What do you know about Australia?

A school photo

My son and I were checking out a house he was interested in buying. When the owner came to the door, she looked at me and said, “Larry? I know you. We ____GO______ to school together. I’m Elaine. Don’t you recognize me?” I failed to remember her. She took out our old yearbook and showed me her graduation picture – still nothing. “Let’s look at ____YOU_____ picture,” she said. She flipped the pages until she came to me. Under my photo I read, “Elaine, I ____NOT FORGET___ you. Never!”

The most famous book for kids

Have you read Mary Poppins? It is a series of eight books for ____CHILD___ written by P.L.Travers and published over the period from 1934 to 1988. The books centre on magical English nanny Mary Poppins. She ____BRING____ by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Banks’s household to care for their children. Various adventures follow until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves. Only the _____ONE_____ three of the eight books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The ____LATE_____ five books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits.

Boston Public Library

Dating from 1852, Boston Public Library contributes much to Boston’s reputation as the “Athens of America”. The old building is notable for its magnificent facade and interior art. ___VISIT____ can pick up a free brochure. The brochure will be ___HELP___ to visitors. _____ALTERNATIVE___, free guided tours depart from the entrance hall at various times. This ___ORIGIN____ building, inspired by Italian Renaissance, can boast of enormous bronze doorways, iron gates and lanterns. From there a marble staircase leads the guests inside. Besides this _____AMAZE___ artistry, the library holds untold treasures in its special collections, including John Adams’ personal library. If you visit this place once, it will be ___POSSIBLE____ for you to forget it.

Texas Rodeo

The rodeo is a really exciting event. It is a thrilling ____COMPETE____ between cowboys from all over the country. It has a long tradition and even today there are rodeo schools which keep it alive and ___PROFESSION___. The rodeo is a spectacular sight. If a ____VISIT____ has a place in the first row of the arena, he or she may even be sprinkled with sand by the passing horses. The _____PERFORM___ usually starts with an opening ceremony by horsemen dressed in bright colours and carrying flags. All through the show the master of the ceremony ___CONSTANT___ jokes with special clowns. A rodeo in Texas is certainly an exciting experience which is practically ___POSSIBLE____ for a tourist to forget.

Did you know?

Here are some interesting facts about Australia. Canberra ___CHOOSE___ as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital of Australia. The sports capital of the world has 70 percent of ____IT____ total population participating at least once a week in a particular recreational activity or sport. 80 % of Australians believe Australia has a strong culture and identity characterised by honesty, sports and multiculturalism based on research ___ORGANISE____ by the Australia Day Council of NSW in 2008.

The wolf and the goat

A hungry wolf was out searching for a meal. He ____SEE____ a goat feeding on grass on top of a high cliff. The wolf wished to get the goat to climb down from the rock and into his grasp and he called out to her. “Excuse me, dear Goat,” he said in a friendly voice, “It is very dangerous for you to be at such a height. Do come down before you injure yourself. Besides, the grass is much _____GREEN____ down here. Take my advice, and please come down from that high cliff.” But the goat knew too well of the wolf’s intent. “You ____NOT CARE___ if I eat good grass or bad. What you care about is ___EAT___ me.”

New England Aquarium

The New England Aquarium has sea creatures of all sizes, shapes and colors. This place is ___CERTAIN___ the centerpiece of downtown Boston’s waterfront. Its main ____ATTRACT__ is the newly renovated, three-story Giant Ocean Tank. It literally swirls with thousands of creatures, including turtles and sharks. ___COUNT___ side exhibits explore the lives and habitats of other underwater species, as well as penguins and marine mammals. ___VISIT____ to the aquarium can watch training sessions. There animals show off their ___INTELLIGENT___ and athleticism. Note that some animal rights groups make a strong case that marine mammals should not be kept in captivity, so from time to time the aquarium has to face these protests. The New England Aquarium is really a beautiful place and an ____FORGETTABLE____ experience for anybody.

Apollo

Apollo was one of the ancient Greek gods. He was the god of music, the god of healing, and is also seen as a pastoral god, protecting flocks of sheep from ____WOLF____. One of Apollo’s most important daily tasks was to harness ____HE____ four-horse chariot, in order to move the Sun across the sky. Apollo was an oracle and people from all over the world travelled there to learn what the future ___HOLD___ for them.

Guinness record for gadgets

A dedicated Batman fan created the most impressive costume and earned a Guinness World Record for it. His costume had ___MANY___ gadgets on it than anyone could imagine. Julian Checkley, a lifelong player, said his suit ____INSPIRE____ by a character in a video game. He tricked out the batsuit with 23 functioning gadgets. “I ___SPEND____ many long hours finding ways to store gadgets on the suit. They are classic gadgets but also some are specific to Batman. I think I’ve found the ___GOOD___ way to place the gadgets on the suit. I am immensely proud of my Guinness World Records title,” Checkley said.

Central Park

One of the world’s most well-known green spaces, Central Park in New York occupies 843 acres of land with European-style gardens, a lake and a reservoir. ___NATURAL___, among Central Park sights one should also mention an outdoor theater, a memorial to John Lennon and a very famous statue of Alice in Wonderland. Many tourists consider Central Park to be a truly ___BEAUTY___ place. It is important to say that this huge park was designed as a leisure space for all New Yorkers, ___REGARD____ of color or class. Today, this “people’s park” is still one of the city’s most popular __ATTRACT____. It is also a very popular place for numerous ___JOG___. Even in winter with its snowstorms there is something to do there, like cross-country ____SKI____. If you plan to visit New York, Central Park is an absolute must for you.

Elephants

Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight family groups. The herd is led by the oldest and often largest female in the herd, _____CALL____ a matriarch. When a calf is born, it ___RAISE____ and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12-15 and may lead solitary ____LIFE___ or live temporarily with other males.

The role of art

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the most famous in the world. This year, MIT jumped from the fourth to the ____TWO____ highest globally ranked university in art and design. It __NAME___ the top university in the world for architecture some years ago. The hard work of the faculty, staff, and students ____LEAD____ to that recognition. Though it is called the Institute of Technology, the arts are essential to MIT’s mission to build a ___GOOD___ society and meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Archeology

What is archeology? It is the study of human activity, primarily through the study of ____IT____ material remains. Most human activity is in the past, and most past human activity occurred before any ___WRITE____ record. That is why archaeology is the ___IMPORTANT____ method for the study of human pre-history.

Sports in Victorian times

Sports became extremely popular in Victorian times. Traditional sports like football, cricket and boxing had been played for centuries but now they were given proper rules for the____ONE____ time. This was the time when many football clubs were set up. Football ___MEAN____ to keep people healthy and to encourage a sense of fair play. It ____NOT BE__ that successful and free kicks and penalty kicks had to be brought in to stop foul play. International matches started in 1880s. The organized matches drew large crowds and watching sport ___BECOME___ a hobby.

The Met

The Met is an encyclopedic museum, founded in 1870. It has one of the biggest art ____COLLECT___ in the world with more than two million individual objects. Among them you can find anything from Egyptian temples to American ___PAINT___. The museum attracts over six million ____VISIT___ a year to its 17 acres of galleries making it the largest single-site attraction in New York City. In other words, plan on spending some time here. The museum has _____WONDER___ examples of ancient Egyptian art, some of which date back to the Paleolithic era. The 27 galleries devoted to classical antiquity are illuminated by natural daylight. In the northwest corner, the American galleries demonstrate a wide ___VARY____ of decorative and fine art from throughout US history. The Met is ___REAL___ worth visiting. If you go to New York, do not miss a chance of going there.