Английский для гуманитарных вузов

Ask 4 – 5 questions about the text ( in written form ).

When two Englishmen meet, their first words will be «How do you do?» and «How are you?» After the reply «How do you do? Very well , thank you and how are you?» they often speak about the weather.
If the day is fine, the sky is cloudless, the sun is shining brightly one of them will say, «It is a lovely day, isn΄t it?» or «It is warm today, isn΄t it?» The other person will reply, «Yes, it is. It is as warm today as it was yesterday!» or «It’s wonderful weather we are having. I hope it will keep fine». If the day is not fine and it looks like rain, one of them will say, «It is not warm today, is it? » The other person will reply, «No, it is not. I think we are going to have some more rain.»
What is the weather like in the UK? The climate in the UK is milder than that of other countries. The winters are warmer and there is not much snow in winter. The summers are cooler than those on the continent. It is never too cold or too hot there. The changes in temperature are not very great in the UK.
The weather forecasts that you see below show you what kind of weather they have in the UK in spring, summer, autumn and winter. In spring: Mild, dry and sunny. Rain, cloudy and warm. In summer: Dry, cloudy and cool. Rain and showers. In autumn: Dry, sunny periods. Fog early and late. In winter: Strong winds, heavy rain. Snow, cold.
The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for plants and flowers. Some of them have become symbols in the UK. Probably you know that the poppy is the symbol of peace, the red rose is the national emblem of England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and Edinburgh International Festival.
The UK was originally a land of vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch in the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors .
In the course of time people cleared much forest land and put under cultivation almost all the Lowlands outside the industrial areas. Today only about 6 per cent of the total area remains wooded. Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in south eastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash and beech are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much pine and birch. There are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses in the cultivated areas.
The fauna or animal life of the UK is much like that of northwestern Europe. People hunted to extinction many larger mammals such as bear and wolf , now the law protects others .There are still about 50 land mammals in the UK. There are many foxes. Otters are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along parts of the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are numerous There are several small lizards, two or three kinds of snakes, and several kinds of frogs and toads. Some 230 kinds of birds live in the UK, another 200 are regular visitors, and many are songbirds. The law protects large and rare birds.