Healthcare

Most of the time we feel well. We can play sports, go to work and enjoy our lives. But sometimes we just don't feel well. Some people have medical insurance but most people can't afford it and rely on the Nation Health Service, the NHS. The NHS has sent everybody in Britain a Self-Help Guide. This will help you diagnose what is wrong and find the best treatment. You may need to go to the chemist to buy cough mixture or pills for a headache. There are lots of medicines you can buy in the chemist but for more powerful ones like antibiotics you need to have a prescription.
If you can't get to a doctor, there are two other NHS services you could try. The first is NHS DIrect. The NHS also provides Walk-in Centres in more than 60 locations in Britain. You don't ned and appointment - you can just go in and wait until a doctor is available to treat you.
Doctors and medical staff can cure lots of illnesses now using surgery and treatment with drugs.
But many people prefer alternative medicine. This can include many kinds of treatment using both very old and very modern techniques. Hopefully these treatments won't be necessary. The best way to avoid getting ill is to have a healthy diet, fets lots of exercise and take good care of yourself.

The Weather

The weather is a very popular topic of conversation in Britain. That's because the weather changes a lot. When the weather is good, people complain that it's too hot. When it rains, they say it's too wet. When it isn't sunny, they say it's too 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. Then the autumn September, October and November.

It's not surprising that Britain has got one of the most important weather centres in the world. Two huge supercomputers analyse information from many sources including satellites. This is very different from some of the early weather forecasts. This is the first one published in The Times in 1879. Scientists at the Met Office make weather forecasts for the public and for special purposes miltray, shipping, airlines and many others. The computers can predict the tropical storms and hurricanes that cause so much damage around the world. The trouble is weather changes very quickly and so nobodyever believes the weather forecast.