Part I Getting ready

B. You are going to hear some sentences describing different countries. Listen carefully and complete the following chart. Pay special attention to the numbers.

      Country            Area (square mile)        Population

     Australia             3,000,000                ---

     Nepal                54,000                  ---

     Switzerland           15,944                  ---

     Argentina             ---                     +20,000,000

     Austria               32,376                  7,150,000

     Colombia             439,828                 16,300,000

     Saudi Arabia           830,000                 7,000,000

     Denmark              16,576                  4,600,000

Tapescript:

※ Australia is the world’s largest island and its smallest continent. Its total area of 3,000,000 square miles is about the same as that of the continental United States (excluding Alaska).

※ The area of Nepal is about 54,000 square miles. Within its borders are five of the world’s highest peaks.

※ Switzerland is a small, landlocked country, 15,944 square miles in area. It’s bordered by France, Austria, and Italy.

※ More than 20,000,000 people live in Argentina. About 97 percent are of European stock. Most Argentines live on the eastern plains. Fewer than 19% live in the dry western and northwestern provinces.

※ Austria is 32,376 square miles in area. This makes it twice the size of neighboring Switzerland. There are about 7,150,000 people living in Austria. More than one third of the people live in or near Vienna, the Capital City.

※Colombia is the only country in South America with a coastline on both sides of the continent. It is a big country with an area of 439,828 square miles and about 16,300,000 persons live in Colombia.

※ Saudi Arabia’s area is estimated to be about 830,000 square miles. Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s 7,000,000 people are Arabs. Today Saudi Arabia’s vast oil resources are paying for the modernization of the country. Conditions there are changing more rapidly than they have for centuries.

※ Denmark proper has an area of only 16,575 square miles. It is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries --- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. But Denmark’s population of over 4,600,000 is greater than that of Norway and more than half that of Sweden.