Unit 22. Climate and nature of australia

22.1. Read and translate the text

Australia is situated to the southeast of Asia. It is washed by the Timor Sea in the north, by the Coral and Tasman Seas in the east, and by the Indian Ocean in the south and west.

Australia is the most droughty continent in the earth. It is an extremely hot country. Summer months are December, January and February. The average summer temperature is from 20 to 30 degrees above zero. Winter months are June, July and Au­ gust. The average winter temperature is from 12 to 20 degrees above zero. The most part of the territory lies in tropics. Its southwestern territories lie in subtropics. As droughts are rather common and the amount of rainfall is rather small There are not many rivers in Australia. The largest rivers are the Darling and the Murray.

The isolation of Australia from other continents explains much of the unusualness of Australian plant and animal life. There are forests in the southern and eastern parts of the country. The commonest tree of Australia is the eucalyptus. In the drier areas there is the Australian acacia or mimosa. In those areas one can also find strange bottle trees. They preserve water in their trunks.

Australian animals are also very unusual. Among them there are kangaroos, duck­bills, koala bears, and others. Nine tenth of animal species of Australia do not exist in other parts of the world.

22.2. Answer the questions:

1. How many seas is Australia washed by?

2. What are winter and summer months in Australia?

3. What is the average summer and winter temperature?

4. What are the longest rivers?

5. What are the commonest trees in Australia?

Animals

The dry, desert-like plains of the Australian outback cover more than two-thirds of the continent. Much of the region receives less than 250 mm of rainfall a year. Although the rains may come at any time of the year, there are often long periods of drought, which make it difficult for animals to survive.

Many of the animals avoid the heat of the day by staying in their burrows, since it is cooler and damper underground. Some small animals sleep underground right through the hottest summer months. This is called aestivation. Many outback animals can survive with little or no water. Their bodies are adapted to store water from their food and to lose very little water in their urine. A number of animals have long back leas to help them more rapidly and find what little food is available.

There are many animals and birds in Australia:

Koala (length: 80 cm);

Long jumper. Red kangaroo (height: 2m; tail: 1m);

Wild dog. Dingo (height at shoulder: 50 cm; length: up to 90 cm);

High-speed runner emu: (height: 2m);

Huge burrow (height at shoulder: 45cm);

Huge lizard (length including tail: up to 2,4 m);

Spiny coat (length: 50 cm; spines: 6 cm);

Silky killer (length: 3 cm);

Numbat (body length: up to 30 cm; tail: up to 20 cm);

Raggiana’s bird of paradise (body length: up to 95 cm; tail feathers: 50 cm) and many others.