Australia is known as the “lucky country” with its sunny zones, beautiful beaches and relaxed lifestyle. But did you know that it is also a “happy” country, at least according to well-being measures?

In fact, Australia scores above average in almost all of the 11 well-being dimensions measured by the OECD Better Life Index. It does exceptionally well on the environment and health. Australians breathe some of the cleanest air, with far less of the tiny particulate matter that gets into the deepest part of the lungs than in many other countries–a PM10 level of only 13.1 micrograms per cubic metre, as opposed to the average of 20.1 micrograms for the OECD. They can expect to live up to 82 years of age, compared with an average of 80 years in the OECD. And as well as being healthy, they score highly on civic engagement, thanks largely to the compulsory voting system: 93% of Australians turned out to vote in the most recent general elections, the highest percentage in the OECD.

Australia’s regions are also happy. In fact, according to the OECD’s new Regional Well-Being, all eight Australian states rank among the best 20% of all 362 regions studied around the world in civic engagement, environment and income. And Canberra, the Capital Territory, ranks first in Australia, beating the other regions in six of the nine well-being dimensions. Even the low-performing regions still fare better than the OECD average in most of the well-being indicators.
But it is not a perfect score sheet. There is wide inequality between the Australian regions, especially in health and safety where the country ranks fourth and fifth worst in terms of disparities. Education is also a problem in some regions, as the share of workers with at least a secondary diploma living in the lowest performing Australian regions is 8 percentage points lower than the OECD average.

Perhaps the most surprising result of all is Australia’s low score in work-life balance. More than 14% of Australian employees work for more than 50 hours per week, much more than the OECD average of almost 9%. This hardly squares with the country’s reputation for an easy and leisurely lifestyle, a fact that has been picked up by the Australian users of the Better Life Index, ranking work-life balance as the most important factor for a better life.

58. According to the passage, the author most likely agrees that ________.

A. Australians vote out of consciousness of civil rights

B. Australia is a paradise in the world free from smog

C. Australia is a country poor in safety and education

D. Australians’ long life mainly relies on environment

59. What does the underlined phrase square with (in Para 5) most likely mean?

A. collide with B. submit to C. correspond with D. consist in

60. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Australia: The Happy Country B. Australia: The Surprising Country

C. Australia: The Lucky Country D. Australia: The Unequal Country

58-60 DCA