Australia is literally a land apart. While it is attractive and welcoming to visitors, from the perspective of     46      they are very keen to keep themselves separate. Australia has had some bad experiences    47    misguidedly importing rabbits and cane toads into the country.    48    hence has become a major concern. The government maintains a data base of about 20,000 materials that have the potential to cause trouble and must be declared at the    49    . If you fail to declare them upon arrival, it is almost certain they will be confiscated and you may    50    have to paya fine up to $66,000. If you have declared all the items in the Incoming Passenger Card, then even if the goods are not permitted and must be confiscated, you will not be liable for a fine. The authorities are not unreasonable, just strict.

     Do you have a “  type  ”? Do you always find yourself with a certain type of partner? Whether we like it or not, most of us have a certain ‘type’ of person we usually date or are attracted to. It doesn’t need to be physical. It might be something about their energy, the way they hold themselves or the way they command attention when they enter the room. Whatever it is, we find ourselves drawn to this ‘type’ of person. If you’re lucky enough to go for the lovely person with a gentle soul ‘type’, then it’s probably unlikely you care about the fact you have a ‘type’. ‘Type’ awareness comes to our attention because nine out of the last ten relationships were really not that great!

    The reason why we    wind    up with the same ‘type’ or find ourselves in a familiar relationship dynamic dates back to our earliest relationships. As a young child, we developed defense mechanisms in order to help us cope with fear, pain or frustrating circumstances in our environment. These defenses were a key contributing factor to how we formed opinions of ourselves, others and relationships. Without realizing, we unconsciously seek out people whose behavior support these opinions and beliefs. If we have formed negative ideas about ourselves, for example “I’m unlovable” or “I’m unattractive,” we seek out people who reinforce these unconscious beliefs, even if in reality we don’t like it.

    So how do you stop yourself from falling for the usual ‘type’? First, start from working out why you are attracted to your ‘type’. Spend some time with yourself to try and discover your deep-seated beliefs that contributed to attracting your partners. When you invest time in exploring your early attachment patterns, you can start to identify some of the areas that lead you to develop a love for your ‘type’. Next, look at your relationship history. What negative traits, patterns or similarities do all your ex-partners share? Make comparisons, but don’t forget the more subtle emotional aspects. How did they treat you? How did they make you feel?

    Understanding what draws you to your ‘type’ takes some time. Rushing out to find a new, perfect partner that’s the total opposite of your usual type isn’t going to be the answer to your ‘type’ dilemma. Although this may be refreshing for a short period of time, it is unlikely to turn out to be a long-lasting relationship. 21 What does the word “type” mean in this passage?