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учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку (11 класс)

Text 1. Geographical position of Australia

Australia is the only country in the world that is also a continent. It is the sixth large country and the smallest continent. Australia lies between the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It is situated in the south-west of North America and in the southeast of mainland Asia.

The official name is Commonwealth of Australia. Its area is about 8,000,000 square km. The population of Australia is about 20 mln. 70 per cent of the population lives in its 10 largest cities. Australia is the flattest continent after Antarctica. It is also the world’s driest continent.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is not a biggest city. Sidney and Melbourne are much bigger. Captain James Cook discovered Australia in 1770. He was sent to discover the huge land that many people believed was south of the equator. He landed south of present day Sydney in New South Wales. He claimed this part of the land for the King of England.

The Aborigines are the Australian natives that had been living there for thousands of years before the first Europeans came to Australia in the 1600s. The Aborigines, the Australian natives, represent about 1.5 per cent of the population.

VOCABULARY:

Australia-Австралия, Commonwealth- Содружество, Canberra-Канберра, Sydney-Сидней , Melbourne- Мельбурн, Captain James Cook- капитан Джеймс Кук, equator-экватор, Aborigines-аборигены, natives-коренные жители

Text 2. The History of Australia.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain. In the 1770 the English captain James Cook discovered the East Coast of Australia. Nearly 20 million people live in Australia. The capital of the country is Canberra, this city became the capital in 1927. It is a member of the Commonwealth headed by the British Queen. The official language is English. The largest cities are Sidney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. The Commonwealth of Australia is a self-government federal state. It has six states: new south Wales, Victoria, Queens land, south Australia, western Australia and two internal territories.

The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent. The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven-pointed star represents the six States and Territories, and the small stars from the Southern Cross – a prominent feature of the southern hemisphere night sky.

Australia's coat of arms – the official emblem of the Australian Government – was granted by George V in 1912. In 1984 Australia officially adopted green and gold as its national colors. In 1956 the Olympic Games were held in Melbourne. In the year 2000 Australia was host the Olympics in Sydney.

Australia is one of the world’s developed countries. It is the world’s leading producer of wool and bauxite. It also produces and exports large amounts of other minerals and farm goods. Australians have high standard of living. The most important trading partners of Australia are Japan and the United States.

VOCABULARY:

Constitutional monarchy- конституционная монархия, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations- член Британского Содружества наций , high standard of living- высокий уровень жизни, trading partners- торговые партнеры

Text 3. Flora and fauna of Australia

Australians love their wildlife. Tue Australian government pays a lot of attention to the preservation of the environment.

Australia’s best-known animals are the kangaroo, the koala and the dingo (a wild dog). There are 50 species of kangaroo. Some stand as tall as a man and some are as small as a cat. They can often be seen in many of the forests and parks. The koala is the best loved of all Australian animals. About 400 species of birds in Australia are found nowhere else in the world. There 55 species of parrots in Australia. They are very colourful. The emu is the most interesting bird in Australia. It is big and cannot fly. The kangaroo and emu can be seen on Australia’s coat of arms. The kookaburra is another interesting Australia bird. It cannot sing, but laughs like a human.

The unique climate and the isolation of Australia from other continents explain the existence of unusual plants and animals. The commonest tree of Australia is the eucalyptus. In those areas one can also find strange bottle trees. They preserve water in their trunks.

VOCABULARY:

Kangaroo-кенгуру, koala-коала, dingo-динго, emu-эму, kookaburra-кукабарра, unique-уникальный, existence-происхождение, bottle tree- дерево бутылка, preserve-сохранять, trunk- ствол.

Text 4 The Climate of Australia

Australian climate is dry and warm. Australia is situated in the Southern Hemisphere and that is why it has summer when we have winter. January is the hottest month in Australia. The whole central part of the country is dry; it never rains, there are no large rivers and no water there.

Summer starts in December (ends in February), autumn in March (ends in May), winter in June (ends in August) and spring in September (ends in November).

The country occupies the whole continent, so the climate is different in different regions of the country. The southern states are popular during the summer months, but the best time to visit is probably the seasons of spring or autumn when the weather in the south is mild. Average annual temperatures vary from about 27 °C in the north of the continent to 13 °C in the south. Floods and cyclones are rather common along the coast of the continent.

VOCABULARY:

Hemisphere- полушарие, average- средний, cyclone- циклон, flood-наводнение, coast- побережье, common-обычный.

Text 5 Sport in Australia

A lot of Australians think you shouldn't worry too much about life.

But some things in life are really important, and to many Australian men, one of these things is sport. Australians are lucky. They have a perfect climate, and an endless amount of land. They have wonderful waves for surfers on their beaches. They also have a strong wish to win. Australia has a very high number of world champions, in all kinds of sports.

Around the country you'll find plenty of opportunities for golf, squash, tennis, horse or motorcycle, fishing and so on. Surfing is almost a religion for many Australians who follow the waves around the country . Then, there's motor racing and motorcycle racing, horse racing, yacht racing, cricket matches and lots more.

In June in Darwin the Beer Can Regatta takes place when there are boat races for boats constructed entirely out of beer cans — there are plenty of those in the world's beer drinking capital.

In September attention is attached to Melbourne where Australian Football Cup takes place. Australian Football is played in Australia only. This is a game where two teams of 18 players. The players are-allowed to play with their legs and arms. Grand Australian Football Cup is the biggest sports competition of the year.

On the first Tuesday of November the greatest horse race for Melbourne Cup is held.

VOCABULARY:

Wave-волна, beach-пляж, strong wish- сильное желание, surfing- серфинг, religion- религия, Cup- кубок.

Text 6 Attractions in Australia

Australia has a lot to offer to tourists. Australia is a magnificent place with unparalleled natural setting and unique geographical location. Many people desire to visit the country because of its wildlife, climate, picturesque coast line of blue Pacific and Indian oceans, surfing schools, beautiful people and sightseeing attractions of Sydney.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is very young city. Population is about 310,000 people.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. It’s over 2000 km. It stretches along the east coast of Queensland.

The most famous building in the country is the Sydney Opera House. Its roof looks like sails. It is a masterpiece of architecture. More than 5,000 people can visit concerts, operas, theatre performances and other events.
Kakadu National Park is in Australia’s Northern Territory and covers about 20,000 square kilometres. It is a wetland with over 200 kinds of birds and 1,700 plant species. It is also the home of Australian crocodiles.

Australia is the driest continent on the Earth. The unique climate and the isolation of Australia from other continents explain the existence of unusual plants and animals.

Australia is a multicultural society. People from about 200 nations live there. Australians celebrate Christmas in summer.

VOCABULARY:

Attraction-привлекательность, magnificent - великолепный, unique-уникальный, picturesque coast line-живописная линия берега, surfing schools- школы серфинга, Great Barrier Reef- Большой Барьерный риф , coral reef- корраловый риф , Sydney Opera House- Сиднейский Оперный дом, sail-парус, masterpiece- шедевр, architecture- архитектура, Kakadu National Park- Национальный Парк Какаду, unique- уникальный