Zvyšování kvality výuky
technických oborů
Klíčová aktivita V.2
Inovace a zkvalitnění výuky
směřující k rozvoji
odborných kompetencí
žáků středních škol
Téma II.2.1
Reals of the English speaking
countries and
the Czech Republic
Kapitola 18
Australia - geography
Mgr. Drahomíra Pólová
30.9.2012
Obsah
ÚVOD
1
1 AUSTRALIA – GEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 2
18.1 Australia’s Big Rock – Uluru................................................................................................. 2
18.2 Australia’s highest mountains ............................................................................................. 3
18.3 Australia’s longest river ....................................................................................................... 3
18.4 Australia’s deserts ................................................................................................................ 4
18.6 Climate ................................................................................................................................... 4
2 DOPORUČENÁ LITERATURA ......................................................................................................................... 6
3 POUŽITÁ LITERATURA A ZDROJE .................................................................................................................. 7
Úvod
Výukový materiál je primárně určen pro žáky 3. a 4. ročníků čtyřletých oborů
zakončených maturitní zkouškou (39-41-L/01 Autotronik, 33-42-M/01 Nábytkářská a
dřevařská výroba, 23-45-M/01 Dopravní prostředky, 36-45-M/01 Technická zařízení
budov, 39-41-L/002 Mechanik instalatérských a elektrotechnických zařízení budov) a 2.
ročníků nástavbového studia (23-43-L/51 Provozní technika, 64-41-L/51 Podnikání), ale lze
jej využít i při výuce nadanějších žáků v nižších ročnících uvedených oborů.
V rámci seznámení se s problematikou reálií a života v anglicky mluvících zemí je
výukový materiál vhodné použít jako podpůrný a doplňkový studijní materiál v předmětu
Anglický jazyk. Jednotlivá témata korespondují s tématickými plány vypracovanými
v souladu s ŠVP pro dané obory a vycházejí z požadavků RVP. Jazyková úroveň výukového
materiálu je v souladu s požadavky úrovně Intermadiate - B1 (středně pokročilý) Společného
evropského referenčního rámce pro jazyky.
Výukový materiál se zabývá geografií Austrálie.
Vzdělávací materiál zahrnuje souvislý text, jenž je souhrnným představením daného
tématu. Následují cvičení zaměřená na kontrolu porozumění textu nebo na další prohloubení,
či rozšíření znalostí. Součástí kapitoly je rovněž kontrolní cvičení.
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1 Australia – geography
Australia is the smallest continent but the biggest island. It is the world’s sixth-largest country
by total area. It is situated between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
18.1 Australia’s Big Rock – Uluru
Australia is ancient and it has some of the oldest geological features in the world. Its most
famous rock is Uluru in the Northern Territory. Formerly named Ayers Rock, it covers an
area of more than 3 square kilometers and nearly 10km’s around the base. It rises 345 metres
in height and is estimated to have been laid down around 500 million years ago in an inland
sea. What can be seen above the surface of the surrounding plains today is merely the eroded
remains of what was a much larger mass of sandstone that was thrust upward and tipped over
by geological upheaval 300 -400 million years ago.
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18.2 Australia’s highest mountains
The highest peak on the Australian mainland is Mount Kosciuszko which is 2228 metres
above sea level. Kosciuszko is located in the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales.
It is a little-known fact that the highest point on Australian territory is in the Australian
Antarctic Territory. Topping the list is Mt McClintock in the eastern sector of the Territory at
3490 metres with Mt Menzies in the western sector a close second at 3355 metres, both
considerably higher than Mount Koscuiszko.
Another surpassing Mount Koscuiszko is Mawson’s Peak on Heard Island, which is 2745
metres high and forms the summit of an active volcano called Big Ben.
18.3 Australia’s longest river
The lengths of the 10 longest rivers in Australia were re-calculated in September 2008 by
Geoscience Australia using data from the National Topographic Database. The calculations
confirmed that Australia’s longest single river is the Murray River at 2,375 kilometres.
The River Murray and its tributary, the Darling River, are the main rivers in the MurrayDarling River Basin. This drainage basin comprises the major part of the interior lowlands of
Australia, covering more than one million square kilometres, or about 14 per cent of
Australia.The Murray-Darling catchment also contains Australia’s longest continuous river
system.The runner up for Australia’s longest river is the Murrumbidgee River in New South
Wales at 1,485 kilometres.
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18.4 Australia’s deserts
Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in the world. About 35 per cent of the
continent receives so little rain, it can be classified as desert.The largest Australian desert is
the Great Victoria desert at 348,750 square kilometres, spanning Western and South
Australia. The runner up is the Great Sandy desert in Western Australia at 267,250 square
kilometres.The total desert area equates to 18 per cent of the total mainland area of Australia.
18.5 Australian islands
The Australian mainland is in fact the world’s largest island and is often referred to as an
island continent. Australia is also surrounded by thousands of smaller islands ranging is size
from rocky outcrops to some more than twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory.
The larges of these is Melville Island in the Northern Territory with an area of 5,786 square
kms.Fraser Island off the Queensland coast is Australia’s fifth largest island but the World’s
largest sand island. Australia also has a number of large islands in the Pacific, Indian and
Southern Oceans and the Coral and Timor Seas as part of its External Territories as well as
several closer to the mainland which are larger than 1000 square kilometres.
18.6 Climate
Climatic zones range from tropical rainforests, deserts and cool temperature forests to snow
covered mountains.
Within this climate, plants and animals have evolved on a geographically isolated continent,
through a time of a slowly drying climate, combined with continuing high variability. The
uniqueness of much of Australia's flora and fauna is thus at least partly due to these features
of our climate.
18.7 Questions

Where is Australia situated?

What is Uluru?

What is the highest mountain?

What is the longest river?

Name the largest deserts in Australia.
4

What is the climate like?

Find all mentioned geographical features in the map.

Prepare a short presentation about geography.
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2 Doporučená literatura
1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina – maturitní témata Třebíč 2006. ISBN 978-8086873-04-6.
2. Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, 2004. ISBN 8085784874.
3. Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theEnglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, 2004.
ISBN 80-7252-095-4.
4. Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, 2010. ISBN 978-807240-683-8.
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3 Použitá literatura a zdroje
1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina – maturitní témata Třebíč 2006. ISBN 978-8086873-04-6.
2. Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, 2004. ISBN 8085784874.
3. Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theEnglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, 2004.
ISBN 80-7252-095-4.
4. Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, 2010. ISBN 978-807240-683-8.
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