1. Australia. Terra Incognita
Part 2
It is supposed that Australia's native inhabitants arrived in Australia at least 40 000 years ago.
Due to its geographical position Australia was the last continent to be inhabited by the white man.
Originally discovered by the Dutch (1606) it was not settled till Captain Cook discovered the east coast
in 1770 and added the land to the possessions of the British Crown.
After the victory of the US in the War of Independence (1776) the convicts could no longer be
transported to the American colonies and British jails were overcrowded. A plan to establish penal
settlements in the new continent was advanced. The first contingent of the convicts and their guards
landed where Sydney stands today, on January 26, 1788. Gradually more and more people arrived
(convicts and free settlers).
The discovery of gold in 1851 drew crowds of men to Australia and character of the colony began
to change. But still, agriculture and the raising of sheep and cattle remained for a long time the economic
basis of the country. Europeans brought with them sheep, rabbits, cats and foxes. Their arrival altered
millennia of stability within 2 centuries.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the Australian colonies began to desire some form of union. They
formed a federation. In 1901 the separate colonies in Australia merged together and became the states of
the Commonwealth of Australia, which acquired the status of a dominion of Great Britain.
Australia today is a rapidly developing land. It is one of the ten foremost countries in terms of its level
of economic development. Its economy is open, internationally competitive and growing. Mining and
agriculture, forestry and fishing remain the foundations of Australia economic prosperity.
Australia's population is very small for such a huge country. Australians are hard and highly skilled
workers. They are kind, simple, friendly, and happily informal people, democratic in their institutions and
by nature. Australians are an outdoor people. Their country's mild climate permits them to enjoy all kinds
of sports during most of the year. Games like tennis, hockey and cricket are very popular. And the
Australian climate is very suitable for activities like swimming, surfing and sailing.
Exercises
I. True or false? Correct the wrong statements.
1. Australia is a republic. 2. Australia was the last continent to be inhabited by the white
man. 3. The separate colonies merged together in 1606. 4. The name "Australia" means
"South Land".
II. Chose the correct variant.
1.When did the first Europeans reach Australia?
A. 1606 B. 1770 C. 1788
2.One of the states separated from the others is ...
A. Tasmania B. Victoria C. Queensland
3. When was there "gold rush" in Australia?
A. 1770 B. 1851 C. 1901
III. Match words similar in meaning.
1.Flora a. A kind of ostrich
2.Vary b. Eucalyptus
3.Emu c. Vegetation
4.Gum d. Range
5.Bark e. To calculate roughly
6. Estimate f. The covering of a tree