The Land of Australia
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Aaron
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Todd
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Todd: Now Aaron, Australia's a big place. Can you describe the Australian landscape?
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 Coast 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 landscapes like deserts and rainforests and things like that?
Aaron: No worries. The rainforests are in the south, mainly in Tasmania and in the tropics 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. Suburban areas.
Todd: 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.
landscape
Can you describe the Australian landscape?
In this case 'landscape' refers to the natural look of the land in areas where people haven't changed it, like the country. Notice the following:
- There are all different types of landscapes in a small area of
this country.
- The landscape here is flat and boring
country
In Australia, not many people live in the country.
The 'country' is are that is mostly open land, sometimes used for farming, and doesn't have many people that live there. It is not urban and doesn't have big buildings or many cars. Notice the following:
- He bought a house in the country to escape from the crazy life of
the city.
- We own a farm in the country.
flat
There's one high-rise area and the rest is just flat.
A 'flat' area doesn't have any hills or mountains. Notice the following:
- It is a lot easier to run here because the trail is flat.
- You need a really flat area to play soccer.
built-up area
The rest of Australia is just built-up areas.
A 'built-up area' is an area where a lot of human construction or changes have happened. Notice the following:
- The city continues to grow and they have built up the surrounding
areas so it can expand.
- This area has been built up a lot and looks nothing like it did
one hundred years ago.
pollution
The best beaches are in Queensland, where pollution is low.
'Pollution' is the contamination or natural things, such as air and water, that are a result of human actions. An example is smoke from cars or factories that causes problems in the air. Notice the following:
- The city is doing a lot to reduce water pollution and make the
lakes safer for swimming and fishing.
- Now that more people have cars air pollution has become a big
problem.
Vocabulary Quiz
built-up • pollution
