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TIMESAVER CUSTOMS & LIFESTYLE IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD Getting to know ... Australia AUSTRALIA

Going 'down under'

1 Work in pairs. What do
you know about Australia? Did you know?
Write down as many facts as • There are more than 20,000,000 people in Australia and about 80% of
you can. Then discuss your them live in cities next to the sea.
facts with another pair. • Australia has more beaches than any other country, about 7,000 of them.
• The area of Australia that is covered by snow in winter is larger
2 1 Read about these people, than Switzerland.
and label the places on the map.

I'm Sian. I live in

the capital of New
Darwin
South Wales, and
the largest city in
the country. It's
got everything –
fantastic beaches –
who hasn't heard NORTHERN
5 ............................
of Bondi beach? – , the trendiest TERRITORIES
shops, non-stop nightlife, and only
two hours away, you've got the 4 ............................
Blue Mountains – breathtaking* QUEENSLAND
scenery and fresh air. And the
WESTERN
climate here is fantastic.
AUSTRALIA
Brisbane
I'm Neil, and I'm SOUTH
from Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
the capital of
Victoria. OK, the NEW SOUTH
weather's a bit 3 ............................ WALES
miserable, but we
Adelaide 1 Sydney
............................
still have the best VICTORIA
culture – and
sport! Every year, we have 2 ............................

Australia's top horse racing* event

here, as well as the Australian Tennis TASMANIA
Open and the Grand Prix. And this
Hobart
city is where Australian Rules
Football came from! It’s not I'm Kerry. I live in the centre of Australia, in the
surprising I’m a sports fanatic. outback*. Everyone comes here to Alice Springs to see
the massive* red rock, Uluru. I like the fact that here
My name's Gavin, we are closer to the real Aborigine culture. I've learnt
and I'm from Perth a lot about it. My mum works for the School of the Air,
which lies on the teaching kids all over the state who live far away from
Swann River. It’s a a school. So it really is the heart of the country.
peaceful, clean
place to live with
hot weather and I'm Jordan, and I live in Cairns, the perfect place for
brilliant blue skies. exploring Australia's biggest attraction – the Great
Western Australia has 12,000 km of Barrier Reef. It stretches over 2,300 kilometres along
wide, sandy beaches and some of the Queensland coast. There are more than 1,000
the best surfing spots in the world. islands, where you can dive, snorkel*, sail and swim.
That's what I live for – the sea Just 25 km north of Cairns is the rainforest –
and the surf. a tropical paradise*!

6 TIMESAVER: Customs & Lifestyle in the English-speaking World © Scholastic Ltd. PHOTOCOPIABLE
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TIMESAVER CUSTOMS & LIFESTYLE IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD Getting to know ... Australia AUSTRALIA

3 Find someone who …

1 loves sport. Neil
..............................................
2 doesn't live near the sea. ..............................................
3 knows about native Australian culture. ..............................................
4 lives in a tropical area. ..............................................
5 likes surfing. ..............................................
6 loves city life. ..............................................

4 Where in Australia … 5 Can you speak 'Strine'?

1 are there thousands of kilometres of beaches? .............................................. (Say the word Australian quickly.
2 is there exciting nightlife? .............................................. Do you see where the name
3 has hundreds of islands off the coast? .............................................. 'Strine' comes from?)
4 do children learn at a special kind of school? ..............................................
5 doesn’t have the best weather? .............................................. 6 Read the cartoon story and
6 is the largest city? .............................................. match the words in bold with
the meanings a – t below.
No, I'm 5 bushed ...... .
Some 6 blokes ...... 7 rocked up ...... last night.
g,
1 G'day ...... Don't be a 16 sook ...... .
We were at 8 uni ...... together. They left the
2 mate ...... ! Got your Maybe you just need a bit
9 big smoke ...... to go and live in the 10 bush ...... .
3 togs ...... ? There're of 17 tucker ...... ?
We sat up 11 yabbering ...... for 12 yonks ...... . Now
some 4 bonzer ...... Here, have a 18 sanga ...... .
I'm feeling a bit 13 crook ...... . I think I'll just
waves out there.
14 veg out ...... this 15 arvo ...... .
19 Ta ...... .

Well,
20 hoo-roo
a a long time b aftern c arrived d swimmin ...... !
oon g costume

e countrys g hello
ide f food h chatting

i guys j goodbye k ill l relax m sandwich

n universi p very tire

ty o my friend d

q city r thanks
s weak person t great

Personal project
Do people in your part of the country speak differently from people
in another part of the country? What are the differences?
* What is it in your language? Find out!

PHOTOCOPIABLE TIMESAVER: Customs & Lifestyle in the English-speaking World © Scholastic Ltd. 7