Question

Australia is a country of immigrants(移民). Around 50 percent of students in Melbourne come from other countries. Therefore, we read many articles about foreigners’ lives in Australia. Teachers ask us to find our own identity (身份) from these articles. In the course English as an Additional Language, we read a picture book called Tales from Outer Suburbia by an Australian writer Shaun Tan.

The book has lots of short stories. Among them, I like Inner Courtyard(内庭，内院) best. It is about an Italian family. They moved to Australia, but they couldn’t fit into the new environment and complained a lot. However, one day they found an inner courtyard by accident. The things in it were from their home country. Then the secret courtyard became a little paradise (天堂) for them. They relaxed, played games and had a picnic there.

As an international student, I totally understand the value(价值) of the inner courtyard for every family, especially an immigrant family. I face the same problems when I study and live in Melbourne. Everything is different, including language and habit, and I have to fit into all of it. It’s so painful that sometimes I miss China very much. That’s why we need the inner courtyard to have a rest and escape from reality (现实) for a while. For me, it’s my bedroom. I decorate it with postcards of China and Chinese books. I collect some Australian souvenirs (纪念品), which make my inner courtyard colorful.

1.How many students in Melbourne come from other countries? __________________________________

2.Who is Tales from Outer Suburbia written by? __________________________________

3.What is Inner Courtyard about? __________________________________

4.Which country does the writer of the passage come from? __________________________________

5.For the writer of the passage, which room is his inner courtyard? __________________________________

Answer 1