PTE考生目前最大的问题之一就是练习题缺乏。除了有限的基本官方书（PLUS，Testbuilder, OG）之外，就没有题了。很多英语基础不是很扎实的同学很难找到练习材料。墨尔本文波雅思PTE培训学校专门为墨尔本，悉尼PTE考生准备了PTE练习的lecture 93篇。各位PTE同学可以练习阅读，练习记笔记技巧，可以练习复述，甚至可以练习describe image。废话少说，下面开始：
72. Today, I want to talk about the Cariboo gold rush of 1858, which began when gold was discovered in the frontier town of Quesnel Forks in the Canadian province of British Columbia. By 1861 thousands of men had flocked to the region hoping to strike it rich. Naturally, as the town grew, supplies had to be brought in, and this was done with mules. Now the mules were quite reliable, but there were some drawbacks. For example, a mule carrying a heavy load could travel only 15 miles in a day, meaning that a typical trip into Quesnel could take as long as 20 days. So, as the demand for supplies continued to grow, a group of merchants and packers decided to try a new approach, believe it or not, they shipped in a herd of camels. I know that sounds strange, but camel trains had been used quite effectively during the California gold rush some 10 years earlier. But the results in the Cariboo region weren’t quite the same. In fact it was a disaster. The camels couldn’t carry the heavier loads the merchants expected them to. Their two-toed feet were perfect for desert travel, but they weren’t suited for Cariboo’s rugged mountain terrain. To make matters worse, the mules became very agitated whenever they came across a camel and that caused a lot of accidents on the treacherous mountain trails. The mulepackers went so far as to threaten the camel owners with a lawsuit. But the reason the merchants finally got rid of the camels is because these animals simply weren’t cut out for the job.
【生词摘录】
1. gold rush: 淘金热
2. flock: v. 聚集，蜂拥而至
3. mule: n. ［C］骡
4. reliable: adj. 可靠的，可信赖的
5. drawback: n. ［C］缺点，障碍，劣势
6. packer: n. ［C］赶牲口运货的人
7. herd: n. ［C］兽群
8. rugged: adj. 高低不平的，崎岖的
9. terrain: n. ［C］地形，地势
10. agitated: adj. 不安的，焦虑的
11. treacherous: adj. 变化莫测的
12. trail: n. ［C］小路，小径
13. lawsuit: n. ［C］诉讼（尤指非刑事案件）
文波讲词：
front[frʌnt]n.前线、锋cold/warm front冷锋、暖锋
frontier[‘frʌntɪə; frʌn’tɪə]n边界,边境 border/boundary
confront[kən’frʌnt]v.对抗,遭遇 be confronted with/ be faced with面对 encounter/ come across
affront[ə’frʌnt]v.故意侮辱 He felt deeply affronted at her rudeness.
他深为她的粗野所触怒
effrontery[ɪ’frʌnt(ə)rɪ]n.厚颜无耻，放肆
merc贸易
commerce[‘kɒmɜːs] n. 商业
commercial[kə’mɜːʃ(ə)l] adj. 商业的 residential
commercialise[kə’mɜːʃəlaɪz] v. 使商业化; 使商品化
Our society is becoming increasingly commercialised.
merchant[‘mɜːtʃ(ə)nt] n. 商人 businessman
mercantile[‘mɜːk(ə)ntaɪl] adj. 商人的; 重商主义的;贸易的 mercantile law
mercenary[‘mɜːsɪn(ə)rɪ]n. 雇来的人, 佣兵
aster：星-star
disaster [dɪ’zɑːstə] n. 灾难-星位不正
syn: catastrophe; tragedy; calamity
asterisk [‘æstərɪsk] n. 星号-小心危险
asteroid[‘æstərɒɪd] n. 小行星
id acid adj.酸的
astronomy[ə’strɒnəmɪ] n. 天文学
astronaut[‘æstrənɔːt] n. 宇航员 以t结尾多为人
cosmonaut Taikonaut nautical mile
contestant/ juvenile delinquent/ architect/candidate
act——–ac/ag 行动———agitate 鼓动；使不安；colleague 同事
agency [‘eɪdʒ(ə)nsɪ] n. 中介机构
agenda[ə’dʒendə] n. 日程
Education is high on the government’s agenda.—写作
agile[‘ædʒaɪl] adj. 敏捷的
syn: adj. nimble as ~ as a monkey
agitate[‘ædʒɪteɪt] v.鼓动，煽动
agitate for tax reform 鼓吹税制改革
