By the logic（逻辑）of geography, the continent of Australia should have been populated with Asians. Instead, by an accident of history, Australia has been mainly populated with Westerners.
Sadly, no major Australian newspaper or expert commented. This made me aware that Australians are reluctant to face Australia's painful new geopolitical realities.
Against this background, the release of the Asian Century White Paper is timely. It should provide a sharp wake-up call to the Australian population that Australia's destiny（命运）is now firmly tied to Asia. Julia Gillard is right in saying, "The transformation of the Asian region into the economic powerhouse of the world is not only unstoppable, it is gathering pace."
One truly impressive part of the paper is the data it provides on Asia's rise. It notes, for example, that "in the past 20 years, China and India have almost tripled（增三倍）their share of the global economy and increased their economic size almost six times over. By 2025, the region as a whole will account for almost half the world's output."
In this Asian century, as Western power gets weak steadily, Australia will be left "beached" alone as the only Western country （together with New Zealand） in Asia. Twenty-two million Australians will have to learn to deal with 3.5 billion Asians with great care and sensitivity.
Ignorance（无知）about Asia could prove to be fatal（致命的）for Australia's long-term future. This is why the report is right in focusing on Australian misunderstanding of Asia.
Sadly, this kind of terrible ignorance may be a result of Australian education. The report says, “Only a small proportion of Year 12 students study anything about Asia in the subjects of history, literature, geography, economics, politics and the arts under existing state-based curriculums." Worse, only 5 per cent of each Australian groups study any kind of Asian language.
Learning Asian languages would open windows to Asian cultural and political sensitivities. The time for Australians to think deeply about their Asian destiny has arrived. The sooner Australia adjusts to its new Asian destiny, the less painful the adjustment will prove to be.
| Title: It's | |
| Release of the white paper | Aim: To tell Australians that their Cause: Asia has |
| Writer's opinions | Australians will be lonely if they don't learn to deal with 3.5 billion Asians. Australian It's right for the paper to It's high time that Asia languages were |
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【推荐1】When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China’s name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.
Alcohol
Shocked? I was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC - 1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely consumed by people.
Tea
China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Mechanical Clock
Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 and 907.
Silk Fabric
Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.| A．people in the US like alcohol |
| B．beer was popular in the Xia Dynasty |
| C．Yi Di and Du Kang invented alcohol by accident |
| D．the author didn’t know alcohol is a Chinese invention |
| A．ancient Chinese inventors were wiser |
| B．many things in our lives are incomplete |
| C．ancient Chinese people never wasted time |
| D．the invention of the mechanical clock is important |
| A．Tea. | B．Alcohol. |
| C．Silk fabric. | D．The mechanical clock. |
【推荐2】America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while, then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport |
| B．treated hospitably at his home |
| C．offered a ride to his home |
| D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| A．willing to spend time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．strict with time |
| A．Friendships Between Chinese |
| B．Friendships Between Americans |
| C．Americans' and Chinese's Views of Friendships |
| D．Americans' Hospitality |
【推荐3】The state of Israel has welcomed the opportunity to build itself as a startup nation. But how did Israel show its strength in the tech market? And what drove this region to become a software-centric startup nation of young companies competing for a place on the global tech map?
Part of the answer comes down to the local mindset, mentality and morals-after all, the country is well used to fighting for its place. The wider answer is the combination of resources(largely human, not natural ones), higher education, the widespread use of English and the determined attitude to overcome problems that is typical of the local culture.
“We have a longstanding tradition of turning curses into blessings,” said Jon Medved, CEO of OurCrowd, a Jerusalem-based global venture investment platform organization. “We don’t have huge natural resources, so we have worked hard to develop our skills-base in the country. There is a certain mentality that leans towards risk acceptance here…. and people develop that from a young age. In my view, great achievements are made by taking lots of risks, but in a calculated way with various approaches to everything.”
Actually, what happens next will be interesting. Israel can’t call itself a startup technology nation forever. For example, more and more of these tech startups will need to graduate to become fully-blown operational companies. Although what often happens is the smaller tech companies end up getting bought by international tech heavyweights-the ICQ messaging system purchase by AOL being among the most famous of these. We can also see major firms like Microsoft and others setting up production plants and research centres in the region, so Israel won’t want to see its talent being bled outwards either.
Either way, Israel’s technology zone has put itself on the map from what appeared to almost nothing. Software development works well in a melting pot. It just needs some hot sauce… and they have that too.
1. What is one of the reasons behind Israel’s rising as a technology startup nation?| A．Rich human and natural resources. | B．A high value placed on education. |
| C．Widespread use of the native language. | D．Successful cooperation with major firms. |
| A．Some natural resource. | B．The local culture. |
| C．The risk-taking mentality. | D．A higher education. |
| A．To prove talent is the key to success. |
| B．To show the startups giving up their dreams. |
| C．To confirm nothing is impossible in this field. |
| D．To stress the challenge the startups tend to face. |
| A．Israel’s tech market has the strength to further develop. |
| B．Israel still needs to make greater effort to stay on the top. |
| C．Israel’s technology has played the leading role in its field. |
| D．No International tech heavyweights can compete with Israel. |
【推荐1】Wolf Warrior 2 (《战狼II》), a movie that made box office history in China in 2017, tells the story of how the Chinese government successfully rescues overseas Chinese citizens in Africa.
At the end of the film, there is one line that stands out: “When you meet with danger in a foreign land, do not give up! Please remember, at your back stands a strong motherland.”
The movie sends the message that overseas Chinese will always receive timely help from China. But in the future, some headstrong(任性的) citizens will not get this help for free, People’s Daily reported.
On March 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affaires (MFA) worked out a draft for regulations on consular (领事的) protection and assistance, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The draft says that those who insist on travelling to dangerous places without considering warnings given by the MFA will not be able to take advantage of free rescue services.
For example, the MFA recently release a travel advisory (安全提醒) saying that Chinese citizens should avoid travelling to Maldives. Chinese who travel there and run into trouble may still ask for aid from the Chinese Embassy. But they will have to cover the cost of their rescue later.
In fact, this is a common international practice, People’s Daily said. Countries like the US, the UK and Canada have similar regulations.
According to the MFA, over 130 million Chinese mainlanders travelled overseas in 2017. The MFA issued over1000 travel advisories to advise Chinese citizens of the risks they may face when travelling.
1. Why does the author quote a line from Wolf Warrior 2 ?| A．To explain what the movie is about. |
| B．To describe the feelings after watching the movie. |
| C．To stress that China will help every Chinese person. |
| D．To prove how strong China is. |
| A．People’s Daily | B．The MFA |
| C．Xinhua News Agency | D．Travel agencies. |
| A．Chinese people can’t travel to foreign places |
| B．Free rescue services have come to an end |
| C．Chinese who travel to Maldives will run into trouble |
| D．People will not get free help if they ignore the MFA’s warnings |
| A．China will be the first country in the world to do so |
| B．People may have second thoughts about travelling to dangerous places |
| C．The number of people who can travel overseas will be less than 130 million |
| D．Only rich people will be able to afford to travel overseas |
【推荐2】A school district in Michigan has banned all backpacks from school buildings, in response to growing safety concerns.
Flint Community Schools announced last week that backpacks would be banned and the ban would be in place for the rest of the school year. The new policy went into effect on Monday.
“We are doing all that we can to create a safe and secure environment for our scholars, families, teachers and staff,” Superintendent (主管) Kevin Jones wrote in a letter posted on the school district’s website.
Jones cited growing threatening behavior happenings across the country, including weapons being brought to schools, as the reason for the backpack ban.
“Backpacks make it easier for students to hide weapons, which can be taken apart and harder to identify than hidden in pockets, inside books, or under other items,” he said.
Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last May, where 19 students and two teachers died, schools began taking policies requiring students to use clear backpacks. However, Flint Community Schools have gone a step further and banned clear backpacks from school buildings, with the superintendent saying that it doesn’t resolve the issue.
“By banning backpacks altogether and adding an increased security presence across the district, we can better control what is being brought into our buildings,” Jones said.
Students are allowed to store personal items like wallets, keys, hygiene products (卫生用品) and phones in small purses, bring lunchboxes or place their gym clothes in clear plastic bags, all of which will be subject to searches.
If a student brings a backpack to school, parents or guardians must pick it up from the school, according to Jones.
The Flint Board of Education, the district’s administration and headmasters approved the policy change, Jones said, adding that the district received support from the Flint Police Department.
1. What is the basic reason for the ban?| A．Because weapons are flooded in the district. | B．Because people’s lives are threatened. |
| C．Because other schools have led the tide. | D．Because it is required by the government. |
| A．All backpacks are banned in Flint Community Schools. |
| B．More security guards are on the campus in the district. |
| C．All the things students take to school will be checked. |
| D．Parents are required to pick up their children from schools. |
| A．The ban is a joint effort of the Flint district. |
| B．All bags are banned in the schools of the district. |
| C．A student will get punished if taking backpacks to school. |
| D．There may be accidents after the shooting at Robb Elementary School. |
| A．Safety Concerns in Flint Community Schools | B．Weapon Threats in Flint Community Schools |
| C．Backpacks Banned in Flint Community Schools | D．Flint Community Schools Follow Suit Banning Bags |
Beijing has been encouraging foreign technology companies to carry out more high-end work on the mainland as part of efforts to revitalize local industry.
It will be Apple’s second facility in China. It already has a new research and development facility in Beijing.
The two R&D centers were “aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country”, Apple said in a statement.
A closer relationship with the Chinese authorities has been a priority following setbacks for the US technology company this year.
The iPhone has been losing market share to high-end handsets made by local competitors including Huawei, Vivo and Oppo, which topped the rankings in the second quarter, while Apple languished in fifth place, according to Canalys data.
Analysts said the announcement of the R&D centre was Mr. Cook’s latest attempt to gain favour with Beijing, following the US group’s $1billion investment in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-hailing company, in May.
Apple has had to change its approach in China as it faces rising nationalism and high-quality local competition, according to Ge Jia, a tech blogger, who wrote yesterday: “It’s time for Apple to cast aside their pride.” “Their previous strategy of only selling devices to China without leaving anything behind is not working any more and they are starting their process of localisation in China through the Shenzhen lab.”
1. Apple is going to open a research lab in Shenzhen to _____________.
| A．promote Shenzhen’s economy |
| B．promote its sales in China |
| C．get help of Chinese experts |
| D．join in local competition |
| A．There is only one research facility in China. |
| B．Apple has always been in good relationship with Chinese authorities. |
| C．Huawei has ranked to No.1 in the second sales quarter. |
| D．Apple is changing its strategy in order to boost sales. |
| A．Its bad quality and high price. |
| B．Nationalism and high-quality local competition. |
| C．Out-of-date design and false advertisement. |
| D．Chinese government’s ban on purchase. |
| A．taking part in high-quality local competition. |
| B．choosing certain customers in China. |
| C．only selling devices. |
| D．selling devices as well as technology. |
