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An Australian scientist says his country needs an extra couple of seasons. And he isn’t joking. Dr. Tim Entwisle, boss of Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, told Australia’s ABC News that Australians should stop thinking there are four seasons. He said this idea was “inherited” from Britain centuries ago. Dr. Entwisle said Australia really has at least five or six seasons. The country has many different regions and weather conditions. The far north is tropical and the south gets snow. In between there are deserts and mountains. Entwisle suggested some names for the new seasons. He proposed "sprummer" is the season between spring and summer, and "sprinter" covers the post-winter, early-spring period.

There is actually a lot of sense in Entwisle’s proposal. Aboriginal Australians have up to eight seasons. They have lived on the land for thousands of years and are experts in understanding local conditions. By contrast, non-indigenous people living in the north of Australia say there is just a dry and wet season. Some northerners say there is an extra "mango madness" season when it gets really humid. Dr. Entwisle believes different regions would need a different number of seasons, saying: "Five or six seasons would better reflect what we experience. If we're going to detect changes due to climate change, it's important that we get our seasons a little more in tune with the environment." He didn’t say whether there would be a silly season.

www.breakingnewsenglish.com