Lesson 7 Ex.3a, 3b

TM: Today our guest is an expert in weather and climate, a member of Royal meteorological society, a popular weather forecaster Simon King.

Hello Simon. And my first question is … Is it true that it always rains in Britain?

SK: Well, contrary to a popular belief, it DOES NOT rain every day in Britain. However, it’s always advisable to bring some kind of a waterproof coat if you plan to visit the Isles and keep yourself psychologically prepared!

TM: So, it’s true that a real Englishman carries around an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses in case the weather suddenly changes.

SK: You see, Britain is an island country and the surrounding sea gives it a varied climate. We never know what the weather will be like from one day to other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next. As we have such a changeable weather from day to day it is difficult to predict it.

TM: Could you explain to our readers why it changes so fast. They say in Britain if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.

SK: The main influence on our climate is our closeness to the Atlantic Ocean and the warming of the waters around the land by the Gulf Stream (a warm current of the northern Atlantic Ocean).

Our island is small compared with the other land masses in the northern hemisphere – as a result Britain is more influenced by the ocean compared with other European countries, and the Gulf Stream helps to keep winters milder.

TM: So what is British climate like?

SK: In general we have warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the continent, but the winters are milder. The overall climate in England is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 32ºC in summer. It also means that it is damp and changes frequently.

TM: What about the best time to visit the UK.

SK: July and August are normally the warmest month in England.

Around the coasts, February is normally the coldest month, but inland there is little to choose between January and February as the coldest month.

Probably the best months to travel in England are May, June, September and October. These months generally have the most pleasant temperatures and less rain. But even at that time be prepared for sometimes harsch weather conditions in the mountainous regions of Scotland. July and August are the warmest months, but they are also the wettest. The sunniest parts of the Britain are along the south coast of England.

TM: And how come that British people have such a fascination with weather and weather forecasts?

SK: It’s true, we love talking about the forecasts. And to answer we need to go back to the beginning of our conversation. We’ve already mentioned several times that the weather changes so often on our Isles and it’s so unpredictable. As a result it brings some sort of a challenge to our everyday life. So to say we are a meteorologically-challenged nation! That’s probably why discussing weather became a part of our daily routine.

TM: I see. And my last question would be what your favourite time of the year is.

SK: Well, I like St. Luke's summer. It is a period of fine, calm weather in the beginning of October. I normally try to get some days off and travel to the seaside to enjoy some sunshine before a gloomy winter.

TM: Thank you, Simon.

UNIT 12

Lesson 2, Ex.2b

Anna and Danik

A: Danik, let’s practice our presentation again!

D: Oh, not again! We’ve already done it hundred times!

A: Common! You start!

D: Ok. Our country is often called a blue-eyed land since there are numerous rivers and lakes in different regions of our republic. But do they influence the climate conditions we live in and does it have any impact on everyday weather? They certainly do! Have you ever heard about the water circle? Anna will now tell you more.

A: Well, you will be surprised to learn that if you live in a country with the territory as big as Belarus there are more than 320 billion liters of water above your head on an average day. The thing is that water on our planet driven by the sun energy evaporates and turns into gas called vapour. This gas rises and circulates in the atmosphere, cools down and changes back into liquid. It falls on the earth as precipitations such as rain, snow or hail. Some of the water soaks into the ground and provides runoff to rivers and lakes. The water left returns to the atmosphere through evaporation and the whole process begins again. Scientists call this process the water circle.

D: So as you can see together with the Sun the water circle has a significant impact on the climate and on the weather in a certain region of the Earth. We have got lots of water on the territory of Belarus. Does it make the climate more severe or milder? Let’s think. The more water basins we have the more water evaporates. The more water evaporates the more precipitations we get. The more precipitations the milder the climate is. It is very similar to the way the human body works. When your body becomes too hot, it has a natural built-in mechanism for cooling itself down and when it’s too cold you body saves its warmth. The more liquid it has the easier it is done. So, to sum up, rivers and lakes and all the water that they contain not only make our country more beautiful, but also make our living conditions more comfortable.