It's contributed to a 1.2 % fall in GDP, the biggest contraction in the Australian economy in twenty years.With rail lines buckled by flood waters and digging brought to a halt at many mines, coal exports from Queensland were particularly severely hit.The Australian economy has also been badly affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Japan is the country's second biggest trading partner.On top of all that, the Australian dollar has been at its highest levels against the US dollar since first being floated in the 1980s, which has also hit exporters.Australia managed to avoid recession after the global financial crisis, earning it the nickname 'the wonder from down under'. And most economists think this figure is a one-off blip.Asian demand for Australian resources, like iron ore and coal, should help the economy rebound, and the prediction is for a resumption of strong growth by the end of the year.Vocabularyresources-richan area which contains a large amount of valuable minerals and cropsbottom linethe final calculated amount of money that is profit or losscontributed tobeen partly responsible forbuckledbent and twistedbrought to a haltstoppedOn top of all thatAs well as all those other negative thingsdown underan expression that means Australiaa one-off blipa single bad result which won't be repeatedreboundreturn to its previous healthy conditiona resumption ofa restarting o Backpacker, ou mochileiro em portugues sao pessoas que praticam o "backpacking", que e uma cultura que abrange pessoas entre 16 e 80 anos, que viajam explorando o mundo, na maioria das vezes, com uma verba limitada de dinheiro, uma mochila nas costas e desejo de conhecer novos lugares e cultura.Eles procuram lugares exoticos e tem uma maneira peculiar de observar as paisagens e o ambiente dos locais visitados. Dormem em albergues da juventude, utilizam servicos de hospitalidade gratis e compram alimentos e bebidas em supermercados ou pequenos restaurantes locais. Sao geralmente muito sociais e, a todo o momento, fazem amizades com outros mochileiros pela estrada e com os habitantes das localidades visitadas.Abaixo, voce vera algumas regras sobre backpacking, mas antes, vamos aprender algumas palavras e expressoes para compreender o texto:20-bed dorm = mochileiros costumam hospedar-se com outros mochileiros, dividindo o espaco e assim tendo opcoes mais baratas de acomodacao. Os albergues e lugares que sao preparados especificamente para mochileiros, se dividem em dormitorios, normalmente com 4 camas (4-bed dorm), 8 camas (8-bed dorm), ate 20 (20-bed dorm) ou mais camas.to book = agendar, reservarlone traveler = e o viajante solitario, que embarcou em uma aventura sozinho e que ao longo do percurso conhece outras pessoas, outros "lone travelers" e faz novas amizades.fears = medos, receiosFollow some phrases, sentences, or thoughts that can only be learned through the experience of Backpacking:Backpacker Rule #1: DO NOT book a 20-bed dormBackpacker Rule #2: lone traveler with no plans + lone traveler with no plans = instant friendBackpacker Rule #3: An open door is made to be enteredBackpacker Rule #4: Check the time on the ticketBackpacker Rule #5: Leave your fears at homeBackpacker Rule #6: Today's miseries are tomorrow's memories.Backpacker Rule #7: Keep a travel journal. A picture is worth a