THE CLIMATE OF GREAT BRITAIN (2)

          The common ideas people have about the weather in Bri­tain are: «It rains all the time, it’s very damp»; «There’s a ter­rible fog in London, just like in Sherlok Holmes’... », «The sun never shines in July or August».

            Britain has a variable climate. The weather changes so fre­quently that it is difficult to forecast. It is not unusual for people to complain that the weathermen were wrong. Fortu­nately, as Britain does not experience extreme weather condi­tions, it is never very cold or very hot. The temperature rarely rises above 32 °C (90 °F) in summer, or falls below 10 °C (14 °F) in winter.

            Summers are generally cool, but due to global warming they are starting drier and hotter. Newspapers during a hot spell talk of «heatwaves » and an «Indian summer» (dry, hot weather in September and October). Hot weather causes terrible con­gestion on the roads as Britons rush to the coastal resorts.

            Winters are generally mild, with the most frequent and prolonged snowfalls in the Scottish Highlands, where it is pos­sible to go skiing. If it does snow heavily in other parts of Bri­tain, the country often comes to a standstill. Trains, buses and planes are late. People enjoy discussing the snow, complaining about the cold and comparing the weather conditions with pre­vious winters.

             Contrary to popular opinion, it does not rain all the time. There is certainly steady rainfall throughout most of the year, but the months from September to January are the wettest. Thanks to the rain, Britain’s countryside is famous for its deep green colour.

             Since the 1950’s, most British cities have introduced clean air zones. Factories and houses cannot burn coal and must use smokeless fuel. The dirt caused by smoke used to cause terri­ble fogs, particularly in London.

             Such fogs are now a thing of the past, but you can still see them in old films where they add mystery and atmosphere to murder stories and thrillers.

QUESTIONS:

1. What are common ideas about the weather in Britain?

2. What is the climate of Britain like?

3. Why are summers starting drier and hotter?

4. What does hot weather cause?

5. What are winters like?

6. Why do people enjoy discussing the snow?

7. Does it rain all the time?

8. What are the wettest months?

VOCABULARY:

to complain — жаловаться

to come to a standstill — останавливаться

to rise — подниматься

spell — короткие промежутки времени

frequent — частый

snowfall — снегопад

to compare — сравнивать

mystery — тайна

to cause — вызывать