Australia/LE3 Exploring the Outback

Aborigines - Australia's first people

1. Put in the correct words.

The first people of (???) Australia were nomadic people who came to (???) Australia from southeast Asia.

Scientists do not know exactly (exact) when they arrived but it is somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago.

When the British came to Australia in (???) 1788, they called these native people “aboriginals”, meaning people who had lived (live) there since the earliest times.

They travelled (travel) through the bush, hunting (hunt) with spears and boomerangs (throwing sticks) and searching for food such as plants, grubs, and insects.

The first people of (???) Australia were nomadic people who came to (???) Australia from southeast Asia.

Scientists do not know exactly (exact) when they arrived but it is somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago.

When the British came to Australia in (???) 1788, they called these native people “aboriginals”, meaning people who had lived (live) there since the earliest times.

They travelled (Verben mit Konsonant am Ende !stop → stopped; travel) through the bush,

hunting (kein Subjekt vor dem Verb → Partizipialkonstruktion → Aktiv oder Passiv? hunt) with spears and boomerangs (throwing sticks) and searching for food such as plants, grubs, and insects.

Are they 'Austr-aliens'?

2. Complete the sentences.

Today aborigines feel like aliens in their (???) own country. There are only 265,000 of them left (leave) now.

Most of them are half European (Europe).

Less than (???) one third live on reservations, where their lives are a mixture (mix) of ancient ceremonies and social problems.

Voluntary apartheid has been (be) suggested as a way to save (save) their culture.

Today they are trying to build (build) their own education system. They are a1so interested in (???) the idea of listening to (???) radio programmes in (???) their own languages.

The Aborigines keep cattle, but mainly (main) they depend on (???) financial benefits from the government.

If you want to visit (want, visit) a reservation, you have to ask the authorities for permission.

The situation of Aborigines who (???) live in the cities is even worse(bad). Many see their position as hopeless (hope) and turn to drugs and crime.

Away from their homeland, they are like fish out (???) of water.

Today aborigines feel like aliens in their (???) own country. There are only 265,000 of them left (leave) now.

Most of them are half European (Europe).

Less than (???) one third live on reservations, where their lives are a mixture (mix) of ancient ceremonies and social problems.

Voluntary apartheid has been (be) suggested as a way to save (save) their culture.

Today they are trying to build (build) their own education system. They are a1so interested in (???) the idea of listening to (???) radio programmes in (???) their own languages.

The Aborigines keep cattle, but mainly (main) they depend on (???) financial benefits from the government.

If you want to visit (want, visit) a reservation, you have to ask the authorities for permission.

The situation of Aborigines who (???) live in the cities is even worse(bad). Many see their position as hopeless (hope) and turn to drugs and crime.

Away from their homeland, they are like fish out (???) of water.

Dreamtime

1. In Aboriginal Mythology, “Dreamtime” is the time when ( the world was created by animals, plants and humans together.) (! men couldn’t talk yet.)

2. How many Aborigines are there left today? (! About 160,000.) ( About 500,000.) (! About 1,480,000.)

3. What’s the name of the famous instrument that the Aborigines use? (! Boomerang.) (! Billabong.) ( Didgeridoo.)

4. How many different kinds of kangaroos are there in Australia? (! About 20.) ( About 65.) (! About 260.)

5. The red kangaroo (! is 2.4 m high, can jump 4m and can reach 70 km/h.) ( is 1.8 m high, can jump 3m and can reach 50 km/h.) (! is 1.8 m high, can jump 6m and can reach 70 km/h.)

6. In the language of the Aborigines, “koala” means ( “no water”.) (! “eucalyptus tree”.) (! “little bear”.)

The bird

Complete the following text by using the words in brackets in the proper form.

When we were children we learnt that we weren't allowed to (not, be allowed to) kill animals for the sake of killing.

Our father said, if we broke (break) this law, no excuse would be accepted() (accept)

One morning my brothers and I went hunting (go, hunt) . We didn't have to (not, must) go far to find some birds we wanted for dinner.

My brother was very good at (???) throwing (throw) stones. Therefore we expected him to kill (he, kill) one of the birds.

But he wasn't (not, be) very lucky. In the afternoon, however, we discovered the biggest (big) and most beautiful (beautiful) bird we had ever seen (ever, see). It didn't notice (not, notice) us coming (come). My brother grew(grow) more and more excited.

At last he slowly (slow) picked up (pick up) a stone and threw it at the bird which fell (fall) down from the tree immediately(immediate) .

Unfortunately (unfortunate) he had killed (kill) a protected bird.

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Australia - the continent Down UNDER

1. Fact File
2. Dangerous Animals
3. Exploring the Outback
4. Dream Time
5. Convicts
6. Work and Travel
7. Planning a Holiday

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