4. Верны или неверны следующие высказывания. Поставьте true (верно) и false (неверно).
1. Australia is a vast sub-tropical land.
2. The capital of the country is Sydney.
3. There are 6 states and an island Tasmania.
4. The Blue Mountains are located in the state of New South Wales.
5. Tasmania, the island south of Australia, is small, it is the same size as Canada.
6. There are many deserts in Tasmania.
7. Every year, thousands of tourists visit Ayers Rock and a strange group of huge black stones called "the Olgas".
8. The climate is the same in the whole country.
9. Australia is sometimes called "the lucky country".
10. There are three kinds of gold in Western Australia.
When we hear the word Australia, we imagine boomerang, kangaroo, crocodiles, snakes, etc.
Australia is a vast sub-continental land. It is today an independent member of the Commonwealth, self-governing since January 1, 1901. There are 6 states and an island Tasmania: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. The capital of the country is Canberra. The biggest city of Australia is Sydney.
It is located in the state of New South Wales. It's the best-known place in Australia. But New South Wales has more than cities. There are, for example, the Blue Mountains. They are covered with forests of blue coloured eucalyptus trees. The air above the forest contains millions of microscopic drops of eucalyptus oil. When the sun shines, the air of the Blue Mountains is a real, beautiful blue colour.
South Australia is the driest of all the states. The only big river in this place is the Murray River. In the early of the Australian history, the Murray River was South Australia's main road. Before real roads and railways came, the river carried people and goods from the east up into the country. Some towns on the Murray still keep the old riverboats, and visitors can ride them.
Tasmania is an island in the south of Australia. It’s not big. It's the same size as England. It also differs from the other Australian states. There are no deserts in Tasmania. It often rains, both in winter and summer. Only half a million people live in Tasmania, and a large part of the island is still covered with wild, beautiful forests. These forests are full of wonderful flowers and interesting animals. Once upon a time, there was living a nation of Tasmanian people. They spoke their own language, had own culture. In a few decades after arrival of white people, they disappeared as a nation.
Every year, thousands of tourists visit Ayers Rock that is located in the Northern Territory and a strange group of huge red stones, which are holy to the aboriginals.
Australian seasons are the antithesis of those in Europe and North America (because Australia is south of the Equator): 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).
Seasonal variations are not extreme and its rare for temperatures to drop below zero on the mainland except in the mountains. 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. Summer (December-February) can get uncomfortably hot just about anywhere, except Tasmania.
Australia is sometimes called "the lucky country". One reason is the wonderful riches under the earth: gold, silver, iron, coal and many precious metals. There are two kinds of gold in Western Australia. First, there's real kind — the kind that comes out of the ground. Gold was found in Kalgoorlie in 1893, and the "Golden Mile" was for a time the most expensive piece of land in the world. Kalgorlie still exports some gold, but the new gold of Western Australia is wheat. Big farms grow millions of tons of wheat every year, and wheat has become Australia's second biggest export.