The aborogines of australia

The aborigines probably came to Australia from South East Asia about 60000 years ago. Australia in those days was a much wetter continent, with large forests and numerous lakes.

The Aborigines settled all over the country and quickly adapted to Australia's different climates and conditions, from snowy mountains to deserts and rainforests.

They were mostly nomads. The men hunted and the women collected plants and seeds. They had no domestic animals except the dingo, and used tools made of wood and stone. They knew exactly how to get fresh water and even went so far as to squeeze frogs which store water in their bodies!

They lived in small family groups of 10 to 50 people, each with its own language or dialect.

When the British colonized Australia in the 18^th century they wanted the Aborigines to adopt European ways of living. But the Aborigines didn't want to give up their way of life. There have been many fights between the Aborigines and the settlers, but these days their culture is accepted and many Aborigines are returning to their traditional ways.

The Aborigines believes in the Dreamtime which was a time when their "spirit ancestors" created the land and all forms of life in it. There are lots of Dreamtime stories and songs which are passed down the generations. The Aborigines sing them around campfires with the accompaniment of clapping sticks and the didgeridoo, their national instrument.

All over Australia there are many Aboriginal sacred sites. The Aborigines take care of them so that the "ancient spirits" are not offended and continue to protect them.

One of the most important ones is Uluru, the famous rock, situated in the Central Australia. Uluru has several caves filled with paintings showing legends of the Dreamtime.

Supplementary II

►THE STRUCTURE OF A LETTER

1. The Letterhead.

Companies use printed letterheads with the company’s name, address, fax and telephone number. If the company has a logo, it is also printed on the letterhead. The following common abbreviations are used in the names of companies:

• Co. – Company

• Ltd. – Limited Liability Company

• PLC. – Public Limited Company

• Inc. – Incorporated (used in the USA)

2. The Inside address consists of the name and address of the person and / or company the letter is being sent to. When you know the name of the person you are writing to, this must be written first. If you don’t know the name, the person’s position should be written (The Manager, The Sales Manager, etc.). This is followed by the name of the company, then – in a separate line – the number of the building and the name of the street, then – again in a separate line – the city and the post-code, and in the last line the name of the country. Note that in English a person’s name will be preceded by Mr., Miss, Mrs. or sometimes Ms. (if you don’t know if she is married or not). If the person has a doctor’s degree, you write Dr. instead of Mr.

3. References.

You will often find after the inside address a space for references followed by a group of numbers or letters. The letters mean that the letter was written by John Lewis, and typed by somebody whose initials are M.B. Your ref. refers to the letter, which is being answered.