澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-03-20

Industrial strife¹ has hit British Airways² after the talks between the airline and the main union collapsed³. The general secretary of the union Unite says British Airways offered its workers a ridiculous deal on pay and staffing levels. The airline says it's lost more than 1.2 billion dollars in less than two years and new work practices are vital to help save the company.

 

The European Commission president has urged European Union member states to agree on a standby aid package for Greece as soon as possible. José Manuel Barroso says the 16 countries that share the euro currency should make individual loans to Greece in a coordinated⁴ way to help tackle its debt problems. He says the move would not break eurozone rules against bailouts.

 

To the markets, and US stocks have closed lower, interrupting the Dow's eight-session winning streak⁵. European stocks also closed generally weaker though the FTSE ended at a new 21-month high. Banking⁶ stocks were spurred on after Lloyds Banking Group forecast a return to profitability.

 

The Asian markets finished strongly this week, with Japan's Nikkei up three quarters of a percent. And the local market closed slightly higher, with mixed results in the financial and resources sectors⁷.

 

And that's the latest ABC Business News.

1 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

2 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》