1. V. Read the text and do the following tasks.
The Island Continent
Australia is the only country that fills an entire continent. It is the smallest continent in the world but the sixth largest country. Australia, called the island continent, is totally surrounded by water — the Indian Ocean on the west and south, the Pacific Ocean on the east, and the Arafura Sea, which is formed by these two oceans coming together, to the north.
The island continent is, in large part, a very dry, flat land. Yet it supports a magnificent and unusual collection of wildlife. Australia is a land of oddities. There are many unusual animals and plants that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Because the island continent was separated from the rest of the world for many years, these animals developed in different ways. Many of the animals in Australia are marsupials. Marsupials are animals such as koalas and wombats whose babies are born underdeveloped and are then carried in a pouch on the mother’s body until they are able to care for themselves.
The kangaroo is perhaps the best known of the marsupials. There are 45 kinds of kangaroos, and they come in a variety of sizes. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Kangaroos eat grasses and plants. They can cause problems for farmers and ranchers in Australia because they compete with cattle for pastures. Besides the marsupials, the strange animals of the continent include emu and the duckbill platypus.
There are many physical features of Australia that also are unique, including the central part of the country known as “Outback”, which consists of three main deserts — the Great Sandy, the Gibson, and the Great Victoria.Because much of the country is desert, more than half of all Australians live in large, modern cities along the coast. There are also many people living in the small towns on the edge of the Outback, where there is plenty of grass for raising sheep and cattle. Australia rates first in the world for sheep raising. In fact, there are more than 10 times as many sheep in Australia as there are people! A. Match the words with their definitions.
Marsupials, Oddities, Magnificent, Ranchers, Entire
1. …………………. = whole or complete
2. …………………. = extremely attractive and impressive
3. …………………. = people or things that are strange or unusual
4. …………………. = animals that carry their young in pockets of skin
5. …………………. = people who own or work on very large farm on which animals are kept
B. Choose the correct answer.
1. The text mainly discusses …
The geography of Australia The wildlife of Australia
The economy of Australia The geography and wildlife of Australia
2. Which of the following is true according to the text?
Australia is surrounded by two large bodies of water.
Australia has unique and strange collection of wildlife.
Australia don’t have any deserts Australia is a large continent.
3. Which animal is NOT mentioned in the text?
Koala Camel Sheep Platypus
4. The majority of Australians live in/ on ...
the small towns the deserts farms big cities
1 island
2 people
3 famous
4 national
5 several
1 island
2 inhabitants
3 famous
4 national
5 several