[00:06.92]At the Student Centre,Annie watches an educational program on television.
[00:14.21]Fill in the gaps in the summary of the news item
[00:19.62]with the correct word or phrase,according to what you hear.
[00:25.70]Write your answers to Questions 15 to 23
[00:32.00]in the column on the right of the page.
[00:36.78]The first one has been done for you as an example.
[00:42.40]You now have some time to look at the summary.
[00:47.28]Now listen to the program about Britain's climate,and answer Questions 15 to 23.
[00:57.68]Host of program:Northern Ireland generally has a sparse and scattered population,
[01:03.16]and is a largely rural country with good agricultural land.
[01:08.96]The relative smallness of the country
[01:12.67]and the widespread influences of a warm sea and westerly winds
[01:18.97]mean that there are no extreme contrasts in temperature throughout Britain.
[01:24.66]The climate is mainly temperate,
[01:28.37]with variations between coolness and mildness.
[01:33.96]Altitude modifies temperatures,
[01:37.57]so that higher ground is colder than low-lying land.
[01:42.66]Much of Scotland and the upland areas of Wales and England
[01:47.78]are therefore cool in summer
[01:51.18]and cold in winter compared with most of England
[01:55.57]The main factors affecting the amount of British rainfall are (I)
[02:01.47]the depressions,or low-pressure areas,
[02:05.88]which travel eastward across the Atlantic Ocean;
[02:10.56](2) the prevailing south-westerly winds throughout much of the year;
[02:16.54](3) the exposure of the western coasts to the Atlantic 0cean;
[02:22.65]and (4) the fact that most of the highest ground lies in the west.
[02:29.66]As a result,the heaviest annual rainfall is in the west and north,
[02:35.35]over 1,600 mm,with an autumn or winter maximum.
[02:42.04]The high ground in the west protects the lowlands of the south and east,
[02:48.02]so that annual rainfall here is quite moderate at about 800 mm,
[02:54.73]with a slight summer maximum.
[02:58.42]The total national rainfall average is over 1,100 mm annually.
[03:05.70]March to June tend to be the driest months,
[03:10.59]while September to January are the wettest.
[03:15.27]Although drought conditions are infrequent,
[03:19.34]they do occur and can cause problems for farmers,the water companies and consumers.
[03:26.42]Low-pressure systems may produce very variable weather.
[03:31.44]They normally pass over the northern British Isles,
[03:35.72]and south-westerly winds have a strong influence for much of the year.
[03:41.91]The result can be windy,wet and unstable conditions.
[03:48.00]But high-pressure systems,which also happen throughout the year,
[03:53.69]are relatively stable and move more slowly,
[03:58.18]producing light winds and generally settled weather.
[04:03.17]This pattern can result in fine and dry effects,both in winter and summer.
[04:09.99]The amount of sunshine in Britain varies between regions.
[04:14.88]It decreases from south to north,inland from the coastal belts,and with altitude,
[04:22.97]In summer,the daily average sunshine varies from five hours in northern Scotland
[04:30.39]to eight hours on the Isle of Wight.
[04:34.08]In winter,sunlight averages one hour in northern Scotland
[04:40.19]and two hours on the English south coast.
[04:44.47]These average statistics indicate that Britain is not a particularly sunny country,
[04:51.55]although there are periods of relief from the general guernseys.
[04:56.65]The frequent cloud-cover over the BritishIsles
[05:01.04]is a complicating factor,so that even on a hot summer'sday
[05:07.33]there may be little sunshine breaking through the clouds.
[05:12.03]This can give humid,sticky conditions.
[05:16.53]The unpredictability of Britain's weather
[05:20.81]is virtually a national institution a topic of daily conversation,
[05:27.71]and for some a conditioning factor in the national character.
[05:33.82]The British tend to think that they live in a more temperate climate
[05:38.91]than is actually the case.
[05:42.13]But many escape abroad in both winter and summer.
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