A number of national institutions have been established in the capital - the National Library， the National Gallery， the National University， the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation， the Academy of Science and the National Science and Technology Centre to name but a few.
National organizations that require frequent contact with politicians and administrators have established their headquartersheadquarters n.司令部， 指挥部， 总部 in Canberra. In one small area of Barton are the national headquarters of the three major political parties， the Institution of Engineers， the Chamber of Manufactures， the National Farmers， Federation and the National Press Club.
Canberra is the natural location for a number of national memorials. The Australian War Memorial stands majestically at the foot of Mount Ainslie overlooking a wide avenue of Anzac Parade. The AustralianAmerican Memorial in the heart of the defence complex at Russell Hill commemoratescommemorate vt.纪念 the United States， contribution towards Australia，s defence in World War II. The Captain Cook Memorial near Regatta Point marks the bicentenary of the discovery of Australia，s east coast.
Eighty years ago Canberra did not exist. Today it is a beautiful city， befitting the capital of a young and prosperousprosperous adj.繁荣的 Australia. The site of the city has been enhanced by the planting of more than twelve million trees， by the creation of its attractive lakes， by fine buildings and careful planning.
It is， as Walter Burley Griffn predicted， “unlike any other city in the world.”
Sydney Overiew
悉尼--闪烁之星
悉尼是澳大利亚在政经地位上最重要的一个城市，虽然澳大利亚首都定在堪培拉而不是悉尼，但是悉尼却有着首都的气势及实际地位。
建筑在杰克森港(Port Jackson)旁的悉尼市区，是个规划完善的大都会，城市风光及自然美景和谐并存，而悉尼2000年的奥运，更将这个南半球的首府推向国际舞台。
从考古的角度来看，悉尼原本是Daruk族世居之地，到现在已经发现了2000个保留着石雕艺术遗迹的原住民遗址，而许多郊区的地名也仍使用原住民的语言来称呼。
悉尼正式开始成为一个城市，应该是从1788年英国将这里视为流放罪犯的海外监狱开始，在其后的60年之间，陆续从英国以海运方式将定罪的犯人送到这里来坐牢。
虽然有过这么一段悉尼人不太愿意回顾的过去，但是随着时光的推演，悉尼却逐渐成为多样文化的丰富城市，原先以英格兰和爱尔兰裔为主的英国色彩，也逐渐被后来大量移入的意大利、黎巴嫩、土耳其、希腊、中国和越南裔等多种族所冲淡，并且逐渐发展出自己的特色和光彩。
悉尼市中心，距离海边相当的近，由环形码头徒步过去也不过10来分钟，不但有众多的购物中心与五星级饭店，号称南半球最高建筑物的悉尼塔也在此，可说是悉尼精华区。要提醒读者的是，悉尼市中心的商业活动与办公大楼通常在6、7点就接近尾声，因此、入夜后路上行人与车辆都不多，若是外出看夜景，请尽量避免落单。
悉尼是澳大利亚最大、最古老的城市，这里气候宜人、环境优美、风光漪妮、景色秀丽，夏不酷暑、冬不寒冷，日照充足，雨量丰沛，风景美丽，着名的悉尼歌剧院、港口大桥、岩石区、环形码头、麦觉里广场、情人港……，悉尼最值得一去的还是海滩。悉尼的海滩星罗棋布，风格各有千秋。
The site of Sydney is a place valued by the oldest civilisation in the world. For at least 50，000 years its aboriginalaboriginal adj.土着的， 原来的 n.土着居民 people fished the waters of its sheltered harbour， speared the plentiful supply of animals that inhabited its heavily wooded shores and filled the clear air with the sounds of their ordinary and ceremonial lives. Fragments of traditional aboriginal art may still be found on rock faces around the region and middens of shells testify to aspects of the domestic life of the men and women of the Cadigal band of the Eora tribe.
In recent centuries， this lifestyle was rapidly obliterated with the arrival of Europeans. Perhaps there were older memories of fleeting visits of strangers we call Chinese， perhaps Portuguese. Then， in 1770， came the transienttransient adj.短暂的， 瞬时的 n.瞬时现象 ships of the French explorer， La Perouse， and the English explorer James Cook， followed a few years later by the arrival of more English. This time they had come to stay.
The Arrival of Europeans
The settlement of Sydney is said to have begun on the afternoon of 26 January 1788， when the 11 ships of the “First Fleet” dropped anchor at Sydney Cove， one of the loveliest harbours in the world. But the human cargo that arrived in those ships was not lovely. The aim was not to build a great city， but to establish a prison settlement for British convicts. Soldiers and prisoners worked to carve out a rough and ready settlement， using European knowledge and ignoring the skills of the local people who had lived in this place for so long， and who were now being decimated by new European diseases. On several occasions the little settlement came close to starvation.
Today， there are clear signs of these early years in the landscapelandscape n.风景， 山水画， 地形， 前景 v.美化 of the City of Sydney. The original tracks hewn through the bush form some of the city，s main thoroughfares. The eastern， “official” side of the original settlement still contains the buildings that denote power and control - government offices， the governor，s residence， the houses of parliament. In the historical imaginationimagination n.想像， 空想， 想像的事物， 想像力， 听觉， the old convict barracks near Hyde Park still reverberate with the swish of the lash and the clang of the chain gangs.
An Unruly Society
The western side of the town was altogether more unruly. Today， the crooked streets of The Rocks， which mark the western extremityextremity n.末端， 极端， 极度， 穷困， 绝境， 临死， 非常手段， 手足 of the early settlement， evoke a different kind of society. Here， convicts made a life as best they could， building higgledypiggledy cottages with hand hewn rock. Sailors who，d spent months and months at sea caroused in the numerous small public houses drinking grog calculated to ruin their guts and help them forget the harsh realities of life in Sydneytown.
Some of the finest buildings of this early convict period were built during the time Lachlan Macquarie was governor (1810～1821). Governor Macquarie wanted to build a city and got himself recalled to London for his troubles， accused of spending too much money on the place. But against all the odds， Sydney was becoming a city， as free settlers began to arrive and convictsconvict vt.证明……有罪， 宣告……有罪 n.罪犯 began to be free. A more complex place evolved as the economy grew. To the stench of the tar blackened ships， whaling and sealing were added the cargoes of the new and lucrative wool trade. To the gaol buildings were added increasing numbers of schools， churches， markets， stores， theatres and a library.
Government， Gold and Growth