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：
【小題1】D 推理題。It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people.根據(jù)下一句話：然而在生活方式有很大的差別，上下文的轉(zhuǎn)折關系說明在口音上的差別并不大。故D正確。
【小題2】D 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段6,7,8 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)村的生活方式差別很大。故D正確。
【小題3】C 推理題。根據(jù)本句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blend of nation（各族的融合）是澳大利亞的一個特色。故C正確。
【小題4】B 推理題。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段第一行The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia.說明B正確。
考點：考查文化類短文閱讀
點評：本文主要介紹了澳大利亞的各方面的情況：生活方式，各方面的特點。要求培養(yǎng)考生的跨文化意識，對西方的文化和歷史有充分的了解。集中考查了推理題題，在閱讀時要注意每一段的中心觀點，明確思維傾向性。審題時，清晰定位考查點，準確判斷。本文的45題很有代表意義。