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Lesson 4 The New Australians Is it all kangaroos and surfing? Welcome to "Countries of the World". Today we're talking about Australia, the land of sunshine and surfing. George and Fiona are two Australians who have joined us for today's show. So first of all, tell us a bit about yourselves. Hi. Well, I live on an acre of land outside Melbourne but my family actually came here from Greece in the 1980s - in fact, Melbourne is the city with the largest number of Greek people outside Athens! At first, we didn't feel we belong here, but now we are attached to the land we live on. Thanks, George. Now here's Fiona from Sydney. Hello. Australia is my birthplace but my mum came from Scotland and my dad came from France. That's the great thing about Australian culture - it's such a mix of different cultures. The early settlers were mostly English and Irish,but since 1945, the population has become more and more mixed with people from Southern Europe and Asia.Wow! How do these different cultures affect different aspects of Australian culture? Well, for example, we see all these influences in modern Australian cooking. Chefs call it "fusion food" - a brilliant mixture of delicious Southern European food mixed with Southeast Asian food. The desserts are the best - they're so yummy! Sounds tasty! And kangaroos are tasty too! In Melbourne, the only place we ever see kangaroos is on the menu in a restaurant. You mainly see kangaroos in the vast area of desert in the middle of Australia. This is a great place for camping but you have to look out for snakes and spiders - Australia has some of the most dangerous in the world. So do many people live in the desert? Not really. There are people who work in the mines, of course. Australia actually exports the most diamonds and coal in the world! And there are also a lot of sheep farms in the desert areas - in fact, I've heard that there are seven sheep for every person. But most Australians live on the coast. That's why surfing is such a popular sport. But it's not the only sport Australians are fond of. Because the weather's so good, Australians like being outdoors. Walking, fishing, horse-riding, tennis, golf and sailing are all popular. We take sport very seriously and have produced great Olympic swimmers and top cyclists. So is Australia all about beach barbecues and surfing? What about art and literature? Contrary to popular belief, Australia is not a dull place at all for people wanting culture. There's a really lively cultural scene here. Australia has produced some famous painters and world-class writers. And in Sydney, you'll find a broad choice of opera, drama,classical concerts, rock concerts - there's too much choice really! Of course, things are more limited if you live in a small town. Now, is there anything you don't like about Australia? I can't bear the way the native Australians have been treated.They are now a minority group and most of them live in terrible conditions while the rest of us are quite well-off. I think that's unfair. The government is trying to improve things, but it seems a bit late. I wonder if they'll ever forgive the way they've been treated. I agree with Fiona. The only other thing I'd complain is the roads outside the cities. Most of them are in pretty poor condition. Well, you've given me a great preview of Australia. Now I need to see it myself! Of course! There are loads of great places to see in Australia. You have to visit the Great Barrier Reef - it's just amazing! And the most interesting place of all is Ayers Rock - the huge red rock in the desert that changes colour at dusk. Are all Australians as proud of their country as you are? They are! 第4课 新澳大利亚人 那儿只有袋鼠和冲浪吗？ 欢迎来到“世界文化”。 今天我们将谈一谈阳光和冲浪之地—澳大利亚。 乔治和菲奥纳是参加我们今天节目的两位澳大利亚人。 首先请介绍一下你们自己。 大家好。我住在墨尔本外的一片土地上，但是我家人实际上是20世纪80年代从希腊来到这里的，—事实上墨尔本是雅典以外拥有雅典人最多的城市。 起初，我们并不认为自己属于这里，但是现在我们已与我们所居住的土地紧紧地联系在一起了。 谢谢乔治。这位是来自悉尼的菲奥纳。 大家好。澳大利亚是我的出生地，但是我妈妈来自苏格兰，爸爸来自法国。 这就是澳大利亚文化的伟大之处—它是一种不同文化的混合体。 早期的移民大多是英国人和爱尔兰人，但是从1945年以来，越来越多的南欧人和亚洲人移居此地。 哦！这些不同的文化是怎样影响澳大利亚的？ 比如，我们可以在现代澳大利亚烹饪上看出所有这些影响。 厨师们把它叫做混合食物 -南欧美食和东南亚食物的绝妙混合。 甜食是最好的-味道好极了！ 听起来很好吃！ 袋鼠也很好吃！ 在墨尔本我们唯一能看到袋鼠的地方是餐馆的菜单上。 你主要是在澳大利亚中部广阔的沙漠看到袋鼠。 这是一个露营的好地方，但是你得注意蛇和蜘蛛-澳大利亚拥有世界上最危险的蛇和蜘蛛。 那么有很多人住在沙漠吗？ 不，当然有些人在矿场上工作。 澳大利亚是世界上出口钻石和煤炭最多的国家！ 沙漠地区还有许多绵羊牧场-事实上我听说每个人拥有7只羊。 但是大部分澳大利亚人住在沿海地区。 这就是冲浪之所以成为一项如此普及的体育运动的原因。 但是它不是澳大利亚人唯一喜爱的运动。 由于天气好，澳大利亚人都喜爱户外运动。 远足、钓鱼、骑马、网球、高尔夫球和航海都是很普及的运动。 我们很看重体育运动，国家培养了顶尖的奥林匹克游泳选手和最优秀的自行车运动员。 澳大利亚不会只是沙滩烧烤和冲浪吧？ 艺术和文学方面如何？ 同一般人们的认识相反，对在文化方面有需求的人来说，澳大利亚不是一个枯燥的地方。 它拥有活跃的文化氛围。 澳大利亚培育了一些著名的画家和世界级的作家。 在悉尼，你你可以看歌剧、话剧、古典音乐会、摇滚音乐会-选择真是太多了！ 当然，如果你住在小镇上，选择是有限的。 你们有什么不喜欢澳大利亚的吗？ 我不能忍受对土著澳大利亚人的态度。 他们现在是少数民族，大部分人住在恶劣的环境里，而我们这些人却比较富有。 我觉得这不公平。 政府在努力改善这种情况，但是似乎太晚了。 我不知道土著人是否能原谅人们对待他们的方式。 我同意菲奥纳所说的。 我唯一抱怨的另一件事是城市以外的公路。 大部分公路状况较差。 你们给我讲了很多有关澳大利亚的情况。 现在需要自己亲自去看一看。 当然了！澳大利亚有很多特棒的地方值得一看。 你得去看大堡礁-它太令人称奇了！ 最有趣的地方是艾尔斯石-就是沙漠中那块黄昏时改变颜色的红色巨石。 所有澳大利亚人都像你们一样对自己的国家感到自豪吗？ 那当然！ |
