Английский язык. Александрова Г.А. - 60 стр.

Pennines going down England like a backbone and the Cumbrian moun-
tains of the Lake District, one of the loveliest parts of England.
       The south eastern part of England is a low-lying land with gentle
hills and a coast which is regular in outline, sandy or muddy, with occa-
sional chalk cliffs and inland, a lovely pattern of green and gold-for most
of England’s wheat is grown here – and brown plough – land with pleas-
ant farms and cottages in their midst.
       The longest rivers, except the Severn and Clyde, flow into the North
Sea. The rivers of Britain are no great value as water-ways – the longest,
the Thames, is a little over 200 miles – and few of them are navigable.
       In the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Tyne, Clude, Tay, Forth and
Bristol Avon are some of the greatest ports.
       The outstanding features of the climate of Britain are its humidity,
its mildness, and its variability. These characteristics are due to the fact
that the prevailing winds blow from the ocean, they are mild in winter and
cool in summer, and are heavily charged with moisture at all times. The
wettest parts of Britain are: the Western Highlands of Scotland, the Lake
District, and North Wales. The eastern side of Britain is said to be in the
rain-shadow. The wettest seasons are autumn and winter but in the district
between the Humber and the Thames most rain falls in summer half of the
year. Oxford, for example, has 29 percent of its rain in summer and only
22 percent in winter.
       Britain has warmer winters than any other district in the same lati-
tude, The Gulf Stream flows from the Gulf of Mexico transfers a great
deal of heat from equatorial regions to north - western Europe. For many
parts of the British Isles February is the coldest month and usually August
the hottest month.
       England is a highly developed industrial country. One of the lead-
ing industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. The main centres of
the textile region are Liverpool and Manchester. Manchester is the chief
cotton manufacturing city surrounded by a number of towns. Every town
has specialized in producing certain kinds of yarn and fabrics. Plants pro-
ducing textile machinery not only satisfy the needs of British industry but
also export great quantities of machinery to the other countries. Northern
and Western England is a coal, metal and textile country. The most an-
cient centres of English iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Shef-
field. Iron smelting based on local ore deposits has been practised here
since ancient times. In the period of England’s industrialization Birming-
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