Page 64 - Exercise 1

Page 64 - Exercise 1

The weather in Britain

People in Britain talk a lot about the weather. This is because the weather changes a lot. When people meet, they say things like: ‘It’s nice today, isn’t it? Or, ‘It’s a bit chilly. People often think that Britain has got a wet climate. In fact, some parts of Britain are very dry and sunny. London, for example, is drier than Rome, Sydney or New York.

But some parts of Britain get a lot of rain. The west is the wettest part, because it’s closer to the Atlantic Ocean. As clouds from the Atlantic Ocean move across the country, they drop most of their rain on the hills and mountains in the west. So the eastern side of Britain is much drier.

However, in winter the east is often the coldest part, because it’s closer to the snow and ice in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

In spring the weather starts to get warmer. You see lambs in the fields, as well as spring flowers, like daffodils and bluebells. The beginning of March is often very windy.

An old saying is: ‘March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.’ April is famous for April showers. It rains, then it’s sunny and then it rains again.

The weather in summer is usually warm. It’s the time for school sports days, barbecues in the garden and holidays.

The days are longest in the summer and in the north of Scotland it never gets really dark. A lot of towns and villages have a fete (a small, local festival) with sports and games for the children. For some people summer isn’t a good time, because they get hay fever, and older students have their school-leaving exams.

Autumn usually starts with fine weather. In September people pick blackberries and it’s the time for apples, too.

Autumn is a very beautiful season, as the leaves turn yellow and red, before they fall. However, late autumn is often the stormiest part of the year.

The weather in winter is usually cool and wet. It’s often foggy and frosty, too. It doesn’t snow a lot in Britain, so when it snows, it causes travel problems. Roads, railways and airports are closed. Schools often close, too, so the children get an extra holiday.