Read the text and fulfill the exercises after

The Climate of the British Isles

Like the scenery, the climate is not remarkable for great extremes. The winters are mild and the summers are not particularly warm, judged by Continental standards. A joker once said that the English climate was the best in the world, but the weather was terrible. The weather is certainly rather unpredictable, and yet in a way this gives it a charm of its own - which you may not appreciate if you are caught in a shower of rain without a waterproof, or find yourself driving in a thick fog.

Why is the climate so mild, even though the British Isles are situated as far north as, for example, Labrador? One reason is the Gulf Stream, and the prevailing westerly winds (or south-westerly) from the Atlantic, and another is the fact that Britain is an island.

The result is that on practically every day of the year, in every season, English people have always been able to spend part of the time out of doors. And perhaps it explains why the English are so fond of games and have invented so many different ways of amusing themselves in the open air. Snow and frost are not the permanent feature of the winter scene to most Englishmen, nor is it ever so warm in summer that people have to take a siesta, as they do, for instance, in Italy and Spain.

Take a look at the map of the British Isles. You will also see that, running rather like a spine or backbone down from the Scottish Border to somewhere in the middle of England, we have a line of hills known as the Pennines. As a rule the land to the west has a much higher rainfall than the land to the east of this line of hills.

Choose the correct variant:

1. What is the climate of the British Isles?

a)The climate is remarkable for great extremes.

b) The climate is temperate and humid.

c) The climate is not remarkable for great extremes.

d) The climate of GB is varied.

2. What are the summers?

a) The summers are hot.

b) The summers are not warm.

c) The summers are short and wet.

d) The summers are windy.

3. What is the weather on the isles?

a) The weather is always nice.

b) The weather is stable.

c) It is constantly raining.

d) The weather is certainly rather unpredictable.

4. Why is the climate so mild?

a) Because of the warm currents.

b) Because of Labrador.

c) Because of the Gulf Stream.

d) Because of the Atlantic Ocean.

5. When do Englishmen have to take a siesta?

a) At the dinner time.

b) In Summer.

c) In the middle of the day.

d) They don’t have to.

Decide if the statements are True or False:

6.A joker once said that the English climate was the best in the world, but the weather was terrible.

7.English people have always been able to spend part of the time drinking tea.

8. The English are fond of indoor games.

9. The Scottish Border is a line of hills known as the Pennines.

10. The winters are mild and the summers are not particularly warm.

· GRAMMAR FOCUS