高中英语 Module 6 Animals in Danger Wild Down Under Wild Australasia训练 外研版必修5.docVIP

PAGE  Wild Down Under Wild Australasia This first programme of the series is a sweeping introduction to the natural wonders of Australia and reveals why its natural hisory has become so distinctive and strange. It features some of the most bizarre animals and evocative locations across the continent. When Australia first broke away from the rest of the world 45 million year ago it was a very different kind of place - lush, green and forested. And you can still experience something of that time by stepping into an Australian rainforest today. These are the oldest rainforests on earth, over 100 million years old, and those in Queensland and Tasmania look much as they would have done in the age of the dinosaurs. Budgerigars are colourful, noisy little parrots often seen in fast-flying flocks in central Australia. They are nomads, sometimes flying long distances in search of food and water. In the wild they are bright green and yellow, but pet budgies can be green, blue, grey, white or all yellow. Koalas are one of Australias most recognisable animals and are usually seen asleep in a gum tree, munching on gum leaves or sometimes with a baby on their back. A koala is not a bear but a marsupial with a pouch where a baby koala develops and suckles milk until its big enough to venture into the world. Young koalas stay with their mothers until they are around a year old. Most obvious of Australias unique animals are the marsupials, most of which carry their young around in a pouch. They are an odd lot! Tasmanian devils are the largest meat-eating marsupials, about the size of a big domestic cat, with sharp teeth and powerful jaws. They fight furiously over meals and so as not to injure each other with their teeth they often resort to bum bashing, turning round and barging each other with their backsides! Koalas are some of the cutest of all marsupials and also one of the laziest - they spend most of their time asleep, so they are quite a challenge to film. Even in t