单选题Directions: Read the following text. Choose
the best word or phrase for each numbered blank.
Australia, the last continent to be "discovered" was sighted by Dutch,
Portuguese and Spanish ships in the seventeenth century. No colonies followed at
the time, however, as these nations were {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}}
{{/U}}interested in colonizing than in exploring. {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}in the early history of the United States, it was the English who
{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}the permanent settlements in
Australia. This history and the geography of these two {{U}} {{U}}
4 {{/U}} {{/U}}British colonies have some other things {{U}}
{{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}common as well. Australia and
the United States are about {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}in size,
and barren western portions of the two {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}}
{{/U}}a close physical resemblance. It was the eastern coast of Australia and
America {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}the English first settled,
and both colonies soon began to {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}to
the west. However, this westward expansion occurred more because the colonists
were {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}for better land then because
the population was increasing. Settlement of the western part of both countries
{{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}after gold was discovered in America
in 1849 and in Australia two years later. Although the
{{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}in the development of these two
countries are striking, there are some sharp contrasts as {{U}} {{U}}
13 {{/U}} {{/U}}. The United States {{U}} {{U}} 14
{{/U}} {{/U}}its independence from England by revolution, {{U}} {{U}}
15 {{/U}} {{/U}}Australia was granted its independence {{U}}
{{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}having to go to war. Australia, unlike the
United States, was {{U}} {{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}colonized by
English convicts, and its economy was {{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}}
{{/U}}in wheat growing and sheep raising. By 1922, for example, Australia had
fifteen times more sheep than {{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}had
people, or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United
States. Yet, in spite of these and other major differences, Australia and the
United States have more in common with each other than {{U}} {{U}}
20 {{/U}} {{/U}}one has with most of the rest of the world.