教材文本 Unit 3 Comprehending

Unit 3 AustraliaComprehending1 The questions below are written to help you practise skimming for information. Try to answer them in the shortest possible time. You do not need to read every word of all five reading passages in order to answer them. 1 Where do most Australians live?2 In what city do federal politicians work?3 How many people live in Australia?4 When is Australia Day?5 How far is it from Perth to Sydney?6 How many World Heritage Sites are there in Australia?7 Which part of Australia gets the most rainfall?8 Why do most people choose not to climb Uluru?9 What two World Heritage Sites are named in these texts?2 Now read the five texts again more carefully. Underline any information about Australia that you didnt know before. Write down five facts that you consider to be the most interesting. Share your facts with others in your class. 3 Discuss these questions with others in your class. 1 What kind of people do you think make Australia their home?2 Each year large numbers of people become Australian citizens. Why do you think they choose to become citizens?3 When do you think travelling by train across Australia would be appropriate and when do you think travelling by plane would be more suitable? Give more than one reason. 4 In what part of Australia do you think most agriculture takes place? Give reasons. 5 Why do you think the population of Australia is so small when it is such a large country?6 Choose five words or phrases to describe Australia. Answer key for Exercise 1：1 The South-eastern coastal area of Australia. 2 Canberra. 3 20 million. 4 26 January. 5 4,352 kilometres. 6 14. 7 A few coastal areas. 8 Most people do not climb Ayers Rock out of respect for the Aboriginal people who consider the rock to be sacred. 9 Cradle Mountain National Park and Uluru. Suggested answers to Exercise 3：1 People who go to a new country to start again are likely to be courageous, curious and strong minded, and they enjoy challenges, since there might be tremendous hardships. They are probably confident of their abilities and open to new ideas and ways of doing things. 2 They could choose to become Australian citizens in order to feel truly a part of their new country, to feel secure in their new country and know they cannot be made to leave, or to gain an Australian passport and enjoy the rights of a citizen. Only Australian citizens can vote so some may want to take a greater part in the political life of the country. 3 Obviously, if you have to get to your destination quickly, you would travel by plane. It is also cheaper to travel by plane as these long distance trains are luxurious and therefore expensive. You might travel by train for the experience or to view the scenery on your journey. You might travel by train because you are frightened of flying. 4 As you need water to grow things, farming is most suitable in the wetter, coastal areas of the country. 5 Part of the reason is that much of the centre of Australia is uninhabitable desert. Another reason is that the Aboriginal population was fairly stable for thousands of years and others settled in the c