IFPOBE BAQAHHA 219 ITE, AKI BABYAIOTb AHISIIACbKY MOBY rPACHO . _ANT AAebHY.—ASBrie@Outlinea@fi The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the Southem Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent Australia, the major island of Tasmania and a number of other islands { in the Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The name “Australia” comes from the Latin “Australis”, meaning of the South. Legends of an “unknown land of the south” ; (terra australis incognita) were | already known in Roman times, but they were not based on any actual knowledge of the continent. The first use of the word “Australia” in the English language was in 1625. The mainland of Australia has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians The first undisputed recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland was made by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who noticed the coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but no settlement was founded. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Britain. On 26 January 1788 the Crown Colony of New South Wales was established at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. Another five largely self-governing colonies were successively established over the course of the 19th century. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed.WNustraliars\listony, Captain James Cook was a famous British explorer, navigator and cartographer born at Marton in North Yorkshire in 1728. He was one of five children of James Cook, @ Scottish farm labourer. At 13 he began work with his father, who managed the farm. In 1745, when he was 16, Cook left home to be apprenticed in a grocery in the fishing village of Staithes. The shop's owner found Cook not to be very good at trade. He took the boy to the nearby port town of Whitby and introduced him to one of the local ship-owners. Cook was taken on as a merchant navy apprentice. At that time he started studying algebra, navigation, and astronomy, skills he would need one day to command his own ship. After three-year apprenticeship he began working on trading ships in the Baltic Sea. In 1755 he was offered command of the collier brig Friendship but within the month he joined the British Royal Navy. His naval career had to start from the very beginning. But only two years later he successfully passed his master's examination qualifying him to. navigate and handle a ship of the King's fleet. James Cook made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, achieving the first European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia, the European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands, andthe firstrecorded circumnavigation and mapping of Newfoundland and New Zealand. Cook died in Hawaii in a fight with Hawaiians during his third voyage in 1779. F James Cook, Portrait by Nathaniel DanceThe Australian flag has three prominent symbols. The Union Flag symbolizes Australia's history as a collection of British colonies. The large seven-pointed star below the Union Flag is the Commonwealth or Federation Star which represents the federation of the colonies of Australia on 1 January 1901. The five white stars tepresent the Southern Cross. The National Anthem “Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. It was officially declared the national anthem on 19 April 1984. From 1788 to 1974 the official anthem of Australia was “God Save the Queen" (or “King"). At present when the Queen or members of the Royal family attend public events in Australia the Royal Anthem “God Save the Queen” is played, too. ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free; We've golden soil and wealth for foil; Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in nature's gifts Of beauty rich and rare; In history's page, let every stage Advance Australia Fair. In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair. Beneath our radiant Southern Cross We'll toil with hearts and hands; To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands; For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine To Advance Australia Fair. In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.The Coat of Arms Australia's Coat of Arms was granted by King George V in 1912. It consists of a shield which is a symbol for the federation of the States in1901. Above the shield there is aseven- pointed gold star on a blue and gold wreath. Two native Australian animals: the red kangaroo and the emu support the shield. On the background there are sprays of golden wattle and the word ‘Australia’ written on a scroll. There are the badges of the six Australian States on the shield: New South Wales - Golden Lion on a red St George's Cross on a silver background with 8-pointed stars. Victoria - White Southern Cross beneath an Imperial Crown, on a blue background. Queensland - light blue Maltese Cross with an Imperial Crown at its Centre, on a white background. South Australia - the White-Backed Magpie on a yellow background. Western Australia - Black Swan swimming, on a yellow background. Tasmania - Red Lion on a white background. The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth Il is the Queen of Australia. The Commonwealth Parliament consists of the Queen, the Senate (the upper house) of 76 senators, and the House of Representatives (the lower house) of 150 members. The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms Government, with its leader becoming Prime Minister. The Commonwealth Parliament seats in Parliament House in the capital city of Canberra. PAGETHREE 3Canberra is Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 kilometres south-west of Sydney, and 650 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital and its construction began in 1913. The National Library of Australia was founded in 1960. In 1968, a new building inspired by the Parthenon was built for it on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. Australian copyright law requires that a copy of every book published in Australia be deposited with the National Library of Australia on 40km of its shelves. The library's enormous collection consists of books, journals, pictures, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, microfilm and other media. Telstranlower, Telstra Tower is a communications tower. It is situated atop Black Mountain. It rises 195 metres above the mountain summit. Telstra Tower was opened in 1980. The Tower is a landmark of Canberra and offers panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside.Visitors can walk along both inside and outside viewing galleries, visit a telecommunications museum, a cafe, a gift shop and Alto Tower Restaurant.ThelNationaliMuseum The National Museum of Australia first opened its doors to the public in March 2001. The museum is located on Acton Peninsula in the suburb of Acton. Visitors can see nearly every aspect of Australian life and culture there. They can learn a lot about Australia's geography, prehistoric history, Aboriginal inhabitants, the first white settlements, the country's development and its future. The museum building was designed by architect Howard Raggatt. The building looks like the centre of a knot, with ropes or strips extending from it. It seems that a huge ribbon has unrolled itself along the ground. The architects of the museum said, “We liked to think that the story of Australia was not one, but many tangled together. Not an authorized version but a puzzling confluence.” Canberra Stadium {originally known as Bruce Stadium) was constructed in aie Itis located in Bruce - the Canberra suburb named after Stanley Bruce, one of Australian Prime Ministers. The stadium can seat 25,000 people. It is primarily used for rugby games. There have also been held a lot of soccer and baseball games and athletic competitions there.SYDNEY; Sydney is situated on the south-east coast of Australia. It is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. The city is built around Port Jackson, which includes Sydney Harbour. It gave the city its nickname - “the Harbour City". Sydney is often called the international gateway of Australia. It is famous for its beaches and twin landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. iiheySidneyJOperajtiouse The Sydney Opera House, one of the most famous 20th century buildings, is located in Sydney Harbour. It is an expressionist modern design of Jom Utzon, a Danish architect. The construction began in March, 1959 and the Sydney Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth Il, as Queen of Australia, on October 20, 1973. The roof is formed by large concrete “shells” covered with 1.056 million white and cream tiles. The building is supported on 580 concrete piers sunk up to 25 metres below sea level. ithe}SidneyjHarbounBridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour. The bridge was designed by John Bradfield and officially opened on 19 March 1932. People sometimes call the bridge “the Coathanger" because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world. The top of the bridge rises 134 metres above the harbour.MELBOURNE Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia. It is situated around Port Phillip Bay in the south-east of the country. Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria. Melbourne was founded by the settlers in 1835 around the Yarra River. Melbourne is the largest centre of commerce, industry and cultural life. The city is offen called Australia's “sporting and cultural capital". In Melbourne grand Victorian buildings can often be seen side by side with modern ones. ihe University, ofsMelbourne The University of Melbourne was founded by Hugh Childers in 1853. It is the second oldest in Australia. In 1855 classes startedwith only three professors andsixteen students. Now the University has almost 40,000 students. The motto of the University is “Postera Crescam Laude" (“We grow in the esteem of future generations"). TiheyShrinelofiRemembrance The Shrine of Remembrance is one of the largest war memorials in Australia. It is considered to be Australia's major memorial to all the 60,000 Australians who died in World War |. The foundation stone was laid on 11 November 1927 and the Shrine was formally opened on 11 November 1934.THEComm \MONWEA WESTERN AUSTRALIAQUEENSLAND : Brisbanee |’ | TASMANIA, | =AUSTRALIA'S FAUNA Australia’s fauna is really unique. It happened because of the continent's long geographic isolation. Once Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana, which also included South America, Africa, India and Antarctica. After Gondwana broke up Australia started drifting away. The unique climate and the geology of the continent influenced the evolution of the present-day fauna greatly. About 83% of mammals, 89% of reptiles, 90% of fish and insects and 93% of amphibians that live on the continent can be found only in Australia. In Australia there live a lot of animals called the marsupials. They are a group of mammals that raise their young in a pouch. The most famous representatives of the marsupials are kangaroos, koalas, wombats, possums, wallabies, etc. A very interesting group of animals are the monotremes. These mammals lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Two of the five known living species of monotreme occur in Australia: the platypus and the short-beaked echidna. Since human settlement, many mammals have been introduced to Australia. The first was the Dingo brought to Australia about 5000 years ago. When Europeans settled Australia they released many species into the wild, including the Red Fox, Brown Hare, and the European Rabbit.mhe)}Kangaroo The word kangaroo comes from the Guugu Yimidhirr language (“gangurru"). A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (having very long limbs). Early explorers described kangaroos as creatures that had heads like deer (without antlers), stood upright like men, and hopped like frogs. The stories about the “two-headed" mother kangaroos also sounded like tales. Kangaroos can be 2 metres tall and weigh 90 kg. They have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion. They usually travel at about 20-25 km/h. Kangaroos are large herbivores, eating grass and roots, and they chew cud. Many species are nocturnal and crepuscular. They spend the days idling quietly and cad the cool evenings, nights and mornings moving about and feeding. Like all marsupials, kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium. The joey will usually stay in the pouch for about nine months before starting to leave the pouch for small periods of time. It is usually fed by its mother until reaching 18 months. Kangaroos live about 4 4-6 years, with some living ~ieel until they are about 23. oh y, a mhe\ Wombat Wombats look like small bears. They have short leggs and a very short tail. Wombats are about one metre in length and they usually weigh 20 to 35 kg. Their fur can be light brown, grey or even black. Wombats are herbivores, they eat grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots. x Wombats are marsupials. A baby wombat called ® a joey stays in a pouch for nine to eleven months " ~s (weighing between 3.5 and 6.5 kilograms). When it is around 12 to 15 months old its mother stops feeding him. Wombats dig large burrow systems with the help of their front teeth and powerful claws. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats sometimes walk out to look for food on cool or cloudy days.The Koala The Koala is a marsupial native to Australia. The word "koala" comes from one of the Aboriginal languages (the Dharuk word gula) and it means “no drink" (the Koala actually does drink water, but only rarely). Koalas are herbivores. They eat eucalyptus leaves, which contain a lot of water, therefore there is no need for the Koala to climb down for a drink. Early European settlers to Australia called the Koala the Native Bear, and the Koala is still sometimes called the Koala Bear, but it is not a member of the bear family. Koalas' weight varies from about 14 kg for a large, southern male, to about 5 kg for a small northern female. Their fur is thick, not soft and nice. A baby Koala is called a joey. At birth the hairless, blind, and earless joey crawls into the mother’s pouch and attaches itself to one of the two teats. Young stay in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. The baby Koala willremain with the motherriding on her back, and feeding on both milk and gum leaves until it is 12 months old. The Echidna Echidnas are mammals typical only for Australia. The Echidna isnamed after a monster in ancient Greek mythology. They look much like anteaters, hedgehogs or porcupines. The Echidna's body is covered with coarse hair and spines. Their snouts have the functions of both the mouth and nose. Echidnas have very short, strong limbs with large claws. Short-beaked Echidnas are 30 to 45 centimetres in length and weigh 2 to 5 kg. They eat ants and termites. Long- beaked Echidnas are larger (up to 16.5 kg). Their favourite food is worms and insect larvae. Echidnas are monotremes. The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg and puts it directly into her pouch. The young echidna, called a puggle, remains in the pouch for 45 to 55 days sucking milk. Its spines start to develop at that time. Then the mother places the puggle into a nursery burrow, returning every five days for seven months. (D PAGE TWELVEThe Emu A The Emu is the largest bird native to Australia. Itis also the second-largest bird in the world by height (up to 2 m), after the ostrich. Emus weigh between 30 and 45 kilograms. The soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds can travel great distances at a fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at 50 km/h. Emus eat plants, seeds and insects, including grasshoppers and _ crickets, ladybirds, ants and others. The Emu females lay 10 to 15 very large, thick-shelled, dark-green eggs every second or third day. The eggs are about 134 x 89 mm and weigh 700 to 900 g. The male builds a nest from bark, grass, sticks and leaves and begins to incubate the eggs. He does not eat or drink, he stands only to turn the eggs about 10 times a day. After 56 days the chicks are hatched. They are about 25 cm tall and have brown and cream stripes for camouflage.The male defends the chicks, teaches them how to find food and stays with them until they are 18 months old. Emus usually live for 10 to 20 years. The Platypus The Platypus is one of the strangest creatures in the animal kingdom. It is a semi-aquatic mammal that lives in eastern Australia and Tasmania. The name Platypus means “flat foot" in Greek. The Platypus was first discovered at the end of the 18th century. A lot of people thought this strange egg- laying, duck-billed mammal to be a hoax. It looked like somebody had sewn a duck's beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. The body and the broad, flat tail of the Platypus are covered with brown fur. Platypuses are usually 40-50 cm long and weigh about 1-2.5 kg. The Platypus is a carnivore. It eats worms and insect larvae, freshwater shrimps and crayfish that it digs out of the riverbed with its snout or catches while swimming. The Platypus is a monotreme. The female Platypus lays one to three small eggs that are about 11 mm in diameter. The incubation period lasts for about 10 days. The newly hatched youngs are blind, hairless, and they are fed by the mother's milk for three to four months. The Platypus is a venomous animal. The male has a spur on the hind foot which produces poison. The poison can kill smaller animals and causes severe pain to people.