澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-06-04

Close to 1.4 million workers are expected to benefit from a boost to the minimum wage. The Fair Pay Commission's awarded a $26-a-week increase, taking the minimum wage to 570 dollars. Employers had argued the increase should be limited to $ 12.50.

The clean-up continues after a twister tore apart homes on the far north coast of New South Wales. Lennox Head bore the brunt of the wild weather which uprooted¹ trees, lifted roofs off houses and tossed around caravans². Emergency services spent the day clearing what they could, but there’s still a massive task ahead.

Police don’t yet know why a man went on the shooting rampage in northern England, leaving 12 people dead. Fifty-two-year-old taxi driver Derrick Bird shot dead 12 people around Whitehaven before killing³ himself. There are reports the massacre⁴ could’ve been sparked by a family dispute.

And the Defence Department has confirmed illegal drugs may have caused a medical emergency in Afghanistan last week. A soldier is being treated in hospital in Germany after being found unconscious in his barracks. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says the entire Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan will be drug tested.

That's the latest ABC News. You can stay up to date with this online.

1 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 caravans   

（可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队）

参考例句：

• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles that are pulled by horses. 旧式的吉卜赛大篷车是由马拉的涂了颜色的木质车辆。
• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles. 旧时的吉普赛大篷车是涂了颜色的木质车辆。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！