THE ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA

            There are many animals in Australia that you cannot see anywhere else. Did you know that? Of course, you did! I per­sonally divide Australian animals into three categories: the good, the bad, the ugly. I think, it’s reasonable.

            Talking of the good animals, we should mention kangaroos in the first place.

            There are many different types of kangaroo. The biggest are the great grey kangaroos. They are 213 centimetres tall and can run at 56 kilometres per hour. Some run from you then stop and stare. Though we have put kangaroos in the «Good» category, farmers might disagree.

            Wombats and koalas have many similarities and are pro­bably related. Both have pockets inside their mouths to store food and neither has a tail. The number of koalas is getting smaller. This is partly because of fumes from bush fires. Res­cue teams help the koalas by catching them, putting them on respirators, then returning them to their original location when they are better. Australia also has a lot of native marsu­pial mice that live in the desert. Many of these only come out at night.

            You know, there are many animals that are «unpopular» in Australia including spiders which are dangerous. You can find these in Sydney. If they are hungry, they will attack any­thing that moves. They have sharp teeth and poison. Luckily, there is an antidote if you can get to hospital quickly. There have been 12 deaths since 1927.

            Another animal with sharp teeth and a fatal bite is the shark. However, there are normally a lot of beach patrols and protective nets to stop these from eating you for breakfast. Other animals that are a problem for beach lovers are jelly­fish. They look like bubbles of blue bubble gum and they have a painful sting therefore people do not swim when there are many in the water. Other «unpopular»animals include din­goes. These are a cross between wolves and dogs. They are un­popular because they eat farmers’ animals.

            Now what about the ugly animals? A word that people of­ten use to describe a cane toad is ugly! Other words include fat, noisy and disgusting. They are also as big as footballs! The Queensland Government brought cane toads to Australia to eat cane beetles. Unfortunately cane toads can’t fly but cane beetles can. Now the toads are more of a problem than the bee­tles. Hundreds of thousands are born every year. The toads eat everything including rare Australian animals. The toads are also poisonous to eat. Animals that eat them die. Though they are unpopular animals, some people like them and keep them as pets or write songs about them.

            There are a number of types of crocodiles found in northern Australia, ranging from the potentially dangerous saltwater crocodiles to smaller, more shy, harmless varieties.

            They have got snakes too although fears of the poisonous types are largely exaggerated. They are generally shy crea­tures, only too ready to avoid trouble. The taipan and the ti­ger are worth keeping away from.

            That is only a small selection of the creatures of the coun­try. Others include penguins, turtles, seals and possums.

            In the dry areas, you can see an amazing variety of lizards; some grow to a very hefty size.

              QUESTIONS:

1.      What animals are popular in Australia?

2.      What animals have pockets inside their mouths?

3.      How do rescue teams help koalas?

4.      What animals are «unpopular» in Australia?

5.      What words do people often use to describe a cane toad?

6.      Are dingoes in the «Good» category?

7.      How many cane toads are born every year?

8.      Why do animals that eat cane toads die?

9.      What snakes are worth keeping away from?

10.  What other animals live in Australia?

VOCABULARY:

ugly — безобразный

wombat — вомбат

kangaroo — кенгуру

to disagree — не соглашаться

similiarity — сходство

pocket — карман

fume — дым

rescue team — спасательная команда

marsupial — сумчатое животное

spider — паук

shark — акула

dangerous — опасный

poison — яд

antidote — противоядие

jellyfish — медуза

sting — укус, жало

acanetoad — тростниковая жаба

beetle — жук

rаrе — редкий

harmless — безопасный

to exaggerate — преувеличивать

to avoid trouble — избежать опасности

taipan — тайпан (ядовитая змея)

possum — опоссум

seal — тюлень, морской котик

lizard — ящерица