3 Read the dialogue and check your answers to the questions in Ex. 1.
Daniel: Hi, everybody. My name is Daniel. I'm going to represent a country, an island and a continent all at the same time. You are very welcome to ask questions as I speak, because I only want to tell you about things you really want to know, not bore you to death. Let me start with our flag. In my opinion, it gives you all the basic information about my country.
A boy: I see that the British flag is on it, so does it mean that Australia used to be a British colony? Daniel: It certainly does. Australia was discovered by the British explorer James Cook in 1770. By the way, Australia is still a monarchy and our head of state is the British monarch.
A girl: I have always been quite fascinated by the strange snowflakes on your flag. What exactly do they mean? Daniel: That's a good question. Actually, they aren't snowflakes — they are stars. They form the Southern Cross which emphasizes the fact that Australia is situated in the Southern hemisphere. The largest star, which has seven points, represents all Australian states and territories.
A boy: So does it mean that it is freezing cold in Australia now when we've got summer in the Northern hemisphere?
Daniel: Not exactly. The climate in Australia is rather mild, so it's never very cold, but yes, it is winter in Australia between June and August.
A boy: But then mustn't you be at school now? We've got school in winter. Don't you?
Daniel: You are absolutely right. I did stay at home in June, July and August until I left school last year. Summer holidays in Australia start in December and our school year starts in February, so Australian school children don't have a lot of opportunities to travel in your summer months.
A boy: In the USA they say that about 22 million Americans are related to the first 102 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. Who are the Australians related to?
Daniel: It's very interesting. A lot of Australians are related to convicts. At the time when Australia was discovered, crime was a big problem in Britain, so prisons were packed with people. The solution they found was to send prisoners to the far colonies. On 26 January 1788 the First Fleet of 11 ships arrived in Sydney Harbour with 1,500 people, half of them convicts. Nowadays this day is celebrated as Australia's National Day. For me that shows that Australians are proud of their background, not ashamed of it. By 1868 160,000 men and women had come to Australia as convicts. There were free settlers too, but most of them had been so poor and unhappy in their own countries that they had nothing to lose there. So we do have a very tough background.
So maybe it is this rebellious and tough background that makes Australians so good at sports. Every Olympic Games the whole world admires Australian athletes. If you ask me, when people say that Australians like sports, it is a huge understatement.
A lot of Australians are practically born in the water as most of the country is a huge beach. As soon as they learn to walk, they glue themselves to surfboards or jump into kayaks and boats and spend hours or even days in the water. When they get older, they need more of a challenge. So they dive into the Great Barrier Reef and swim together with crocodiles, huge sharks and giant sea snakes. Some Australians prefer to risk their life in the rainforests which, by the way, are not populated just by koalas. In the Australian woods you can come across by far the most dangerous snakes and spiders in the world. Whatever you can think of: parachute jumping, cycling on mountain bikes, walking in the outback — Australians do have their own extreme way of doing it all.
Right ... are you still with me? Let's go on then.
A boy: I have heard that Australians have their own meaning for the word "outback". Can you tell us what it is?
Daniel: The Australian Outback or the Australian Bush is a vast territory beyond the urban areas. The heart of the Australian Outback is called the Red Centre which takes its name from the red soil of the desert. It is in the Red Centre that you can find Uluru, our most famous rock monolith. Uluru, which used to be better known as Ayers Rock, is an iconic image of the Australian Outback located in the Northern Territory in the very heart of the continent.
A girl: Oh, that reminds me of the book "The Thorn Birds". I read it a couple of years ago. It's written by Colleen McCullough if I'm not mistaken. I was particularly impressed by the description of the bushfire which brought so much death and destruction. Hopefully these fires are something of the past.
Daniel: Unfortunately, this isn't true. In fact, we do have to deal with bushfires nearly every summer when temperatures rise and rain is rare. I myself live in Sydney, so bushfires don't usually affect me. I didn't use to give them much thought. But last year I spent my holidays in a small town in the Yarra Valley. Soon after I returned home, news came that this town had been completely destroyed by a bushfire. About ten people were killed. I was horrified as I remembered the nice owner of our hotel and how she had looked after us in her house. Then I thought about the friendly family who lived next to the hotel. All of them could be dead. So I started listening to the news really carefully. I was relieved when I heard that the people I knew were alive. I suppose it shows that when something happens in a place you know, you take other people's problems much closer to heart.
A boy: Look, you still haven't told us anything about your city, Sydney. I've heard it's awesome. I suppose it is also the capital of Australia, right?
Daniel: It is indeed Australia's oldest and largest city. Nearly a quarter of all Australians live there. However it is not the capital. The capital of Australia is Canberra.
A girl: So does life in Sydney resemble life in the Yarra Valley?
Daniel: Not at all. Sydney, of course, is a very Australian city with its amazing beaches and bright sun, but it offers a lot more than that. In my city you can always leave a sandy beach and dive into the world of museums, theatres, festivals and galleries, or choose among the thousands of fantastic restaurants and bars which are open round the clock. Sydney is world famous for its architecture. I'm sure you've seen pictures of our impressive Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Opera House, which is situated there, is to me by far the most unusual opera house in the world. However, you shouldn't judge Sydney just by its appearance. Sydney's people are the proud descendants of British convicts who built this beautiful city and started new lives here, not as convicts but as Australians.
Well, I think that covers everything. Thank you for listening. Have you got any more questions?
Daniel: Hi, everybody. My name is Daniel. I'm going to represent a country, an island and a continent all at the same time. You are very welcome to ask questions as I speak, because I only want to tell you about things you really want to know, not bore you to death. Let me start with our flag. In my opinion, it gives you all the basic information about my country.
A boy: I see that the British flag is on it, so does it mean that Australia used to be a British colony? Daniel: It certainly does. Australia was discovered by the British explorer James Cook in 1770. By the way, Australia is still a monarchy and our head of state is the British monarch.
A girl: I have always been quite fascinated by the strange snowflakes on your flag. What exactly do they mean? Daniel: That's a good question. Actually, they aren't snowflakes — they are stars. They form the Southern Cross which emphasizes the fact that Australia is situated in the Southern hemisphere. The largest star, which has seven points, represents all Australian states and territories.
A boy: So does it mean that it is freezing cold in Australia now when we've got summer in the Northern hemisphere?
Daniel: Not exactly. The climate in Australia is rather mild, so it's never very cold, but yes, it is winter in Australia between June and August.
A boy: But then mustn't you be at school now? We've got school in winter. Don't you?
Daniel: You are absolutely right. I did stay at home in June, July and August until I left school last year. Summer holidays in Australia start in December and our school year starts in February, so Australian school children don't have a lot of opportunities to travel in your summer months.
A boy: In the USA they say that about 22 million Americans are related to the first 102 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. Who are the Australians related to?
Daniel: It's very interesting. A lot of Australians are related to convicts. At the time when Australia was discovered, crime was a big problem in Britain, so prisons were packed with people. The solution they found was to send prisoners to the far colonies. On 26 January 1788 the First Fleet of 11 ships arrived in Sydney Harbour with 1,500 people, half of them convicts. Nowadays this day is celebrated as Australia's National Day. For me that shows that Australians are proud of their background, not ashamed of it. By 1868 160,000 men and women had come to Australia as convicts. There were free settlers too, but most of them had been so poor and unhappy in their own countries that they had nothing to lose there. So we do have a very tough background.
So maybe it is this rebellious and tough background that makes Australians so good at sports. Every Olympic Games the whole world admires Australian athletes. If you ask me, when people say that Australians like sports, it is a huge understatement.
A lot of Australians are practically born in the water as most of the country is a huge beach. As soon as they learn to walk, they glue themselves to surfboards or jump into kayaks and boats and spend hours or even days in the water. When they get older, they need more of a challenge. So they dive into the Great Barrier Reef and swim together with crocodiles, huge sharks and giant sea snakes. Some Australians prefer to risk their life in the rainforests which, by the way, are not populated just by koalas. In the Australian woods you can come across by far the most dangerous snakes and spiders in the world. Whatever you can think of: parachute jumping, cycling on mountain bikes, walking in the outback — Australians do have their own extreme way of doing it all.
Right ... are you still with me? Let's go on then.
A boy: I have heard that Australians have their own meaning for the word "outback". Can you tell us what it is?
Daniel: The Australian Outback or the Australian Bush is a vast territory beyond the urban areas. The heart of the Australian Outback is called the Red Centre which takes its name from the red soil of the desert. It is in the Red Centre that you can find Uluru, our most famous rock monolith. Uluru, which used to be better known as Ayers Rock, is an iconic image of the Australian Outback located in the Northern Territory in the very heart of the continent.
A girl: Oh, that reminds me of the book "The Thorn Birds". I read it a couple of years ago. It's written by Colleen McCullough if I'm not mistaken. I was particularly impressed by the description of the bushfire which brought so much death and destruction. Hopefully these fires are something of the past.
Daniel: Unfortunately, this isn't true. In fact, we do have to deal with bushfires nearly every summer when temperatures rise and rain is rare. I myself live in Sydney, so bushfires don't usually affect me. I didn't use to give them much thought. But last year I spent my holidays in a small town in the Yarra Valley. Soon after I returned home, news came that this town had been completely destroyed by a bushfire. About ten people were killed. I was horrified as I remembered the nice owner of our hotel and how she had looked after us in her house. Then I thought about the friendly family who lived next to the hotel. All of them could be dead. So I started listening to the news really carefully. I was relieved when I heard that the people I knew were alive. I suppose it shows that when something happens in a place you know, you take other people's problems much closer to heart.
A boy: Look, you still haven't told us anything about your city, Sydney. I've heard it's awesome. I suppose it is also the capital of Australia, right?
Daniel: It is indeed Australia's oldest and largest city. Nearly a quarter of all Australians live there. However it is not the capital. The capital of Australia is Canberra.
A girl: So does life in Sydney resemble life in the Yarra Valley?
Daniel: Not at all. Sydney, of course, is a very Australian city with its amazing beaches and bright sun, but it offers a lot more than that. In my city you can always leave a sandy beach and dive into the world of museums, theatres, festivals and galleries, or choose among the thousands of fantastic restaurants and bars which are open round the clock. Sydney is world famous for its architecture. I'm sure you've seen pictures of our impressive Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Opera House, which is situated there, is to me by far the most unusual opera house in the world. However, you shouldn't judge Sydney just by its appearance. Sydney's people are the proud descendants of British convicts who built this beautiful city and started new lives here, not as convicts but as Australians.
Well, I think that covers everything. Thank you for listening. Have you got any more questions?