普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修9 Unit 3 Australia-Readin

  The computers at Susan's school are all connected to each other and the school has an online notice board where students can ask questions and give their opinions. Susan posted a question about the discovery of Australia on the on-line notice board. Read the questions and what her fellow students replied.

 

Greenhill rash1 School Notice Board

My grandfather says that Captain Cook discovered Australia in l770.But I don’t think that’s right．What does everyone else think?Susan Strong

I agree with you．Susan．When your grandfather was at school people were taught that CooK discovered Australia，but it’s really only part of the story．Lots of other people had already explored northern and western parts of the continent before Captain Cook arrived.Captain Cook was probably the first European to sail up the east coast of Australia，however，and he was the  first it70-produce a map of the east coast．He called the land he saw“New South Wales2”and  claimed it for England．Brett Taylor

So,who WAS the first person to discover Australia?Paul Baker3

I think the Spanish and the Portugese were the first to catch sight of the north coast of Australiabut it was a Dutch4 captain who first mapped part of the north coast in l 606．Brett Taylor

I don't think you can say these people“discovered”Australia because they didn’t know they had  reached a continent．They just saw small pieces of land and marked them on a map of the ocean．Over the next hundred years many adventurers from Holland5，Spain，Portugal and England sailed up and down the west coast and mapped the pieces they saw．Then in l644 a Dutchman called Abel Tasman made a map on which he drew all the land they knew about at the time and guessed  the rest．He called the country on his map“New Holland”．Mary White

Then，who gave Australia its name?Sam Hill

I know the answer to that．Long after Abel Tasman had mapped the west coast，and more than 30 years afler Cook had mapped the east coast，another Englishman，called Mathew Flinders，sailed right around Australia for the first time．This was between l 802 and l 803．Flinders produced a map that proved that New Holland and New South Wales were part of the same continent.And on this map he wrote for the first time the word Australia．So I guess you could say，he was the first person to discover Australia!Susan Strong

Haven’t you all forgotten something very important?The Europeans weren’t the first people to sail to Australia．The Chinese were here long before them．In fact，some people believe Chinese sailors regularly6 journeyed to Australia as early as the ninth century to dlg tor copper7.Later， between l421 and l424，ships from the great Chinese fleet8 led by Zheng He sailed to Australia.  I read about this on a website called www．1421．tv．Nick Chance

I'm afraid you’re all wron9．The first people to discover Australia came from Asia at least 40,000  years a90．They walked south across a land bridge that used to join the Asian and Australian  continents together．Then about l0,000 years a90，at the end of the Ice Age，the level of the oceans rose and those people living in the Australian continent were trapped．They are the ancestors10 of the modern—day Aborigines．Patrick Hall

1 rash   

adj.轻率的；n.（皮）疹，爆发的一连串

参考例句：

• My skin has broken out in an itchy rash.我的皮肤上突然长出一片让人发痒的皮疹。
• Don't be rash in making your decision.别轻率做出决定。

2 Wales   

n.威尔士(在大不列颠岛西南部)

参考例句：

• The company are opening up a new factory in Wales.公司将在威尔士开一家新工厂。
• She teaches English at the University of Wales.她在威尔士大学教英语。

3 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

4 Dutch   

adj.荷兰(人)的；荷兰语(或文化)的；n.[the~]荷兰人；荷兰语

参考例句：

• The British and Dutch belong to the same race.英国人和荷兰人是同一种族。
• Do you know anyone who speaks Dutch?你认识会讲荷兰语的人吗？

5 Holland   

n.荷兰(欧洲)

参考例句：

• There are many dairies in Holland.荷兰有很多牛奶场。
• Holland is one of Germany's neighbours.荷兰是德国的邻国之一。

6 regularly   

adv.有规则地，一丝不苟地，正式地

参考例句：

• Check the engine oil level regularly.要时常检查机油量。
• We meet regularly to discuss business.我们定期会面讨论事务。

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 fleet   

n.舰队；船队，机群

参考例句：

• He made his money with a fleet of moving vans.他靠一队家具搬运车赚钱。
• He was placed in command of the fleet.他被任命为舰队司令。

9 trapped   

adj. 捕获的，被困的，截留的 动词trap的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• Two passengers are still trapped in the wreck. 有两名乘客仍被困在失事的车辆里。
• The thief was trapped by the police in an old house. 小偷被警察困在一所旧房子里。

10 ancestors   

n.祖先( ancestor的名词复数 )；祖宗；原型；（动物的）原种

参考例句：

• His ancestors had come to America from Ireland. 他的祖先从爱尔兰来到美国。
• The custom of worshipping ancestors is prevalent among these people. 崇拜祖先的风俗在这些人中是普遍的。 来自《简明英汉词典》