ENGLISH WEATHER
The weather in England is very changeable A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening. And a nasty morning can change to a fine afternoon. That is why it is natural for the English to use the comparison «as changeable as the weather» of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something. «Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather». This statement is often made by the English to describe meteorological conditions of their country.
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 it rains all day long.
The weather is the favourite conversational topic in England. When two Englishmen meet, their first words will be «How do you do?» or «How are you?» And after the reply «Very well, thank you; how are you? » the next remark is almost certain to be about the weather. When they go abroad the English often surprise people of other nationalities by this tendency to talk about the weather, a topic of conversation that other people do not find so interesting.
The best time of the year in England is spring (of course, it rains in spring, too). The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, damp and unpleasant. The best place in the world then is at home by the big fire in the fireplace.
Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go abroad in summer to France or somewhere on the Continent.
The most unpleasant aspect of English weather is fog and smog. This is extremely bad in big cities and especially in London. The fog spreads everywhere, it is in the streets and it creeps into the houses. Cars move along slowly, but still street accidents are frequent in the fog. People cannot see each other. They creep along the houses touching them with their hands not to lose their way or not to be run over by a car.
1. Words
changeable — изменчивый, неустойчивый
wet — сырой, мокрый
nasty — мерзкий, противный
comparison — сравнение
mood — настроение
opinion — мнение
statement — утверждение
meteorologica — метеорологический
remark — замечание
to go abroad — поехать за границу
damp — сырой, мокрый
nationality — национальность
fireplace — камин
to look forward to — с нетерпением ждать
the Continent — континент (Европа)
aspect — аспект, сторона
fog — туман
smog (smoke + fog) — смог
extremely — чрезвычайно
to spread (spread, spread) — расстилать(ся)
to creep (crept, crept) — ползти, красться
accident — несчастный случай
frequent — частый
to lose way — заблудиться
to be run over by a car — попасть под машину
2. Questions
1. Is the weather in England very changeable?
2. How often does it rain in England?
3. What do Englishmen often say to describe the weather of their country?
4. Englishmen often talk about weather. Do you find this topic of conversation interesting?
5. What is the worst time of the year in England?
6. When do Englishmen prefer to stay at home by the big fire?
7. How do the English spend their short English summer?
8. What are London smogs?
9. What kind of weather do you like best of all?
10.Which do you like better: when it's cold or hot?
11.What is the weather like today?
12.What is the weather forecast for tomorrow?
13.What is the weather like in your town in winter (summer, autumn, spring)?
