英语访谈对话 275 The Land of Australia

 　　Todd: Now, Aaron, Australia's a big place. Can you describe the Australian landscape¹?

　　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 Coast² 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 landscapes³ like deserts and rainforests, and things like that?

　　Aaron: No worries. The rainforests are in the south, mainly⁴ in Tasmania, and in the tropics⁵ 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. Suburban⁶ 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.

1 landscape   

n.风景；山水画；地形；前景

参考例句：

• The landscape of the Great Wall is like a dragon.长城的全景像一条龙。
• From the hill he looked down on the peaceful landscape.他站在山上眺望下面的宁静景色。

2 coast   

n.海岸，海滨，滑坡；vt.沿海岸而行；vi.下滑

参考例句：

• They're holidaying on the west coast.他们正在西海岸度假。
• There are thousands of villages on the coast.在沿海有上千座村庄。

3 landscapes   

n.风景( landscape的名词复数 )；风景画；乡村风景画；地形

参考例句：

• Constable's landscapes met with indifference when they were first exhibited. 康斯特布尔的风景画在首次展出时受到了冷遇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is a painter outstanding for her landscapes. 她是一位以风景画而出名的画家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 mainly   

adv.主要地，大抵，大概

参考例句：

• The sea water is mainly composed of water and salt.海水主要由水和盐组成。
• It is mainly because of my fault.这主要是由于我的过错。

5 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。

6 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。