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Though not native to Australia, camels played such an important part in the exploration of Australia that in the Red Centre they became as dear to Australians as kangaroos and koalas. Indeed, without them many of the great discoveries of the previous centuries wouldn't have been possible. One cannot but wonder why those wonderful animals are not native to this land of red deserts. Single-hump camels were transported from Asia and carried people and goods across the land until cars completely took over in the early 1920s. By 1925, 25 thousand camels became obsolete as there was hardly any job for them left. In an unprecedented move they were released into the wilderness with only few left on cattle stations to do some odd jobs. Today, the descendants of those few have only the job of entertaining numerous interstate and international tourists. Twenty five thousand camels had no problems with survival. Whatever food or water they could find proved to be sufficient for them. There are now over one million feral camels in Australia and that population may double in size every nine years. Wild camels wandering the deserts of the outback, crossing the roads at nights and scarring off the motorists. Recently there's been an unexpected development to the history of camels in Australia. These wild animals are being exported to least expected countries where one would anticipate enough 'home bred' ships of the desert, for example Saudi Arabia. Apparently, strong animals from Australia can significantly improve their breeds of camels so they are in high demand. If the tendency continues, these 'abandoned' animals might prove a good and easy source of a bit extra money for the people of the land. |
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This text has been
written after my trip to the Australian Red Centre where I had a first-hand
encounter with camels.
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What is the meaning of the following words in the passage? |
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'Dear' a). b). c). 2. 'Took over' a). b). c). 3. 'Obsolete' a). b). c). 4. 'Uprecedented' a). b). c). 5. 'Turn' a). b). c). |
6. 'Odd' |
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