Australian Flag Designs by Readers of the Sun-Herald
We received dozens of responses after inviting readers to send in their designs for a new flag. The designs we received include:
James Anthony, Drummoyne
James reduces the Union Jack down in size and changes its shape to become a reminder of the British tradition rather than canceling it altogether. At the same time he suggests enlarging the stars of the Southern Cross. His design attempts to use the best of both worlds in a newly designed flag.
As he says, “the British part of the Australian Flag is too big and the Australian bits are too small. When you make the stars bigger the Australian flag can look impressive.”
Joe Bollen, Turranmurra
Joe’s flag has the main elements of a risen sun, white horizon(地平线), red earth at the base and the Southern Cross. He intends to make the risen sun a special Australian symbol on the flag. He believes it represents life. The Southern Cross shows that we live in the Southern Hemisphere. (半球)
Maria Ieraci, Sydney
Maria deleted the Union Jack but otherwise kept the flag as is with the Southern Cross and Federation Star. She says, ‘There is only one correct way to change the Australian flag” and that is “to drop the Union Jack ---- when Australia becomes a Republic”, which she hopes will be before 2010.
Ron Bennett, Sydney
Ron recommends using the Aboriginal colors but replacing their image of the sun with the map of Australia. He says, “Australia is unique being an island continent with an instantly recognizable outline at that” and “this will leave no doubt as to which country the flag belongs.”Which of the four designs can remind you of the past of the country?
| A．Joe’s | B．Maria’s | C．Ron’s | D．Jame’s |
The Southern Cross in some of the designs represents _________.
| A．the spirit of the nation |
| B．the position of the country |
| C．the tradition of Britain |
| D．the expectations of the people |
What does the Union Jack refer to?
| A．the British flag |
| B．A former British ruler |
| C．group of stars |
| D．A former symbol of Australia |
After a two-week dig, scientists have concluded that Stonehenge was “the ancient healthcare centre of southern England” because of the existence of “bluestones”---the smaller columns of dolerite（辉绿岩）that formed an earlier stone structure.
By dating pieces of remains to around 7330BC, Tim Darvill, of Bournemouth University, and Goff Wainwright, of the Society of Amtiquaries have found that hunter-gatherers were at the site on Salisbury Plain 4,000 years earlier than thought. The first stage of Stonehenge, a round earthwork structure, was built around 3000BC. Professor Wainwright added: “I did not expect the degree of complexity we discovered. We’re able to say so much more about when Stonehenge was built and why---all of which changes our previous understanding of the monument.”
The research reveals the importance of the henge’s famous bluestones. Hundreds of bluestone chips gathered at the site have led the team to conclude that the bluestones were valued for their curing effects---the key reason that about 80 of them, each weighing up to 4 tons and a half, were dragged more than 150 miles from the Preseli Hills to Wiltshire. After years of research, Professors Darvill and Wainwright have concluded that, for thousands of years, the Preseli mountain range was home to magical health centers and holy wells.
Even today there are those who believe in the curing powers of the springs for coughs and heart disease, and people who use crystals and bluestones for self-curing. Radiocarbon tests have also revealed that the construction of th
e original bluestone circle took place around 2300BC, three centuries later than originally thought. Interestingly, on the same day died the “Amesbury Archer”---a sick traveler from the Swiss or German Alps who had an infected knee---whose remains were discovered about five miles from Stonehenge. The professors believe that he was a devoted religious person who was hoping to benefit from the curing powers of the monument.Stonehenge is recently believed to be a place
for people.
A．to recover from poor health
to observe star movements
C．to hold religious ceremonies D．to gather huge bluestonesWhat can be inferred about Stonehenge from the passage?
A．The springs could cure coughs and heart disease best
B．The new discovery was the same as what had been expected.
C．Some huge bluestones were not produced at Stonehenge.
D．The original bluestone circle was thought to be constructed around 2000BC.The sick traveler in the passage is supposed to be.
| A．a devoted religious person from Stonehenge |
| B．one of the earliest discoverers of Stonehenge |
| C．the first explorer to test the magical power of bluestones |
| D．a patient trying to cure his infection at Stonehenge |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．Stonehenge: A New Place of InterestStonehenge: Still Making News
C．Stonehenge: Heaven for Adventurers D．Stonehenge: Still Curing Patients
Marie Curie was born November 7, 1867 in Poland and died on July 4, 1934. Her co-discovery with her husband Pierre Curie of the radioactive elements radium and polonium(钋) represents one of the best known stories in modern science for which they were recognized in 1901 with the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1911, Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry, to honor her for successfully isolating pure radium and determining radium's atomic weight.
As a child, Marie Curie amazed people with her great memory. She learned to read when she was only four years old. Her father was a professor of science and the instruments that he kept in a glass case fascinated Marie. She dreamed of becoming a scientist, but that would not be easy. Her family became very poor, and at the age of 18, Marie became a governess. She helped pay for her sister to study in Paris. Later, her sister helped Marie with her education. In 1891, Marie attended the Sorbonne University in Paris where she met and married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist.
Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Nobel prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia(白血病), caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．To give us a general introduction to Madame Curie |
| B．To show us how Madame Curie discovered radium. |
| C．To tell us how Madame Curie developed as a scientist. |
| D．To tell us how Madame Curie received two Nobel Prizes. |
Madame Curie was give the Nobel Prize in chemistry because________ .
| A．She discovered radium |
| B．She separated pure radium and calculated its atomic weight |
| C．She discovered polonium |
| D．She didn’t patent methods of processing radium |
Which of the following statements about Madame Curie is Not True?
| A．Madame Curie made great contributions to medical science. |
| B．Madame Curie was very smart and ambitious when she was a child. |
| C．Madame Curie received two Nobel Prizes in physics. |
| D．Madame Curie’s husband helped her a lot in her research. |
Which is the right order about Madam Curie according to the passage?
a . married Pierre b. attended University c. discovered radium
d. determined radium’s atomic weight e. won the Nobel Prize in physics
| A．b, c, a, d, e | B．b, a, c, d, e | C．b, a, c, e, d | D．b, c, a, e, d |
For some parents, the Internet can seem like 
a jungle, filled with danger for their children. But jungles contain wonders as well as dangers and with good guides, some education, and a few precautions(预防措施), the wilds of the Internet can be safely navigated(航行). “Kids have to be on-line. If we tell our kids they can’t have access(机会) to the Internet, we’re cutting them off from their future,” said an expert.
Most kids have started to use search engines. Many of them are great for finding tons of interesting Internet sites, and they can also locate places where you might not want your kids to go. There are search engines designed just for kids. A certain software contains only sites that have been selected as safe. The most popular way to limit access would be to use what is known as a “content screener(过滤器)”. But this can’t be wholly reliable(可靠), and the best thing parents can do is to talk to their kids and let them know what is OK or not OK to see or do on the Internet. Another way is that mum or dad is nearby when the child is surfing(浏览) the Internet.
A few other tips
●Don’t put the PC in a child’s room but keep it in an area where mum or dad can keep an eye on things. That also makes the Internet more of a family activity.
●Ask your child what he or she has been doing and about any friends they make on-line.
●Tell your child not to give on-line strangers personal information, especially like address and phone number.
●And tell your children never to talk to anyone they meet on-line over the phone, send them anything, accept anything from them or agree to meet with them unless you go along.The passage is mainly about the subject of _______.
| A．American children going on-line | B．Internet in America |
| C．appreciating Internet | D．opposing children’s on-line |
The best way to protect children from improper material is _______.
| A．to install (安装) a content screener on the computer |
| B．to buy some search engines for the children |
| C．to be nearby when they are surfing the Internet |
| D．to talk to the children and persuade them to tell right from wrong |
Which of the following is right according to the passage?
| A．Surfing the Internet is the best method of educating children |
| B．Children’s not having access to Internet may have effect on their progress. |
| C．Using a content screener is most reliable for keeping children having access to Internet. |
| D．Searching engines can help children to select materials fit for them. |
According to the passage, we can infer that _______.
| A．soft wares fit for children want programming |
| B．a child who is on-line is in danger |
| C．Internet is a jungle full of danger |
| D．Internet contains a lot of harmful sites |
“I’m a Theodora clown doctor. I call myself Dr Looloo. I spend two days a week in children’s hospitals, making funny faces, telling jokes, and doing magic tricks. As I walk into the wards I blow bubbles, shake hands with the kids, and make up nonsense songs for those children well enough to sing. I take special balloons to make ‘balloon animals’ and tell funny stories about them.
I’m naturally a very cheerful person. I’ve always been a clown. In fact my father’s a clown and I started working with him when I was eight years old. I knew it was just the job for me and I became a clown doctor because I think it’s a great way to cheer up sick, frightened children in hospital.
Being a clown in hospital is very tiring both physically and emotionally. We have to learn not to show our feelings, otherwise we’d be useless. Clown doctors are sensitive but this is not a side most people see. To the children we’re happy all the time. I’m still learning to allow myself to feel sad occasionally. There are special kids you get really close to. At the moment I’m working with a very sick little gir
l from Bosnia who speaks no English, so our only common language is laughter.
At weekends I participate in events to raise money for Theodora Children’s Trust. It’s a charity, so we are paid with the money people give. Being a clown doctor makes the worries of everyday life seem small. All in all, I feel honored to do this job. ”Lucy works as a clown doctor because.
A．her father is a clown
she has been a clown since she was eight
C．laughter is a great help to sick children D．working in hospital brings her extra moneyWhat do clown doctors usually do in hospital?
A．Teach kids how to speak English.
Cheer kids up with funny stories.
C．Join in activities to raise money. D．Develop kids’ sense of humor.Lucy thinks that being a clown doctor is.
A．an honorable and meaningful practicean interesting job to make a living
C．a good way of getting rid of her worries D．an experience of great fun
Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why otherwise healthy farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a relatively early age, and how the
process of aging could be slowed down.With a team of colleagues at Tokyo National University,
he set about measuring brain volumes of a thousand people of different ages and jobs.
Computer technology enabled the researchers to get right measurements of the volume of the front and side sections of the brain, which relate to intellect and emotion, and determine the human character. Contraction (收缩) of the front and side parts as cells died was observed in some subjects in their thirties, but it was still not clear in some sixty and seventy-year-olds.Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple remedy (补救) to the contraction normally associated with age using the head.
The findings show in general terms that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country than in towns. Those least at risk, says Matsuzawa, are lawyers, followed by university professors and doctors. White collar workers doing routine work in government offices are, however, as likely to have shrinking (萎缩) brains as farm workers, bus drivers and shop assistants.
Matsuzawa's findings show that thinking can prevent the brain from shrinking. Blood must circulate properly in the head to supply the fresh oxygen the brain cells need. "The best way to keep good blood circulation is through using the brain," he says, "Think hard and engage in conversation. Don't rely on pocket calculators."wThe team of doctors wanted to find out ______.
| A．why certain people age sooner than others | B．how to make people live much longer |
| C．the size of certain people's brains | D．the people with more intelligence |
On what are their research findings based?
| A．A survey of farmers in northern Japan. |
| B．Tests performed on a thousand old people. |
| C．The study of brain volumes of different people. |
| D．The latest development of computer technology. |
Matsuzawa thinks that _______.
| A．our brains grow as we grow older |
| B．the front section of the brain does not shrink |
| C．sixty-year-old people have better brains than thirty-year-olds |
| D．the contraction of brains is connected with brain exercise |
According to the passage, which people seem to age slower than others?
| A．Farmers. | B．Lawyers. | C．Government workers. | D．Shop assistants.w |