澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2009-11-17

Surgeons are still operating to separate conjoined twins at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. The procedure to separate Bangladeshi girls Krishna and Trishna began yesterday morning. Doctors say the surgery is going well so far, and the girls are in a good condition with their blood pressure lowered, and they've begun to be treated as individuals.

The Federal Opposition¹ is concerned the Indonesian President postponed² a trip to Australia because of the standoff involving asylum³ seekers on an Australian customs ship. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was expected to arrive next week. An Indonesian Foreign Ministry⁴ spokesman says the trip was called off because of scheduling issues. He is now expected to visit Australia next year.

US President Barack Obama has addressed Chinese students at a town hall meeting in Shanghai. He told them individual rights and freedoms should be available to all and not just limited to Americans. President Obama then met his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao in Beijing.

And the space shuttle Atlantis has been launched at Cape⁵ Canaveral in Florida. It’s carrying supplies for the International Space Station and a consignment⁶ of about a million worms for scientific research. There are just five more shuttle launches scheduled before a planned retirement⁷ of the fleet in 2010.

We'll have more news later.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

3 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

6 consignment   

n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物

参考例句：

• This last consignment of hosiery is quite up to standard.这批新到的针织品完全符合规格。
• We have to ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately.我们得要求你立即发送该批货物。

7 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。