9. The weather

The weather is a very popular topic of conversation in Britain. That's because the weather changes a lot.

Sixty-five per cent of all the days in Britain are overcast.

When it rains, they say it's too wet.

When it isn't sunny, they say it's to cold.

The seasons in Britain are fairly clear. Winter lasts from December to February.

Spring is from March to May.

The summer months are June, July and August when it can be very hot.

Then the autumn is from of September, October and November.

The trouble is weather changes very quickly and so nobody ever believes the weather forecast.

8 The books

British people read a lot. They read books, newspapers and magazines.

Sixty-five per cent of British people list 'reading for pleasure' as a major hobby. A quarter part of the populationa reads more than 20 books each year.

Many libraries have also got special rooms with books and photographs about the history of the area.

Libraries are very important in schools and universities both for study and for reading for pleasure.

People predicted that radio, then television, then the Internet would kill reading, but it is still a very popular activity.