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ORAL LANGUAGE PRACTICEI. Correct the wrong statements. Begin with: It’s not true to fact. It’s wrong. It’s false. It’s not so. It’s true. 1. An arm of the Atlantic Ocean, the Celtic Sea lies between Ireland on the west and Great Britain on the east. 2. The English Channel is so deep that some people can’t swim across it. 3. Several armies have crossed the Bristol Channel, but none have crossed for over nine centuries. 4. Dublin and Liverpool are the largest ports on the North Sea . 5. Despite the danger, North Sea fisheries provide support for inhabitants of the surrounding countries, and petroleum deposits in the area have been exploited since the late 1970s. 6. St George’s Channel is one of the world’s most extraordinary pieces of water. 7. The rivers of Britain are long . 8. The Severnisthe second longest river in Britain. 9. The Clyde is a river in north-west England, which flows through Greater Manchester and Merseyside and into the Irish Sea. 10. On the North Bank is the Royal Hospital is an elegant building designed by Charles II. 11. London Bridgeis the only Thames Bridge which can be raised. 12. Westminster Bridgeis one of the best-known bridges over the river Thames in central London. Westminster Abbey is close to the north end of the bridge. II. Have a talk based on the texts. Make use of the following questions: 1. How is the western coast in Great Britain washed? 2. What did you know about the Atlantic Ocean? 3. What are the main seas washing Great Britain? What are the main features of the seas surrounding the British Isles? 4. Where are the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea situated? 5. How are the British Isles separated from the Continent? 6. What is the North Sea known for? 7. Why is the English Channel considered to be one of the world’s most extraordinary pieces of water? 8. What are the main features of the rivers in Britain? 9. What are the main rivers of Great Britain? 10. What interesting things can we see along the Thames? 11. Are there many bridges across the Thames? What are the most famous bridges? Lesson 3 CLIMATE AND WEATHER ECOLOGY The climate of Britain is more or less the same as that of the north-western part of the European mainland. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true. The image of a wet, foggy land was created two thousand years ago by the invading Romans. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other major European cities. The amount of rain that falls on a town in Britain depends on where it is. Generally speaking, the further west you go, the more rain you get. The most unpleasant feature of the English weather is frequent rains. It is the drizzles that the people remember while speaking about English rain. Pouring rains, which are called ‘showers’ or ‘the sweet showers of April’ is a typical feature of April in England. For Englishmen, they are even pleasant.
The Gulf Stream is the main source of the mildness of the British climate, which affects everyday life in many ways. Men ride to work on bicycles all the year round. Roses in the gardens are often in bloom until Christmas. In some places even palm trees can grow. Very seldom a hard winter may keep snow on the ground for some weeks. Then a thaw comes and the snow begins to melt away.
In the minds of foreigners, the English weather is also associated with fogs and mists. They do happen in England, but not oftener than in other maritime countries. The bad reputation of London fogs was not a result of their frequency but of their being mixed with smoke. The English word ‘smog’ (smoke + fog) was borrowed by many languages. Thick fogs are often yellowish in colour and are called “pea soupers”. Most British people would agree that bright sunny weather, not too hot and with enough rain to water their gardens, is good. 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. Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1127
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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 and in the north of the country with hard frosts and snow than they are in the west. A cold snap (period of very cold weather) or heavy falls of snow can bring transport to a halt. In summer, the south is slightly warmer and sunnier than the north. These differences are connected with the peculiarities of the relief: the Atlantic winds cannot affect the south and the east so much because of the mountains in the north and the west.
Why has Britain’s climate got such a bad reputation? Perhaps it is for the same reason that British people always seem to be talking about the weather. This is its changeability. There is a saying that Britain doesn’t have a climate, it only has weather. It may not rain very much altogether, but you can never be sure of a dry day; there can be cool (even cold) days in July and some quite warm days in January. Perhaps the main characteristic of Britain’s weather is that it is hard to predict. This is probably why people regularly listen to weather forecasts on radio and television. The weather is a safe, polite and impersonal topic of conversation.