Independence and personal choice are considered as a high value on Australians place. Therefore, rather than telling students exactly what to do, teachers and course tutors give them a few different options and suggest they pick the one that works best for them. They also expect students to take charge if things don't go as planned and to find help and support on their own.
Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than believing there is one truth. This means that in an educational setting, students will be expected to form their own opinions and defend the reasons for that point of view and the evidence for it.
Australians are uncomfortable with disparity in social status and therefore admire the concept of treating everyone equally. An example of this is how the majority of Australian adults address each other by their first names. This emphasis on equality results in Australians feeling uneasy about taking things too seriously and being willing to make jokes about themselves.
Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time. As a consequence, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing nothing but study. Australian notions of privacy mean that areas such as financial matters, appearance and relationships are only discussed with close friends. While people may volunteer such information, they may resent someone actually asking them unless the friendship is firmly established. Even then, it is considered very impolite to ask someone what they earn.
(Source: Complete IELTS Student Book by Guy Brook Hart and Vanessa Jakeman)
Question 37. The word they in paragraph 1 refers to .
A. teachers and course tutors B. options
C. Australians D. students
Question 38. The word disparity in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A. difference B. independence C. similarity D. equality
Question 39. In paragraph 4, why some students are criticize of others who do nothing but study?
A. they think that life should have a balance between work and leisure time.
B. they want some more privacy.
C. they don’t want others to study better than them.
D. they prefer equality in education.
Question 40. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. Students in Australia will be not expected to form their own opinions.
B. Asking someone what they earn is considered fairly discourteous.
C. A teacher or course tutor will not tell students what to do.
D. Australians usually don’t accept many other opinions.
Question 41. Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Education in Australia
B. Balancing Work and Leisure in Australia
C. Australian culture
D. Australians and their privacy
