f to stand in good stead to be useful to, to have a good reputation
2
i The careers of over 40% of them will be over before they play 10 senior matches
ii 130 players were delisted at the end of last season
iii 3 out of 4 players will play no more than 10 AFL games
3 Former footballer, Mark Porter.
4 Players who only play up to ten games.
5 No, it was mandatory.
6 Australian Football League Players’ Association.
7 Drug policy, alcohol consumption, the respect and responsibility policy, racial vilification, gambling and sexual health.
8 To paint a picture of the realities of the game.
9 Ayce Cordy finds the ‘spoon-feeding’ frustrating at times.
10 He says it is important for the young footballers to know how to behave in order to keep up the good name of the AFL.
What does it mean?
11 The headline suggests that the recruits may have had an unrealistic idea of the life of an AFL player, The induction camp tries to help them face the reality of a player’s life.
a jade a highly valued ornamental stone, often green in colour and used for carvings or jewellery
b cautiously carefully
c transparent easily seen through, allowing light to pass through
d heron long-legged, long-necked, long-billed wading bird
e hewn cut, chopped
f rabbiter rabbit trapper
2 In the river bush.
3 A flood.
4 He found a large piece of pure jade.
5 It was thin, oval, transparent and almost olive green in colour.
6 A man-made staircase leading up to the terrace and some footprints.
7 A tin shack.
8 Any two of: bleached bones, rusting iron, an old-fashioned bath full of greenish water and a large sandy-looking block of stone.
What does it mean?
9 The river became narrower and darker with higher banks.
10 Because heavy rain in the back country caused it to flood very quickly and someone could become trapped.
11 We learn that his father knows a lot about the bush. He knows where the best jade can be found and which sections of the river are most likely to flood quickly.
12 He felt rather frightened. ‘His heart fluttered with airy feelings’ and ‘he was ready to fly at the crack of a twig’.
13 Menacing, oppressive and frightening would be the three best adjectives to describe the atmosphere of this passage.
UNIT 15: Hey misster, one false move and you’re hisstory
What is being said?
1
a hedgerow hedge around a field etc
b venom a poisonous fluid produced by snakes, scorpions etc
c predecessor an earlier person or thing
d antivenom a serum containing antibodies which will counteract poison or venom
e tourniquet a strip of material, pulled tightly around an arm or a leg
f pharmacology the study of medicinal drugs
2 The Commonwealth Serum Laboratories.
3 They studied the poisons of native creatures and produced antivenom.
4 A drought can force them out of hiding and into residential areas to look for water.
5 Because movement spreads the venom around the body.
6
i Keep them still.
ii Apply a pressure bandage to the area of the bite.
What does it mean?
7 The Eastern brown snake. It might only have the second most powerful venom but it is the most common snake in Australia.
8 It slows down the spread of venom through the body via the bloodstream.
9 In Australia we have organisations such as the Australian Antivenom Research Unit developing and producing antivenom. We also have public education campaigns directed at alerting people about what do if they are bitten. Papua New Guinea is a much poorer country and lacks these resources.
10 The expression ‘You’re history’ means ‘you’re gone’. The double ‘s’ in ‘misster’ and ‘hisstory’ echoes the sound of a snake.
UNIT 16: Canteen food
What is being said?
1
a policy aims or plan of action of a person or group
b guidelines suggestions or rules which guide
c nutritious nourishing
d carbonated beverages fizzy drinks
e wholegrain wholemeal, prepared with the complete grain kernel
f wholesome good for health
g controversy dispute about some matter of opinion
h editorial an article in a newspaper, usually written by the editor, expressing the paper’s opinion on a particular issue
i prohibitions bans
2 Recent surveys about overweight teenagers and the amount of rubbish in the school yard.
3 Lollies, high-fat foods and carbonated beverages.
4 He believes the students will leave the school grounds to buy the things they can no longer buy from him.
5 Not getting enough exercise and eating too much fast food.
6 Children need to be educated to make healthy choices and encouraged to enjoy games.
What does it mean?
7 Mr Appleby says the restrictions on what they can sell mean they won’t be able to make enough money.
8 He is pointing out that the old system didn’t work well and that it was very difficult for the school to get parent helpers.
9 The editor agrees that there is a problem but doesn’t believe that banning things works. Therefore the paper would not support the new canteen policy.
10 The editor says that obese children grow into overweight adults who suffer weight-related health problems which cost the taxpayer money.
11 This means that what we can’t have always seems more attractive to us. The fact that things are forbidden makes some people want them more.
f habitat where an animal or plant lives naturally
g artefacts objects made by humans
h interactive a two-way exchange
2 The old type of museum isdescribed as a place of dark rooms and old glass cases where you can’t touch anything.
3 There are exciting ways you can explore Australian history and find out things for yourself. At the new museum actors perform dances and plays, there is a living rainforest full of live birds, snakes and insects, and there are objects you can pick up and touch.
4 Koori people are defined as Aboriginal peoplefrom south-eastern Australia.
5 Koori Voices tells the story of the struggle of Koori people to keep their dignity and way of life since European settlement.
6 Belonging to Country shows why the land isimportant to Aborigines.
7 In the Australia Gallery you can:
i see a model of gold diggings
ii read about how Australia celebrated its 100th birthday in 1888
iii look at a horse-drawn carriage
iv look at an early electric van
8 About different plants and animals, some of which are extinct.
9 The Mallee and Alpine regions.
10 You can find answers to your own questionsabout the artefacts in the museum by using computers.
What does it mean?
11 The museum has been changed to be more interesting, to encourage more people to go and to be more up-to-date. (Otherresponses are possible.)
12 A ‘touch cart’ allows visitors to the museum to become more involved with the exhibits, because they can actually feel them, which was not allowed in the old museum.
UNIT 18: Boy
What is being said?
1
a prosperous rich, successful
b majestic impressive, dignified
c excruciating extremely painful
d orthopaedic relating to injuries to bones and muscles
e ingenious cleverly made
2 Sarpsborg, a small town near Oslo in Norway.
3 1820.
4 He would have been 164 years old.
5 He was a prosperous merchant who traded in everything from cheese to chicken-wire.
6 Wellington had defeated Napoleon at.
7 He was up on the roof fixing some loose tiles when he slipped and fell.
8 Because he was drunk.
9 The doctor called two men off the street to hold Harald by the waist while he grabbed him by the wrist and pulled.
10 The pulling had done so much damage that they ended up amputating Harald’s left arm at the elbow.
11 He could tie a shoelace as quickly as anyone else, cut up his food and feed himself.
12 Cut the top off a boiled egg.
What does it mean?
13 Dahl is explaining why his father and grandfather seem so old. They had children late in life.
14 Surgery is much better now and Harald would probably have had an operation to repair his fracture. (Similar responses possible)
15 Harald shows courage, because he taught himself to do almost anything with his one arm, and he shows ingenuity, by inventing his own knife and fork all in one.
h convert cause a person to change his or her beliefs
i heathen a person who does not acknowledge a god
j domains estates, lands held in possession
k ruthlessness lack of pity or mercy
2 Hernando Cortez.
3 Spain.
4 He heard that there was gold there.
5 The Aztec civilisation.
6 They believed Cortez was their god Quetzalcoatl.
7 Montezuma.
8 450 of his own men and 4000 of the Indian allies.
9 Cortez stormed back into Tenochtitlan to destroy the city and the Aztec civilisation with it.
10 The Incas.
11 Peru.
12 Because he had heard of the gold and silver to be found in the land of Peru.
What does it mean?
13 They thought he was Quetzalcoatl because he arrived in Mexico at a time when they believed the god was coming. The fact that Cortez and his men were white-skinned, rode horses and fired cannons, none of which they had ever seen before, persuaded them that he was their returning god.
14 Ancient civilisations all over South America were destroyed.
15 It’s hard to say. They believed they were helping to spread Christianity and to gain colonies for Spain.
16 The good (which came at great cost) was the way they increased the world’s knowledge. They explored, mapped and built cities in their colonies and added to knowledge of geography and science.
UNIT 23: Far over the misty mountains
What is being said?
1
a dungeon an underground cell
b cavern a large cave
c ere before
d yore long ago
e fells wild hilly country, especially in the north of England
4 The ‘pale enchanted gold’ consists of golden objects made with spells (enchanted) by the dwarves in the olden days.
5
i The handle of a sword encrusted with gems
ii Silver necklaces hung with flowering stars
iii Dragon-fire in twisted wire
iv Harps of gold
6 In deep dungeons and caverns far over the misty mountains.
7 For ancient king and elvish lord.
8 Goblets and harps ofgold.
9 Because they lived in deep dungeons unknown to men and elves.
10 The bells were ringing as a fire alarm, whichfrightened the men.
11 The dragon knocked down the towers and houses of the men and burnt the mountains.
12 The dragon stole the dwarves’ treasure.
What does it mean?
13 Each stanza gives more information about the gold. At first it is ‘pale enchanted gold’, then it is ‘long forgotten’, and finally we learn that ‘he’ (the dragon) has stolen it.
14 Answers will vary.
UNIT 24: Australia’s introduced plants and animals
What is being said?
1
a evolved developed gradually and naturally
b native originating naturally in a particular country or region
c predator an animal or bird that hunts or preys upon others
d larvae insects in the first stage of their life, usually grubs or caterpillars
e introduced weeds plants which are not native to an area and have taken over from the natural vegetation
f thrive grow strongly, prosper
g exotic plants plants from another part of the world
i ecosystem a community of organisms interacting with one another, plus the environment in which they live
2 Why have introduced species been able to take over from native species in Australia?
3 Because the insects thatfeed on them in their native country are not found in Australia.
4 The cactoblastis moth wasreleased in Australia in 1925 and its larvae burrowed through the plants so that theycollapsed and died.
5 Introduced weeds are likely to be found where the ground has been disturbed and thenatural conditions have been changed. European plants are quick to invade disturbed areas because they have evolved to cope with disturbance.
6 Because the conditions suit them. There is plenty of grass and they can dig their burrows moreeasily than in a forested area.
7
i Exotic plants grow quickly.
ii They produce millions of seeds.
iii They may have spiny stems and poisonous leaves.
8 The cane toad can breed quickly, producingmillions of eggs.
9 If exotic species find a niche in the ecosystem they can reproduce and thrive without fear of natural predators or competitors.
10 The water buffalo, which has done well in the far north of Australia. There are no large native grazing animals in Australia’s far north, so water buffaloes were able to move in and thrive without disturbance.
What does it mean?
11 One purpose of this piece might be to make people aware of how these introduced plants and animals can cause problems in Australia. Another reason for writing this piece might be to try to prevent new problems by alerting people to the dangers of bringing in exotic species.
UNIT 25: Scam
What is being said?
1
a private eye a private detective
b draught-stopper a long fabric roll which is placed at the bottom of a door to prevent cold air from entering the room
2 Justine.
3 Because her best friend Brett had just moved away to Sydney.
4 She tried to ring Brett when her uncle was working.
5 Sam Wedgwood.
6 He writes crime novels for a living.
7 It exploded.
8 He said that secret agents blew up his kitchen because he told the truth about them in his TV program.