Passage2MostAmericansdon’tliketogetadvicefrommembersoftheirfamily.Whentheyneedadvice,theydon’tusuallyaskpeopletheyknow.InsteadmanyAmericanswriteletterstonewspapersandmagazineswhichgiveadviceonmanydifferentsubjects,includingfamilyproblems,sex,theuseoflanguage,health,cooking,childcare,clothes,andhowtobuyahouseoracar.Mostnewspapersregularlyprintlettersfromreaderswithproblems.Alongwiththelettersthereareanswerswrittenbypeoplewhoaresupposedtoknowhowtosolvesuchproblems.Someofthesewritersaredoctors;othersarelawyersoreducators.Buttwoofthemostfamouswritersofadvicearewomenwithoutspecialtrainingforthesekindsofwork.Oneofthemanswerslettersaddressedto“DearAbby”.Theotherisaddressedas“DearAnnLanders”.Experienceistheirpreparationforgivingadvice.Thereisonewriterwhohasn’tlivedlongenoughtohavemuchexperience.SheisagirlnamedAngelCavaliere,whostartedwritingadvicefornewspaperreadersattheageoften.HeradvicetoyoungreadersnowappearsregularlyinthePhiladelphiaBulletininacolumncalledDEARANGEL.birdintheUK,nowit’sindanger.”Bynowthesunisupandthebirdsarequiet.It’slightsotheycanstartlookingforfood,theyneedabigbreakfastafterallthatsinging.16.WhataremostAmericansusuallydoiftheyneedadvice?
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__________.