PassagetwoEnglandisnotabigcountry:fromnorthtosouthandfromeasttowestitisonlyaboutthreehundredmilesacross.Butforasmallcountryithasasurprisingrangeofclimate.PeoplewhohavenevervisitedEngland,orwhohavevisitedonlyonepartofit,oftenmakethemistakeofthinkingthatitisacoldandwetcountry.ExceptforthesummermonthsofJunetoSeptember,thisisprobablytrueofthenorthofEnglandandtheMidlands.Inthesouth,however,theclimateismuchmorepleasant.OneresultisthatwhenpeopleretirefromajobinthenorththeyoftenprefertomovedowntothemildersouthPerhapsthewarmestpartofthecountryisthesouthwest,whichconsistsofthecountiesofDevonandCornwall.ThewarmGulfStreamflowsacrosstheNorthAtlanticOceanfromtheGulfofMexicoandmakesthecoastalregionsofthesouthwestquitewarm.Palmtrees,bamboo(竹)andmanysemi-tropical(亚热带的)plantsgrowwellinthesouthwestofEngland.Flowersandvegetablesripen(成熟)asmuchasamonthearlierthanthoseelsewhere.Farmersintheareaobtainahigherpricefortheirvegetablesandflowersbecausetheyarereadyeartier.InwintertheremaybeseveralfeetofsnowinotherpartsofEnglandbuttherewillprobablybenosnowatallinthesouthwest.ThismaybeoneofthereasonswhythesouthwestisoneofEngland’smostpopularholidayareas.16.ThedistancefromthecentreofEnglandtothesouthcoastisabout__________.