Question

Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同種的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等級制度), an attitude 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, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.
【小題1】What does the 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 whatsoever.

B．You have to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents.

C．The Australian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed.

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

【小題2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners.

B．The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports.

C．The majority of people living in Australia come from Europe.

D．The pace of life is different in the city and in the country.

【小題3】The underlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.

A．Community

B．racism

C．blend of Nations

D．Southeast Asia

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that _____.

A．there are 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．“riding on sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities

Answer 1

【小題1】D
【小題2】D
【小題3】C
【小題4】B

解析試題分析：本文介紹了澳大利亞的信息，澳大利亞人的生活節(jié)奏，城鄉(xiāng)的差別，以及澳大利亞的移民政策等等。
【小題1】D 推理題。根據(jù)the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.說明雖然澳大利亞的地方較大，但是很多發(fā)音都是一樣的。要想聽出口音的區(qū)別要很敏感的耳朵的，故D正確。
【小題2】D 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章7,8，9三行The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative.說明澳大利亞的城市和鄉(xiāng)村的生活差別很大，故D正確。
【小題3】C 推理題。根據(jù)Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.說明這里的it就是指前句的blend of nations。故C正確。
【小題4】B 推理題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)4,5行The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia.說明現(xiàn)在很多的移民都來自東南亞，那么澳大利亞政府鼓勵來自東南亞的移民。故B正確。
考點：考查文化類短文閱讀
點評：本文介紹了澳大利亞的有關信息，考查推理題很多，測試考生在閱讀基礎上的邏輯推理能力，要求考生根據(jù)文章所述事件的邏輯關系，對未說明的趨勢或結局作出合理的推斷；或根據(jù)作者所闡述的觀點理論，對文章未涉及的現(xiàn)象、事例給以解釋�？忌�首先要仔細閱讀短文，完整了解信息，準確把握作者觀點。