B．Free settlers into Australia.

　　C．The native­born children of the colony.

　　D．People from Ireland and the southeastern part of England.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。从文章第二段可知，在澳大利亚出生的孩子说话不同于自己的父母，是他们创造了最初的澳大利亚英语。

　　3．We can learn from the last paragraph that Australian English ________.

　　A．had no identity of its own

　　B．was formed before the Dickensian era

　　C．was quite different from British English

　　D．was greatly influenced by London accent

　　解析：选D　推理判断题。分析文章最后一段可知，两位作者认为澳大利亚英语具有明显的伦敦口音特征。

　　4．What does the text mainly tell us?

　　A．Who came to Australia first?

　　B．How Australia was colonized?

　　C．How Australian English was formed?

　　D．What the earliest language in Australia was?

　　解析：选C　主旨大意题。综合全文可知，文章主要说明澳大利亚英语的形成。

　　B

　　In an age when technology is everywhere, it's not surprising that even young children are getting into the action. The iPad was released six years ago. This tablet computer from Apple has a large, multi­touch screen that kids can play learning games on.

　　Sure toddlers can operate an iPad, but at what age is it safe to let them use it? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under the age of 2 should have no screen time at all. This includes not only television but also other electronics, such as computers, cellphones, video games and tablets, including the iPad. During the first two years of life, children's brains are growing significantly and it can be confusing for them to tell the differences between the real world and what they are seeing on the screen. After age 2, an iPad is fine in moderation (适度)．

　　Using the iPad can have benefits for kids. In a two­week study conducted by PBS, involving children 3 to 7, it was found that educational apps can improve a child's vocabulary by as much as 31 percent in two weeks. Ann Densmore, an expert in speech and language development, said in an article on Harvard Health that there are even iPad apps that are helpful for children in speech and language therapy (治疗)．

While there are some benefits to children using an iPad as an educational tool, there are also some disadvantages to be aware of. No electronic device can replace the role of human