perpetually in one: To be constantly or always in a particular state or situation.

  Example: She always seems to be perpetually in one crisis or another.

• pack away: To store something, usually after it has been used for a season or purpose.

  Example: We need to pack away the winter clothes now that summer is here.

• not far behind: Following closely; will soon experience the same situation or condition.

  Example: The leading cyclist was speeding, but the rest of the pack was not far behind.

• having a field day: Experiencing a great amount of success, enjoyment, or activity, often in a negative or exaggerated context (like allergies).

  Example: The children were having a field day at the beach, building sandcastles all morning.

• the new normal: A previously unusual or extreme situation that has become commonplace or expected.

  Example: Remote work has become the new normal for many companies since the pandemic.

• existential dread: A profound sense of anxiety or unease about the meaninglessness of life and one’s existence.

  Example: Reading about the vastness of space sometimes fills me with a sense of existential dread.

• blurred horizons: An indistinct or unclear view of the distant line where the sky and earth meet, often due to haze, fog, or smoke.

  Example: The morning mist created beautiful but blurred horizons over the mountains.

• host a bonfire party: Used figuratively here, meaning to be the location or cause of large, uncontrolled fires.

  Example: The dry forest seemed ready to host a bonfire party if even a small spark ignited.

Grammar Points

1. “Is it just me, or…?” (Idiomatic Expression)

   This phrase is used to ask if your observation or feeling is shared by others, implying you suspect it might not be unique but want confirmation.

   • Structure: Is it just me, or + [your observation/feeling]?
   • Example from Dialogue: “Bob, is it just me, or does the air outside feel… extra crispy today?”
   • Another Example: Is it just me, or is this coffee stronger than usual?

2. Present Continuous with “always,” “perpetually,” “constantly”

   While the present continuous usually describes actions happening now, when combined with adverbs like “always,” “perpetually,” or “constantly,” it expresses an action that occurs repeatedly, often to show annoyance, surprise, or a sense of inevitability.

   • Structure: Subject + is/am/are + adverb (always/perpetually/constantly) + -ing verb
   • Example from Dialogue: “I think we’re just perpetually in one now.” (Meaning: we are always experiencing a wildfire season.)
   • Another Example: He’s always complaining about the weather. (Expresses annoyance)

3. Similes

   A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things using the words “like” or “as” to make the description more vivid. It often creates imagery or humor.

   • Structure: Thing A is like/as Thing B.
   • Example from Dialogue: “My eyes are watering like I’m watching a really sad documentary about the climate.” (Compares watering eyes to crying while watching a sad film.)
   • Another Example: The fighter was as brave as a lion. (Compares the fighter’s bravery to a lion’s courage.)

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the Best Phrase

Complete the sentences using the most appropriate key phrase from the list provided. (extra crispy, perpetually in one, pack away, not far behind, having a field day, the new normal, existential dread, blurred horizons, host a bonfire party)

1. After an hour of running, the city lights appeared as _______________ in the distance.
2. My younger brother is _______________ trouble; he just can’t stay out of it!
3. The kids were _______________ at the candy store, grabbing everything they could.
4. We need to _______________ all the beach gear before the storm hits.
5. With the rising cost of living, frugality has become _______________ for many families.

Answers:

1. blurred horizons
2. perpetually in one
3. having a field day
4. pack away
5. the new normal

Exercise 2: Complete the Sentence (Grammar Focus)

A. Use “Is it just me, or…” to start a sentence based on the feeling provided.

1. (You feel tired even after a long sleep) -> _______________ I’m still tired after sleeping for 9 hours?
2. (You think the music is too loud) -> _______________ this music is a bit too loud?

B. Rewrite the sentences using the Present Continuous with “always” or “constantly” to express annoyance or a continuous, unwanted action.

3. He leaves his dirty dishes in the sink. -> He _______________.
4. They interrupt me when I’m speaking. -> They _______________.

Answers:

1. Is it just me, or am
2. Is it just me, or is
3. is always leaving his dirty dishes in the sink.
4. are constantly interrupting me when I’m speaking.

Exercise 3: Identify Similes

Read each sentence and identify the simile. What two things are being compared?

1. The new singer’s voice was as smooth as silk.
2. After running the marathon, his legs felt like jelly.
3. The city at night sparkled like a diamond necklace.

Answers:

1. Simile: “as smooth as silk”. Comparing the singer’s voice to silk.
2. Simile: “felt like jelly”. Comparing his legs to jelly.
3. Simile: “sparkled like a diamond necklace”. Comparing the city at night to a diamond necklace.