Australia

　　An island country, a whole continent, Australia has aremarkably cohesive personality and one which,much to our surprise, is markedly foreign. It is nolonger the infant colony, peopled by Britishconvicts2 and pioneers, but a maturing, perhaps stillsomewhat adolescent individual, ruggedly steering avital new course in life.

　　Australia is a sprawl of rock and desert, fringed with lush valleys, snow fields, coralspectaculars, storm-stabbed cliffs and rolling beaches, a land rich in minerals, colors, curiousflora 3, 230 species of mammals4 , 700 of birds, 400 of reptiles, 70 of amphibia, 2, 200 of fishand 50 , 000 species of insects — and seemingly infinite space . Australia is becoming therichest country in the world, materially.

　　Total area of the continent is about half as big as Europe, or 25 times the size of Britain andIreland. Population is bunched mainly in coastal cities, the biggest of which are capitals of thecountry’s states and the federal capital Canberra5 . Canberra is a model of a planned gardencity and is the seat of a major university. It is smallish in size , but big in importance. Sydney isthe largest city, and commercial capital of the country.

　　Throughout the country, the basic accommodation unit is the motel, a flat prefabricated6sprawl of bedrooms. But prices are reasonable and, most important, the rooms are excellentand equipped usually with air-conditioning, a refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities.Bath tubs are rare, as Australians prefer the convenience and hygiene of a shower. Porterageand other services are rare , as Australians don’t like doing a job which smacks of7 servility.After all, this is the land of equality and opportunity.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Are the sesta tements True or False according to the article?

　　1. Australia is as big as Europe , or 25 times the size of Britain and Ireland. 2. Canberra is notonly the capital but also the biggest city of Australia . 3. Motel is very popular foraccommodation in Australia.

　　Ⅱ. Match the following countries with their corresponding capitals :

　　1. Egypt Wellington 2. Australia Athens 3. New Zealand Seoul 4. Canada Cairo 5. Greece Ottawa6. South Korea Canberra

　　参考翻译

　　澳大利亚是一个岛国, 但同时也是一个完整的大陆, 它具有突出一贯的个性。令人奇 怪的是, 这种性格同我们显然不同。澳大利亚已不再是住着英国罪犯和拓荒者的新开辟的 殖民地了, 而是一个沿着崭新的生活道路艰难前进的、不断成熟的、也许仍然比较年轻的 国家。

　　澳大利亚到处都是岩石和沙漠, 分布毫无规则, 但四周有青葱的山谷, 披着白雪的原 野, 形形色色的珊瑚礁, 风雨侵蚀的悬崖绝壁和浪花片片的海滩。这片土地富于矿藏, 色彩 斑斓, 拥有各种奇花异草。在这似乎无边无际的大地上有230 种哺乳动物, 700 种鸟类, 400 种爬行动物, 70 种两栖动物, 2200 种鱼类和5 万种昆虫。就物质条件来讲, 澳大利亚正在 变成世界上最富饶的国家。

　　这片大陆的面积约等于半个欧洲, 或者25 倍于英国和爱尔兰的总面积。人口主要聚 集在沿海城市, 其中最大的是澳大利亚各州首府和联邦首府堪培拉。堪培拉是一个典型的 有计划性的公园城市, 国内一所主要的大学也在这里。这座城市面积有点小, 但政治上很 重要。悉尼是全国最大的城市, 也是澳大利亚的商业中心。

　　澳大利亚的基本旅馆住所是汽车旅馆, 里边的卧室是成套的预先设制好房间, 这种汽 车旅馆几乎布满全国。房租并不贵, 最重要的是房内陈设漂亮, 通常有空调、冰箱和烹茶煮 咖啡的设备。澳大利亚人喜欢既方便又卫生的淋浴, 因此很少用浴盆。搬运业和其他服务 业也很少, 因为澳大利亚人不喜欢做带有奴颜婢膝感觉的工作。毕竟这是一个平等的充满 机遇的国家。