Unit 15 The Land and the Peoples of the Dreaming

Unit 15 The Land and the Peoples of the Dreaming

(澳大利亚的地理特征和怀有“梦创信仰”的民族)

一、本单元重点内容

1. The natural environment of Australia(澳大利亚的自然环境)

2. Distinctive features of the land (这片土地的特征)

3. Distinctive animals of the land(这片土地上独特的动物)

4. The indigenous peoples(原著民)

5. Dreaming and Dreamtime(“梦创信仰”和“梦创时代”)

6. The concept of Terra Nullius (“无人拥有的土地”的概念)

7. Impact of colonization on the indigenous peoples (殖民化对原著民的冲击)

8. Policies of segregation and assimilation(种族隔离政策和同化政策)

二、本单元重、难点辅导

1. The natural environment of Australia (澳大利亚的自然环境)境)

Australia is the largest island (最大的岛); the smallest, flattest and driest continent in the world (最小、最平和最干的大陆). The country also includes Tasmania(塔斯马尼亚岛), an island

just to the south, the Torres Straits Islands (托雷斯海峡岛屿) off the northern coast of the mainland and a small number of islands in the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. 80% of Australia’s population lives in the eastern, southern and southwestern borders of the country and in Mediterranean and temperate climates(温带地中海型气候).

这个国家还包括南部的一个岛--塔斯马尼亚岛，还有澳洲大陆北部海岸线上的托雷斯海峡岛屿，还有太平洋和印度洋的许多小岛。80%的澳大利亚人生活在这个国家的东部、南部和西南部，属地中海型气候和温带气候.

2. Distinctive features of the land (这片土地的特征)

Two of the country’s most distinctive physical features are the Great Dividing Range (大分水岭), which extends as an almost unbroken series of plateaus down the East Coast of Australia, from northern Queensland, through New South Wales and into Victoria and the Great Barrier Reef(大堡礁), the largest coral structure in the world, which extends along he coast of Queensland.

(澳大利亚的两大最有特色的地理特征是：大分水岭和大堡礁大分水岭沿着大陆的东部边缘，从昆士兰省的开始，绵延不断，形成一系列几乎不间断的高地，一直穿过到新南威尔士省和维多利亚省，延伸到塔斯马尼亚南部海边.大分水岭沿着大陆的东部边缘，从昆士兰省的北部开始，绵延不断，形成一系列几乎不间断的高地，一直穿过到新南威尔士省和维多利亚省，延伸到塔斯马尼亚南部海边。大堡礁沿着昆士兰省的海岸绵延2,000多公里，是世界上最长的珊瑚礁。)

Uluru(Ayes Rock) (澳大利亚中部一块在平坦的沙漠中天然形成的红色花岗岩巨石) —Located in the flat desert of the center of Australia, it is the largest monolith (独块巨石)in the world. It is a holy place for the Aboriginal people living around it. It is also called Ayers Rock by white settlers.(如右图) . 乌鲁鲁,也称作艾尔斯巨岩，位于澳大利亚中部，是一块在平坦的沙漠中天然形成的巨大岩石，高达348米, 圆周竟然达9.4公里。也是当地原住民部落的圣地，已被列为世界自然和文化遗产。

Devils Marbles (魔鬼大理石)：位于澳大利亚中部，北方领土内，巨大的花岗岩巨石叠摞在一起，颇为壮观。同时这里也是当地原住民的圣地，他们认为这些巨石是他们的祖先彩虹蛇的卵。(如右图)

3. Distinctive animals of the land(这片土地上独特的动物)

Australia’s distinctive flora and fauna evolved through its long period as an island continent (澳大利亚独特的动植物群是由其大陆岛的地理特征逐渐演变形成的)。Animals unique to the continent include: the platypus(鸭嘴兽), kangaroo (袋鼠), koala(树袋熊) and wombat(毛鼻袋鼠)。(如下图)

4. The indigenous peoples(原著民)

Since the First Fleet bringing the first convicts (罪犯) to Australia arrived in 1788, there have been only 8 generations of settlers. However, there have been at least 18,500 generations of the Peoples of the Dreaming since 47,000 years ago. 自从1788年英国载着罪犯的第一批舰队到达澳大利亚以来，一共才只经过了8代人，而梦创时代的后人(即原住民)从47,000年前开始已有18,500 代人在这片土地上生活。