Unit 23. People of australia

23.1. Read and translate the text

Australia’s aboriginal inhabitants arrived about 40,000 years ago. Their technical culture depended on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons, their spiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke several languages. Aboriginal population density ranged from one person per square mile along the coast to one person per 35 square miles in the arid interior. Today, tribal aborigines lead a settled traditional life in remote areas of northern, central, and western Australia. Most settlers came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still predominantly of British or Irish origin. Since the end of World War II, however, the population has more than doubled; non-European immigration, mostly from the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, has increased significantly since 1960. In 1995-1996, Australia accepted more than 99,000 regular immigrants.

Religion

During the 1800s, European settlers brought their traditional churches to Australia. In 1996 Australian religions were 27% - Catholic, 22% - Anglican, 22% - other Christian denominations and 3% non-Christian religions, with some 25% uncommitted or professing no religion.

On the 10th January, 2001 at 06:37:28 (Canberra time), the resident population of Australia was projected to be 19,272,053.

Aborigines

The world Aborigine is derived from Latin and means “from the beginning”. This is the name given to the native Australians by the Europeans. The first human inhabitants of the Australia were the Aborigines. They are a dark-skinned people belonging to the Australoid group. They may have walked and sailed here from Asia. They gathered fruits, nuts and yam, which they ate. In Melbourne and Sydney, the sparse Aboriginal population includes many militants. The whites – who have little experience of Aboriginal traditions an appealing theoretical alternative to western society’s moneymaking and rule by the clock. And public policy tends to be generous towards Aboriginal causes and claims.

Facts & Figures

Languages	Ehglish
Ethnic groups	Caucasian - 92%, Asian–7%, aboriginal and other – 1%
Birth rate	13.47 births/1,000
Death rate	6.89 deaths/1,000
Fertility rate	1.82 children/woman
Life expectancy	76
Life expectancy	82
Mortality rate	5.26 deaths/1,000 live births

Australian people accept guests with openness and cordiality. It is just characteristic of their life there.

In Australia, everyone is allowed to visit the building of the State Parliament, for example. Enormous posters invite everyone to visit the local museums of space exploration.

Also surprising is the way the Australian people treat each other. White people go to demonstration to protect the rights of aborigines (who are seldom seen on the streets of big cities) – in general, their total number is about 2% of the population of the continent. People on the train, who are really far from agriculture, gladly welcome clouds as possible rains are a blessing to farmers. The harvest there depends on the amount of precipitation, since Australia is the driest continent in the world.

It’s uncommon to surround a house with a high fence, with the exception of the Prime-Minister’s residence (which is strictly guarded). It is also a tradition to appear with a smile on your face in public, a common thing for Americans and probably to some extent for English people as well. And if you need some help, and then even people whom you don’t know well will be glad to help you without saying too much. ” That’s what we are here for” is the key phrase to understanding Australia.

People live there as if to help and protect each other and maintain the land of their ancestors in its unique and indescribable beauty. Of course, one can speak a lot about the difficulties of living in the southern hemisphere, but to experience it all, one would need live there longer as an ordinary citizen, rather than as a visitor.

Australia townspeople are bright and sunny, full of light and surrounded by the care and warmth of people’s relationships, even if it’s a bit idealized there.