Australia is nearly as large as the United States, but most of it is too dry to live in. Around the edge(边缘) of this huge dry part are large sheep and cattle farms. A few of them are as large as the smallest states in America. Often the nearest neighbors are many hundred miles away.

     The two-way radio is very important to people who live on these great Australian farms. It works much like a telephone. A person can listen to someone else talk and give an answer.

     When these radios first came into use, the Australian government set up a special(专门的，特别的) two-way radio programme(节目). Then, people on the large farms could talk to a doctor hundreds of miles away. They could tell the doctor about someone who was sick, and the doctor could let them know how to care for the sick person.

     Since the large farms were so far from towns, the children could not to go to school. Radio schools were set up for them in some places. At a certain time each day, the boys and girls turn on their radios and listen to teachers in cities miles away.

     Families on the large farms wanted to give news to their neighbors. “Round robin(知更鸟)” talks by radio were started to keep families in touch with each other. They could talk about who was getting married or who was sick or who was going away. The men could talk about their sheep and cattle and how much money the markets would pay for them. In many ways the radio became a newspaper for the farm people of Australia.

       Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.

       AVOID BIG EVENTS　Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost ￡169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost ￡118.15.

       If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you're looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

       STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION　If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.

       Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was ￡95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was ￡75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just ￡62.95.

       LOOK AFTER YOURSELF　Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self­catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, available for ￡420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.

       GET ON A BIKE　London's “Boris bikes” have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.

       Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around ￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or ￡5 per day)．