2018年12月英语六级阅读理解：澳大利亚

 

　　An island country, a whole continent, Australia has a remarkably cohesive personality and one which, much to our surprise, is markedly foreign. It is no longer the infant colony, peopled by British convicts and pioneers, but a maturing, perhaps still somewhat adolescent individual, ruggedly steering a vital new course in life.

 

　　Australia is a sprawl of rock and desert, fringed with lush valleys, snow fields, coral spectaculars, storm-stabbed cliffs and rolling beaches, a land rich in minerals, colors, curious flora , 230 species of mammals , 700 of birds, 400 of reptiles, 70 of amphibia, 2, 200 of fish and 50 , 000 species of insects — and seemingly infinite space . Australia is becoming the richest country in the world, materially.

 

　　Total area of the continent is about half as big as Europe, or 25 times the size of Britain and Ireland. Population is bunched mainly in coastal cities, the biggest of which are capitals of the country’s states and the federal capital Canberra . Canberra is a model of a planned garden city and is the seat of a major university. It is smallish in size , but big in importance. Sydney is the largest city, and commercial capital of the country.

 

　　Throughout the country, the basic accommodation unit is the motel, a flat prefabricated sprawl of bedrooms. But prices are reasonable and, most important, the rooms are excellent and equipped usually with air-conditioning, a refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities. Bath tubs are rare, as Australians prefer the convenience and hygiene of a shower. Porterage and other services are rare , as Australians don’t like doing a job which smacks of servility. After all, this is the land of equality and opportunity.

 

　　参考译文

 

　　澳大利亚

 

　　澳大利亚是一个岛国, 但同时也是一个完整的大陆, 它具有突出一贯的个性。令人奇怪的是,这种性格同我们显然不同。澳大利亚已不再是住着英国罪犯和拓荒者的新开辟的殖民地了,而是一个沿着崭新的生活道路艰难前进的、不断成熟的、也许仍然比较年轻的国家。

 

　　澳大利亚到处都是岩石和沙漠,分布毫无规则,但四周有青葱的山谷,披着白雪的原野,形形****的珊瑚礁,风雨侵蚀的悬崖绝壁和浪花片片的海滩。这片土地富于矿藏,色彩斑斓,拥有各种奇花异草。在这似乎无边无际的大地上有230种哺乳动物, 700种鸟类,400种爬行动物,70种两栖动物,2200种鱼类和5万种昆虫。就物质条件来讲, 澳大利亚正在变成世界上最富饶的国家。

 

　　这片大陆的面积约等于半个欧洲, 或者25倍于英国和爱尔兰的总面积。人口主要聚集在沿海城市, 其中最大的是澳大利亚各州首府和联邦首府堪培拉。堪培拉是一个典型的有计划性的公园城市, 国内一所主要的大学也在这里。这座城市面积有点小, 但政治上很重要。悉尼是全国最大的城市,也是澳大利亚的商业中心。

 

　　澳大利亚的基本旅馆住所是汽车旅馆, 里边的卧室是成套的预先设制好房间, 这种汽车旅馆几乎布满全国。房租并不贵, 最重要的是房内陈设漂亮,通常有空调、冰箱和烹茶煮咖啡的设备。澳大利亚人喜欢既方便又卫生的淋浴, 因此很少用浴盆。搬运业和其他服务业也很少, 因为澳大利亚人不喜欢做带有奴颜婢膝感觉的工作。毕竟这是一个平等的充满机遇的国家。