【英语趣味课堂】澳大利亚-The Land of Australia

Todd: Now, Aaron, Australia's a big place. Can you describe the Australian landscape?

 

Aaron: No worries. In Australia, there are cities and then there is country. Not many people live in the country, and the desert. About 70% of the population live on the East Coast on a very small area, and 80% maybe 70% of Australia is just desert. Nobody lives there, or it's just farms and nobody lives there as well. The cities aren't like Japan. They're very small cities, and there's a one high-rise area and then the rest of it is just flat.

 

Todd: How about the natural landscapes like deserts and rainforests, and things like that?

 

Aaron: No worries. The rainforests are in the south, mainly in Tasmania, and in the tropics¹ to the north, but the desert is the center of Australia and the north of Australia as well and on the west coast. There's not much rainforest. There's a lot of desert. Not many rainforests and the rest is just built up area. Suburban² areas. 

 

Todd: Um, Australia is know for it's beaches. What area has the nicest beaches? 

 

Aaron: The nicest beaches are probably in Queensland, or the Gold Coast. The West Coast has some great beaches as well, but there are now cities over there, so it's not so popular, but I think the best beaches are in Queensland, cause the pollution is so low. In the cities, in the south, the beaches are a bit dirty, so you can't always swim there.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

landscape

 

Can you describe the Australian landscape?

 

In this case 'landscape' refers to the natural look of the land in areas where people haven't changed it, like the country. Notice the following:

 

There are all different types of landscapes in a small area of this country.

The landscape here is flat and boring

country

 

In Australia, not many people live in the country.

 

The 'country' is are that is mostly open land, sometimes used for farming⁴, and doesn't have many people that live there. It is not urban³ and doesn't have big buildings or many cars. Notice the following:

 

He bought a house in the country to escape from the crazy life of the city.

We own a farm in the country.

flat

 

There's one high-rise area and the rest is just flat.

 

A 'flat' area doesn't have any hills or mountains. Notice the following:

 

It is a lot easier to run here because the trail⁵ is flat.

You need a really flat area to play soccer.

built-up area

 

The rest of Australia is just built-up areas.

 

A 'built-up area' is an area where a lot of human construction or changes have happened. Notice the following:

 

The city continues to grow and they have built up the surrounding areas so it can expand.

This area has been built up a lot and looks nothing like it did one hundred years ago.

pollution

 

The best beaches are in Queensland, where pollution is low.

 

'Pollution' is the contamination⁶ or natural things, such as air and water, that are a result of human actions. An example is smoke from cars or factories that causes problems in the air.  Notice the following:

 

The city is doing a lot to reduce water pollution and make the lakes safer for swimming and fishing.

Now that more people have cars air pollution has become a big problem.

1 tropics   

(名)热带

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• I went to the tropics for the first time last year. 我去年第一次去了热带地区。

2 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

3 urban   

adj.都市的，住在都市的，习惯于都市的

参考例句：

• Traffic is a major urban problem.交通是城市的一个主要问题。
• The spread of urban areas endangers wildlife.扩大城市面积危害着野生物。

4 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。

5 trail   

n.踪迹，痕迹，一串，尾部，小径，尾，持枪姿势；vt.拖，尾随，追踪，落后于

参考例句：

• The car raised a trail of dust.汽车掀起了一股尘土。
• The hound found the trail of the rabbit.猎狗发现了兔子的踪迹。

6 contamination   

n.污染

参考例句：

• We must ensure our children against contamination by bad ideas. 我们必须保护我们的儿童不受坏思想的侵蚀。
• There is a danger of serious contamination from radioactive waste. 放射性废弃物有严重污染的危险。