陕西省定边县第四中学高中英语 Unit 3 Australia 背景材料 文章 The Economic of Australia素材 新人教版选修.docVIP

陕西省定边县第四中,,高中英语 Unit 3 Australia 背景材料 文章 The Economic of Australia素材 新人教版选修9 Australia is an outstanding producer of primary products. The country is self-sufficient in almost all foodstuffs and is a major exporter of wheat, meat, dairy products, and wool. Australia usually produces more than 25 percent of the worlds yearly output of wool. The volume of manufacturing grew rapidly between the 1940s and 1970s, and mining became a leading sector in the economy during the 1960s. The value of exports from the mining and manufacturing sectors now exceeds that of the agricultural sector. In 1995 the estimated annual federal budget included $85.9 billion in revenues and $96.3 billion in expenditures. Gross domestic product, which measures the value of all goods and services produced, was $392.5 billion in 1996. A. Agriculture Despite the great expansion in mining and manufacturing after 1940, the prosperity of much of the country continues to be dependent on livestock raising and crop farming. The pastoral industry was established in the early days of settlement, when the first Spanish merino sheep were introduced from South Africa. The industry was a significant factor in Australian economic and historical development. Australia currently is the major world producer and exporter of wool, particularly fine merino, although income from wool exports is now less than one-tenth of the total export income of the country. In 1997 the annual production of wool was 688,900 metric tons. About half of the countrys wool is produced in New South Wales and Western Australia. In the past the countrys great rabbit population hampered sheep raising by foraging on grazing land. Although rabbits accompanied the First Fleet that arrived in Australia in 1788, their first significant arrival occurred in 1859 at the behest of a landowner, Thomas Austin. The shipment of two dozen wild rabbits was released on his property near Geelong, Victoria. Within three years the rabbits had assumed the pro