Englandisnotabigcountry:fromnorthtosouthand[29]fromeasttowestitisonlyaboutthreehundredmilesacross.Butforasmallcountry[30]ithasasurprisinglywiderangeofclimates.PeoplewhohavenevervisitedEnglandorwhohavevisitedonlypartofitoftenmakethemistakethatitisaverycoldandwetcountry.ExceptforthesummermonthsofJunetoSeptember,thisisprobablytrueofthenorthofEnglandandtheMidlands.Inthesouth,however,theclimateismuchmorepleasant.Oneresultisthatwhenpeopleretirefromtheirworkinthenorth,theyoftenprefertomovedowntothesouth.
Perhapsthewarmestpartofthecountryisthesouthwest,whichconsistsofthecountiesofDevonandCornwall,wherepalmtrees,bambooandmanysemitropicalplantsgrowwell.[31]Flowersandvegetablesripenasmuchasamonthearlierthanthoseelsewhere.Farmersintheareasgainahigherpricefortheirvegetablesandflowersbecausetheyarereadyearlier.InwintertheremaybeseveralfeetofsnowinotherpartsofEnglandbuttherewillprobablybenosnowatallinthesouthwest.ThismaybeoneofthereasonswhythesouthwestisoneofEngland'smostpopularholidayareas.
Questions29to31arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
29.What'sthedistancefromthecentreofEnglandtothesouthcoast?
解析：数字计算题。根据录音首句“从北部到南部，以及从东部到西部，只有大约300英里的距离”，那么从centre到coast就是其中一半的距离，即150英里，故选C。
30.WhatissaidabouttheclimateofEngland?
解析：细节题。ofgreatvariety是awiderange的同义表达，故D正确。
31.Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaccordingtothepassage?
解析：本题考查对细节的记忆与理解。长句子要在听到主语后将谓语、宾语或表语与原文进行对比，能够匹配的往往是答案。本题选A。其他选项多是利用原文中出现过的词进行干扰。
