The Climate of Great Britain
Great Britain is situated on islands. It is washed by seas from all sides. That’s why the climate and the nature of Great Britain is very specific. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other major European cities. Generally speaking, the further west you go, the more rain you get. The mild winters mean that snow is a regular feature of the higher areas only. The winters are in general a bit colder in the east of the country than they are in the west. While in summer, the south is slightly warmer and sunnier than the north. Besides Britain is famous for I fogs. Sometimes fogs are so thick that it is impossible to see anything within 2 or 3 metres.
Why has Britain’s climate got such bad reputation? Maybe it is for the same reason that British people always seem to be talking about the weather. There is a saying that Britain doesn’t have a climate, it only has weather. You can never be sure of a fry day, though it may not rain very much altogether. There can be cool and even cold days in July and some quite warm days in January.
The weather changes very often. Mark Twain said about America: «If you like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes» but it is more likely to have been said about England. The lack of extremes is the reason why on the few occasions when it gets genuinely hot or freezing cold, the country seems to be totally unprepared for it. A bit of snow, a few days of frost and the trains stop. working and the roads are blocked. If the thermometer goes above 2 o С, people behave as if they were in Sahara and the temperature makes front-page headlines. These things happen so seldom that it is not worth organizing life to be ready for them. Everyone who comes to Great Britain says that it looks like one great beautiful park. The British people love their country and take care of it.
Климат Великобритании
Великобритания расположена на островах. Со всех сторон она омывается морями. Поэтому климат и природа Великобритании очень специфичны. Распространенное мнение о том, что в Британии все время идет дождь, не совсем верное. На самом деле в Лондоне за год выпадает не больше осадков, чем в большинстве других европейских городов. В целом, чем дальше на запад, тем количество осадков больше. Мягкие зимы предполагают наличие снега только на возвышенностях. Зимы в общем более холодны на востоке страны, чем на западе. В то же время летом на юге теплее и солнечнее, чем на севере. Кроме этого, Британия знаменита своими туманами. Иногда туманы такие густые, что невозможно что-нибудь увидеть на расстоянии 2 или 3 метров.
Почему климат Британии имеет такую плохую репутацию? Может быть, это потому, что британцы, кажется, постоянно говорят о погоде. Существует поговорка, что Британия не имеет климата, она имеет только погоду. Вы никогда не можете быть уверены, что будет сухой день, хотя может и не быть сильного дождя. Могут быть прохладные и даже холодные дни в июле и теплые дни в январе.
Вопросы:
1. What is Britain famous for?
2. Why is the climate and the nature of Great Britain very specific?
3. The weather in Britain is very changeable, isn’t it?
4. Does it rain often?
5. Why has Britain’s climate got such a bad reputation?
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THE CLIMATE OF GREAT BRITAIN — Климат Великобритании
The climate of the United Kingdom is generally mild and temperature is due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The south eastern winds carry the warmth and moisture to Britain. The climate in Britain is usually described as cool, temperate, and humid. It’s often foggy in Great Britain.
The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather.
Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say: «It rains cats and dogs». Rainfall is more or less-equal throughout the year. In the mountains there is heavier rainfall than in the plains of the south and the east. The driest period is from March to June and the wettest months are from October to January.
The average range of temperature (from winter to summer) is from 5 to 23 °С above zero. In the south of the country sometimes the temperature rises above 30 degrees. Winter temperatures below 10 °С are rare. It seldom snows heavily, frost is rare. January and February are usually the coldest months, July and August are the warmest months. The wind may bring winter cold in spring or summer. Sometimes it brings whirlwinds or ураганы. Droughts are rare.
So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but it melts quickly. This humid and mild climate is good for plants. Trees and llowers begin to blossom early in spring.
VOCABULARY
mild [maɪld] — мягкий; умеренный
due to [dju: tu:] — благодаря; из-за того, что
to carry [‘kærɪ] — нести, носить; переносить
temperate [‘tempərɪt] — умеренный (о климате)
humid [‘ hju:mɪd] — влажный, промозглый
it rains heavily [‘hevɪlɪ] — идет сильный дош
it rains cats and dogs — дош льет как из ведра
rainfall [‘reɪnfɔ:l] — количество (атмосферных) осадков
whirlwind [‘ wə:lwɪnd] — ураган, смерч
drought [draut] — засуха
QUESTIONS
3. What can you say when it rains heavily?
5. What are the main features of the British climate?
6. What is the driest period?
7. What are the wettest months?
Климат в Великобритании вообще мягкий, и температура обусловлена влиянием Гольфстрима. Юго-восточные ветры несут в Великобританию тепло и влагу. Климат Великобритании обычно называют прохладным, умеренным и влажным. В Великобритании часто бывают туманы.
Погода настолько переменчива, что англичане говорят, что у них не климат, а погода.
Иногда идет такой сильный дождь, что говорят: «Дождь льет как из ведра». Каждый год количество осадков более-менее одинаковая. В горах осадков больше, чем в долинах на юге и востоке. Наиболее засушливый период длится с мая до июня, а наиболее влажные месяцы — с октября до января.
Средняя температура (от зимы к лету) — по шкале Цельсия от 5 до 23 градусов выше нуля. На юге страны температура иногда поднимается выше 30 градусов. Зимой температура редко падает ниже 10 градусов. Изредка идет снег и бывает мороз. Январь и февраль — обычно самые холодные месяцы, июль и август — самые теплые. Ветер может принести зимний холод весной или летом. Иногда он приносит смерчи или ураганы. Засухи случаются редко.
Таким образом, мы можем сказать, что для климата Великобритании характерны три черты: он мягкий, влажный и переменчивый. Это означает, что никогда не бывает слишком холодно и никогда не бывает слишком жарко. Зимы очень мягкие, Может выпасть снег, но он быстро тает. Такой влажный и мягкий климат благоприятен для растений. Деревья и цветы начинают цвести ранней весной.
Предложения интернет-магазинов
Climate and Nature of Great Britain
The climate in Great Britain is generally mild and temperate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The south-western winds carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in Britain is usually described as cool, temperate and humid.
British people say: «Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather.»
The weather in Britain changes very quickly. One day may be fine and the next day may be wet. The morning may be warm and the evening may be cool. Therefore it is natural for the people to use the comparison «as changeable as the weather» of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something. The weather is the favourite topic of conversation in Britain. When two Englishmen are introduced to each other, if they can’t think of any thing else to talk about, they talk about weather. When two people meet in the street they will often say something about weather as they pass, just to show their friendliness.
Every daily paper publishes a weather forecast. Both the radio and television give the weather forecast several times each day.
The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when in rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say «It’s raining cats and dogs».
Rainfall is more or less even throughout the year. In the mountains there is heavier rainfall then in the plains of the south and east. The driest period is from March to June and the wettest months are from October to January. The average range of temperature (from winter to summer) is from 15 to 23 degrees above zero. During a normal summer the temperature sometimes rises above 30 degrees in the south. Winter temperatures below 10 degrees are rare. It seldom snows heavily in winter, the frost is rare. January and February are usually the coldest months, July and August the warmest. Still the wind may bring winter cold in spring or summer days. Sometimes it brings the whirlwinds or hurricanes. Droughts are rare.
So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but it melts quickly. In winter the cold is humid cold, not the dry one.
This humid and mild climate is good for plants. The trees and flowers begin to blossom early in spring.
In the British homes there has been no central heating up till recently. The fireplaces are often used. but the coal is not used as it’s very expensive. Britain has no good coal now and imports it itself. Many schools and universities have no central heating either, and the floors there are made of stone. The British bedroom is especially cold, sometimes electric blankets or hotwater bottles are used.
VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
Britain was originally a land of vast forests. mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch In the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors. In the course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost all Lowlands outside the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today only about 6 per cent of the total land area remains wooded.
Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in south-eastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands with thin soil are largely moorland with heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.
The fauna or animal life of Britain is much like that of north-western Europe, to which it was once joined. Many larger mammals such as bear, wolf have been hunted to extinction, others are now protected by law. There are many foxes. Otters are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along much of the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are numerous. Deer live in some of the forests in the Highlands of Scotland and England.
Some 230 kinds of birds live in Britain, and another 200 are regular visitors, many are songbirds. The most numerous are blackbirds, sparrow and starling. Robin Redbreast is the national bird of Britain. The number of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished during recent years.
There are many threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the coast. The biggest threat to the coastline is pollution. Even much-loved.