英语六级阅读理解精炼第18篇，练习年轻的大陆—澳大利亚，含有六级阅读练习题，参考译文，答案等内容。供正在准备英语六级考试的学习者参考学习。

　　18. australia

　　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 convicts2 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 3, 230 species of mammals4 , 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 canberra5 . 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 prefabricated6 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 of7 servility. after all, this is the land of equality and opportunity.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. are the sesta tements true or false according to the article ?

　　1. australia is as big as europe , or 25 times the size of britain and ireland. 2. canberra is not only the capital but also the biggest city of australia . 3. motel is very popular for accommodation in australia.

　　Ⅱ. match the following countries with their corre sponding capita ls :

　　1. egypt wellington 2. australia athens 3. new zealand seoul 4. canada cairo 5. greece ottawa 6. south korea canberra