Background Knowledge 1.Weather:The climate of British Isles is generally mild,not very cold in winter,and never very hot in summer.The rivers seldom freeze in winter,and snow never lies on the ground for long except in the north,especially in the Highlands of Scotland.Sheep and cattle can graze on the meadows all the year round.All parts of British Isles have a lot of rain in all seasons.In winter, thick fogs occasionally cover many parts of Britain.The mild and damp climate is very good for agriculture,especially for vegetable-farming,sheep- and cattle-farming But there is always an element of surprise in the British climate.In some countries,people can put away their raincoats for several months and let their fires go out during the burning heat of the summer.Not so in Britain,where we never know from one day to the next what is in store for us.No wonder the most common topic of conversation in British life is the weather. More Background Knowledge 1.Weather:The climate of British Isles is generally mild, not very cold in winter, and never very hot in summer. The rivers seldom freeze in winter, and snow never lies on the ground for long, except in the north, especially in the Highlands of Scotland. Sheep and cattle can graze on the meadows all the year round. All parts of British Isles have a lot of rain in all seasons. In winter, thick fogs occasionally cover many parts of Britain. The mild and damp climate is very good for agriculture, especially for vegetable-farming, sheep￾and cattle-farming. But there is always an element of surprise in the British climate. In some countries, people can put away their raincoats for several months and let their fires go out during the burning heat of the summer. Not so in Britain, where we never know from one day to the next what is in store for us. No wonder the most common topic of conversation in British life is the weather. More