Climate. The Uk, the USA and Belarus. Form 9.

 The UK

The UK is an island country and its weather and climate are strongly influenced by the sea, which surrounds the British Isles (Great Britain and Ireland). As the British Isles are times smaller than other lands in the northern hemisphere, they are more influenced by the ocean than inland countries with similar latitude.

The sea warms up and cools down more slowly than land, keeping winters relatively (относительно) warm but also making the summers cooler. Besides, the warm sea current called the Gulf Stream, which starts in the Gulf of Mexico, keeps the sea on the west side of Britain warmer – frosts are rare (редки) in these areas.

The overall climate in the UK is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C in winter and not much higher than 30 °C in summer. It also means that it is humid and changeable.

The USA

Because of its huge (very big) size the US climate is incredibly varied. If there is a ‘general’ climate then it is temperate, but it is also tropical in Florida and Hawaii, arctic in Alaska, arid in the Great Basin of the southwest and semi-arid in the Great Plains to the west of the Mississippi River. The temperatures range from 57 degrees C during the summer months in California’s  Death Valley to –62 degrees C in Alaska, with lots of different temperatures in between.

Belarus

Belarus has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons and a sharp contrast between severe winters and warm summers. The average annual temperature is 5.8 degrees Celsius. Average monthly temperatures vary by 24 °C, ranging from –6 degrees Celsius on average in January to that of 18 degrees Celsius in summer. Belarus has an average annual precipitation (rain and snow) of 550 to 700 mm, spread evenly throughout all months. The average number of sunlight hours in Minsk is 1815 (of 4383 possible). It means that it is sunny 41,4% of daylight hours. The remaining 58,6% of daylight hours are cloudy, foggy or misty, mostly from October to March. In general, there are no significant (great) differences between the districts of Belarus, due to the small size of the country. The climate is influenced by the country’s inland location, the domination of flat relief and relative remoteness from the Atlantic Ocean.

I. Complete the sentences.

1. As the British Isles are times smaller than….

2. This means that it is mild with….

3. The temperatures range from 57 degrees…

4. Belarus has a humid continental climate with…

5. The average number of sunlight hours..

6. The climate is influenced by the country’s inland…

II. True or false?

1. The sea warms up and cools down more slowly than land, keeping winters cool relatively but also making the summers warmer.

2. The overall climate in the UK is continental.

3. The temperatures range from 57 degrees C during the summer months in California’s Death Valley to +30 degrees C in Alaska.

4. Belarus has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons.

5. Due to the small size of the country, there are no significant differences between the districts of Belarus.

III. Write the missing words.

The UK is an island country and its weather and climate are strongly influenced by the___, which surrounds the______. The overall climate in the UK is called ____maritime. This means that it is ____with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C in winter and not much higher than 30 °C in_____.

The US climate is_____. But it is also _____in Florida and Hawaii, ____in Alaska, ___in the Great Basin of the southwest and ____in the Great Plains to the west of the Mississippi River.

Belarus has a humid ____climate with four distinct seasons and a sharp contrast between severe ____and warm____. The climate is influenced by the country’s inland____, the domination of flat relief and relative remoteness from the_____  _____.