In England the weather is very changeable; a fine morning may change into a wet afternoon and evening. And a miserable morning may change to a fine afternoon.
The two worst months in Britain are January and February. One may get many cold wet days one after the other. The best place in the world then is at home by the big fire. The coldest weather of all, when it freezes night after night and remains cold during the day. It is much more pleasant than the wet weather.
In winter the snow falls and covers the streets and fields. Boys like snow; they make balls of it and go "snowballing" - throwing them at passers-by or at one another. Sometimes the members of a family go out and make a big figure of snow - a snowman. They put an old pipe in its mouth and a hat on its head.
When two Englishman meet they often begin their conversation talking about the weather. The weather is always a topic conversation and a good one. They do this because they don't know each other well enough to talk about personal matters. They may not wish to talk about politics until they know each other better. So they are glad to have a topic about which they cannot quarrel with each other. When Englishmen go abroad they often surprise people of other nations by this tendency to talk about the weather. Other people don't find this topic of conversation very interesting.
Nearly all English daily newspapers publish a weather forecast. “The Times” Weather Forecast: "Much cloud; showers in many places; cool; morning mist. Further outlook: Unsettled."
The two worst months in Britain are January and February. One may get many cold wet days one after the other. The best place in the world then is at home by the big fire. The coldest weather of all, when it freezes night after night and remains cold during the day. It is much more pleasant than the wet weather.
In winter the snow falls and covers the streets and fields. Boys like snow; they make balls of it and go "snowballing" - throwing them at passers-by or at one another. Sometimes the members of a family go out and make a big figure of snow - a snowman. They put an old pipe in its mouth and a hat on its head.
When two Englishman meet they often begin their conversation talking about the weather. The weather is always a topic conversation and a good one. They do this because they don't know each other well enough to talk about personal matters. They may not wish to talk about politics until they know each other better. So they are glad to have a topic about which they cannot quarrel with each other. When Englishmen go abroad they often surprise people of other nations by this tendency to talk about the weather. Other people don't find this topic of conversation very interesting.
Nearly all English daily newspapers publish a weather forecast. “The Times” Weather Forecast: "Much cloud; showers in many places; cool; morning mist. Further outlook: Unsettled."
