| 25 Sep Next week I’m travelling to Australia to visit a friend there over the school holidays. I plan to keep this blog to record my experiences and what I learn. I have already done some research on the country. Located to the south of the equator, below many other countries on the globe, it’s often informally referred to as “down under”. I have also read about some iconic sites, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Great Ocean Road, and animals like the cute koalas and kangaroos. I can’t wait to see all of them! However, as I major in social studies, I’m more interested in meeting people in Australia and experiencing their culture, food, and way of life. |
1 Oct I’m here in Sydney! Since I arrived, my friend has brought me to my first open-air barbecue and has also shared many different but yummy meals with me, so my first impressions of Australia have been all about food! A lot of typical Australian food, such as the Sunday roast, is originally British. Bakeries, fast-food joints, butcher shops, cafes, and restaurants everywhere provide some of the premier food experiences in the world. The influence of Asian cultures, on the other hand, led to the introduction of bean curd and Asian herbs, along with Australian versions of foods like the Chinese-inspired dim sim.
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| 3 Oct My friend and I have arrived in Katherine, a town in Australia’s Northern Territory. We’re here to learn about the life and customs of the Aborigines, who are native to Australia. The Aboriginal population might be small, but its influence is still visible. For example, “Bondi” in “Bondi Beach” is an Aboriginal word meaning “water breaking over rocks”. To survive in this vast land on the ocean, the Aborigines had to be in close contact with nature. This shows in their music, too, which celebrates the natural world and the spiritual world around them. Most of their musical instruments are really just sticks found on the ground, among which there is an amazing instrument called the didgeridoo.
The didgeridoo is made from a tree branch which is hollow. To play the didgeridoo, you put your mouth on one end and blow while vibrating your lips. Unlike a horn, there are no finger holes. The didgeridoo player has to change the shape of his mouth in order to change pitch. A skilled player can play for a long time without stopping to breathe. He does this by continually breathing in through his nose while breathing out through his mouth and into the didgeridoo. I tried to learn how to play it, but after trying for hours, I was convinced that I could never make a musical sound with this instrument! |
6 Oct It’s almost time for me to say goodbye to Australia. I’ve enjoyed my time here very much. After being here for a while, my biggest impression is the complicated mix of peoples and cultures that make up the nation. Although the main cultural influence since 1788 has been Western culture, minority cultures have also played a part in shaping the unique Australian culture, with many of the new cultural influences contributed by immigrants. It is said that now nearly half of all Australian citizens were either born overseas or have parents who were born overseas. Personally speaking, what I like most about Australia is the people themselves. They have a straightforward and free-and-easy attitude towards life, and their friendliness and warmth made me feel at home wherever I went. After experiencing Australia, I have to say that I agree with the tourism slogan: “There’s nothing like Australia.” |
| Take notes When you read a passage, sometimes it helps to take notes so that you can better remember and understand what you have learnt. When you take notes, it is good to write down the important facts just using key words and ignore many of the small words. You can also use abbreviations, such as “Aus” for “Australia” and “N” for “north”, and use symbols such as “&” for “and”. |
Travelling in Australia
Part. 1 Preparing to
Part. 2 First
Part. 3
Part. 4 Reflections on
2. What is the text type of the passage?
| A．Narration (记叙文). |
| B．Argumentative essay (议论文). |
| C．Expository essay (说明文). |
| D．Practical writing (应用文). |
Text 1
PERU is a country on the Pacific coast of South America with three main areas: narrow, dry, flat land running along the coast, the Andes Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest.
In the 1400s and 1500s, Peru was the centre of the powerful ancient Inca Empire. The Inca emperor lived in the now-famous site Machu Picchu. Spain took control of Peru in the 16th century and ruled until 1821. It is for this reason that Spanish is the main official language of Peru.
Text 2TRAVEL PERU
Amazon Rainforest Tour
A short flight from Cusco takes you from the Andes into the Amazon rainforest. From there, you'll spend one day travelling by boat to your accommodation in the middle of the forest. You can then spend three days exploring the rainforest with a local guide and enjoying the plants and animals unique to the rainforest.
Machu Picchu Tour
This four-day walking tour will take you on amazing paths through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu. After reaching your destination, you will have a day to explore and be amazed by this ancient city. Especially amazing is the Incas' dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to exact sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the perfect fit of the stones.
Cusco Tour
Spend four days enjoying the unique Spanish and local Indian culture high in the Andes at Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th century. Stay in a local hotel, visit the museums, admire the architecture, enjoy the excellent local food, and go shopping at the local markets.
Lake Titicaca Tour
Enjoy the beautiful countryside as you spend a day driving along the new highway connecting Cusco to Lake Titicaca. There, a boat will take you to stay with a local Uros family on an island for three days. Both the island and the Uros homes are made of water plants from the lake.
So come and experience what Peru has to offer: everything from the ancient Inca culture and centuries-old Spanish villages to deep rainforests, high mountains, and a beautiful coastline.
For more brochures about other package tours around Peru, contact us at tourinfo@travelperu.org.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________THEME PARKS
FUN AND MORE THAN FUN
Which theme park would you like to visit? There are various kinds of theme parks, with different parks for almost everything: food, culture, science, cartoons, movies, history, and so on. Some parks are famous for having the biggest or longest roller coasters, others for showing famous sights and sounds. Whichever and whatever you like, there is an incredible theme park that will appeal to you!
The theme park you are probably most familiar with is Disneyland, which can be found in several parts of the world. Disneyland will bring you into a magical world and make your childhood dreams come true. Travelling through space, visiting a pirate ship, or meeting an adorable fairytale or cartoon character are all possible at Disneyland. As you wander around the fantasy amusement park, you may see Snow White or Mickey Mouse in a parade or even on the street. Of course, Disneyland also has many exciting rides to amuse you, from enormous swinging ships to scary free-fall drops. If you want to have fun and more than fun, come to Disneyland!
Dollywood, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in southeastern USA, is unique because it shows and celebrates America’s traditional southeastern culture. Famous country music groups put on performances there all year round, indoors and outdoors. People come from all over America to see skilled workers make wood, glass, and iron objects in the old-fashioned way. Visiting the candy shop and trying some of the same kind of candy that American southerners made 150 years ago is a rare experience. Riding on the only steam engine still working in the southeastern United States is a special treat. And for those who like rides, Dollywood has a superb old wooden roller coaster, Thunderhead. It is world-famous for having the longest track in the smallest space. Come to Dollywood to have fun learning all about America’s historical southeastern culture!
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China, is one of the leading ocean-themed parks in the world. Here you can walk under the Whale Shark Aquarium—the world’s largest—and see up to 20,000 fish, in addition to a whale shark 68 metres in length. Watching the dolphin and sea lion shows is both educational and fun. Of course, you can also see all kinds of interesting animals, including polar bears. The park has more rides than you can imagine: join a water fight against pirates, get turned upside down by an exciting roller coaster, or get wet in one of the water rides! Then at night, see the splendid Journey of Lights Parade and fireworks display. Hungry? The park has plenty of restaurants with tasty food for every appetite—you can even eat while watching the fish swim by. If it is ocean entertainment that you are looking for, come to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom!
1. Find main idea of each paragraphP2
P3
P4
2. Fill in the table
A | B | C | D |
| Disneyland (various locations) | Travel through space; visit a | A parade of | |
| Dollywood in | Thunderhead | performances there | |
| Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in | Water fight against pirates; exciting roller coaster; water rides | Whale Shark Aquarium; polar bears | Plenty of restaurants with |
3. Whom do you think this text is written to?
4. Why do you think the author write this text?
Li Daiyu and her cousin Liu Qian went to Canada to visit their cousins in Halifax on the Atlantic coast. Rather than travel by commercial airline all the way, they decided to fly to Vancouver and then take the train. For both of them, the thought of crossing the whole country by rail was exciting.
Before starting out, they spent a couple of days in Vancouver, seeing the sights. During their first day, as is typical of Vancouver, it rained. Despite the weather, they were able to take a boat ride out into the bay, and later visit an island that had wonderful shops selling crafts and antiques. The next day was clear and mild, and they were pleased to see the beautiful mountains looking out over the city. Later, they took a pleasant hike in a forest just a short distance away.
The next morning, the two girls arose early to take the train to Lake Louise, passing through the Canadian Rockies. Seen from the train window, the mountains and forests of Canada looked massive. When the train arrived at the station, they took a taxi to Lake Louise, where the blue water literally took their breath away with its exceptional beauty. They spent the night, and then took a coach bound north through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper. Looking at the beautiful scenery, they both agreed that it was the most awesome journey they had ever taken. In addition to seeing spectacular mountain peaksand forests, one highlight of their trip was being able to see many different creatures, including deer, mountain goats, and even a grizzly bear and an eagle.
From Jasper, they caught the train towards Toronto. One of the train’s first stops was in Edmonton, the provincial capital of Alberta, the centre of Canada’s huge oil and gas drilling industry. Edmonton is freezing cold in winter, with daily temperatures averaging -10˚C. Since it
can be too cold to go outdoors, Edmonton is home to many shopping malls. In fact, one of thelargest shopping malls in North America is in Edmonton.
From Edmonton, the train headed southeast across the great Canadian Prairie. At school, Daiyu and Liu Qian had learnt that Canada’s population is only slightly over thirty-seven million. However, they did not anticipate seeing such an open country, and were truly amazed. They went through two wheat-growing provinces, where they saw a bunch of farms that covered a very large area.
After another day on the train, eventually they were back in an urban area, the city of Winnipeg. From there, they travelled through the night, and woke up in Ontario—a land of forests and lakes. The train thundered on, through the rolling hills. The bushes and maple trees outside their windows were red, gold, and orange, and there was frost on the ground, confirming that autumn had arrived in Canada. Night came again, and the train turned south towards Toronto. When they woke up the next morning and pulled back the curtains, they could see the wide stretch of Lake Huron—one of the four Great Lakes on Ontario’s southern border. It was not until 9:30 a.m. that they finally reached the capital of Ontario, Toronto. All in all, their trip from Vancouver to Toronto had taken a duration of four days.
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Temple of Confucius | Kong Family Mansion | Cemetery of Confucius |
8 . 观察图片，预测下列问题的答案。
