Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Austr

Given Australia’ssize and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society isremarkably homogeneous (同种的). Itscitizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major citiesand towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharpear to identify regional accents.

However,there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the countrypeople. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced citiesalong the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert.The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overallimpression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. Incontrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. Formany years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, areference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the woolindustry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy isnow achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamondproducer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making arealso increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed,with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a societywithout hierarchies (等级制度), anattitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.

Yet,contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins.Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australiahad become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from theBritish Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’sliberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors fromwar-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.

Theemphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrantsare from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and althoughsome racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment andthe country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmoniousmulticultural communities in the world.

1.What doesthe writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.”in the first paragraph?

A.Australians speak Standard English with no local accents.

B. Youhave to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents.

C. TheAustralian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed.

D. Thereis not much difference between the accents in different areas of Australia.

2.Which ofthe following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. MostAustralians have ancestors who were prisoners.

B. TheAustralian economy is dependent on sheep exports.

C. Themajority of people living in Australia come from Europe.

D. The paceof life is different in the city and in the country.

3. Theunderlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.

A. Community             B. Racism      

C. Blendof Nations          D. SoutheastAsia

4.We caninfer from the passage that _____.

A. thereare no signs of Australia’s colonial past in its modern cities

B.Australia’s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia

C.immigrants from Southeast Asia have brought racial problems

D. “ridingon sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities

5.Thispassage mainly focuses on Australia’s ______.

A.society         B.economy       C. racialproblems      D. history

试题答案

【答案】

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.B

5.A

【解析】略