【英语趣味课堂】澳大利亚-Australia

 The Australian flag has the Union Jack¹ in the top left-hand corner. The rest of the flag is dark blue and then it has six white stars on it. I think they represent six different states in Australia, but I'm not really sure.

 

My favorite city in Australia is Sydney. I lived there for about 6 months and it's a really lively city. There are lots of young people and lots of things to do. There are also lots of tourist sites to visit, for example, the Sydney Opera House.

 

Most people when they think about Australia, they think about the Outback. Very few people in Australia live in the Outback really, which is why it is so empty. There are huge empty spaces, like deserts, sometimes, where you can go for hours without seeing even one other person.

 

When I was in the Outback, the most amazing sight I saw was Ayers Rock, or Uluru as it's called now, which is its Aboriginal² name. So Uluru is the biggest rock in the world, and it really is amazing when you travel through the Outback and then suddenly, out of nowhere, you see a huge rock that looks like a mountain. It's an amazing sight, one of the best I saw in Australia.

 

学习内容：

 

a really lively city

 

Sydney is a really lively city, because there are lots of young people and lots of things to do. 

A 'really lively city' has a lot of activity going on all the time. There are many things to do and see. Notice the following:

 

During vacation times this becomes a really lively city.

It's fun to live in a really lively city, but sometimes it's a little noisy.

huge empty spaces, like deserts

 

There are huge empty spaces, like deserts, where you can go for hours without seeing even one person. 

'Huge empty spaces' are big areas of land where there is nothing natural growing and nothing has been built. A 'desert' is an open area where nothing grows or exists. The example is comparing the open areas of Australia to a desert. Notice the following:

 

Some people like to live in huge empty spaces, like deserts.

Traveling by bus you can see all of the huge empty spaces, like deserts, before you reach the coast.

aboriginal name

 

The Ayers Rock, or Uluru as it's called now, which is its aboriginal name. 

'Aboriginal people' are native people to an area, the indigenous³ population. An aboriginal name was given to an area by the native aboriginal people. Most of the time these words are not from the current language of an area. Notice the following:

 

Some of the original names are really difficult to say.

They want to give their baby an aboriginal name.

out of nowhere

 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, you see a huge rock that looks like a mountain. 

If something appears 'out of nowhere' it means that it surprises you because nothing prepares you for it. For example, if the land is really flat and then you see a big mountain the mountain would surprise you. Notice the following:

 

His boss gave him a promotion⁴ out of nowhere.

That rain came out of nowhere. The weather has been beautiful all day.

an amazing sight

 

The Ayers Rock is an amazing site, one of the best I saw in Australia. 

An 'amazing site' is a place that is incredible⁵ or wonderful. Notice the following:

 

The Grand Canyon⁶ is one of the most amazing sites in the southwest of the United States.

On the hike we stopped at many amazing sites.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。

3 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

4 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

5 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

6 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。