2014届高考英语阅读理解基础极品训练题：34（含答案）.docVIP

2014高考英语阅读理解基础极品训练题（34）及答案 阅读理解------------C SYDNEY—Australia’s economic boom is encouraging a steady stream of unexpected visitors looking for work: Americans. U.S. citizens are heading to Australia in small but growing numbers as near-10% unemployment at home drives more to look for jobs Down Under, where China’s thirst for iron ore (矿石) and energy is transforming the Pacific nation into an economic powerhouse. A bricklaying student from Silver Trowel, a leading provider of quality education and training in the building and construction industry, apprentices (当学徒) on a building project in Western Australia, where workers are in short supply. Daniel Davila, a 23-year-old floorer from Camarillo, California made the 14-hour move across the Pacific two years ago. He had been forced to take a job stocking shelves at a local grocery store for $8.90 an hour when he couldn’t get work fixing floors. On a good day in Australia, he now makes as much as 50 Australian dollars (US$50.21) an hour—about twice the amount for a typical flooring job in the U.S. He plans to start his own flooring business. “I can make what I did in a week in the U.S. in less than a day here,” said Mr. Davila, who lives near a mining boom town in Western Australia. Australian government figures show just under 7,000 Americans currently working on long-term visas, an 80% jump over the past five years. U.S. citizens are now the third-largest group applying for so-called 457 work visas, after British and Indian nationals. Americans with degrees in areas such as accounting or mine engineering, as well as other skilled workers, can obtain a nonrenewable(不可续期的) permit for as much as a three-year stay. After that, they can apply for the renewable 457, which allows up to a four-year stay. The need for workers is particularly pressing in Western Australia. The mining state’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in November, below the national average of 5.2%. Drivers of heavy trucks can pull in six-figure salaries whi