B

Australia’s climate is influenced by its geography.Although it is surrounded on all sides by the sea，there are no major inlets that extend to the interior areas;thus the sea has little moderating effect on the weather away from the coast.As the wind is mostly easterly，and with the mountain ranges running mostly from south to north，the sea winds are generally blocked from bringing rain to the western plains.As a result，about 68％ of Australia’s territory receives less than 500 millimeters of rainfall，of which about half has a precipitation of no more than 250 millimeters.

The aridity of the country is accompanied by high temperatures in summer months.Apart from Tasmania and the southeastern part of the continent，all parts of Australia have tropical or near⁃tropical climate.Thus heat waves are common，especially in the northwestern part of the country，where the temperature was once recorded to have stayed above 40℃for more than 160 days.In winter months temperatures remain moderate except in the uplands of Tasmania and the southeastern part of Australia，where there is frequent snow and night frosts.

Northern Australia is under the influence of a northerly monsoon，which brings summer rains to the northern coastal and inland areas.The trade winds also bring heavy rains to the Pacific coast of Queensland and northern New South Wales，making these areas the wettest in Australia，with an annual rainfall exceeding 2，000 millimeters.In southern Australia，the west wind also brings rain in winter，with the uplands getting more than the plains.

Australia’s location in the southern hemisphere also makes its seasons different from other parts of the world.When New York is celebrating Christmas in the snow，residents of Sydney are probably enjoying a bright and sunny summer day.