澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-11-04

President Barack Obama says he understands voter discontent with the state of the economy. The Republican Party has had a sweeping¹ victory in the mid-term elections, winning control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats² are clinging to a slim majority in the Senate. Many voters turned away from President Obama and the Democrats, disillusioned³ with the sluggish⁴ economic recovery.

Consumer group Choice is launching a campaign against the big banks. The “Better Banking” campaign will target poor service and excessive fees. It plans to hold a series of town hall meetings to allow bank customers to air their grievances⁵.

And firefighters are keeping a close eye on two bushfires in Western Australia. A fire in the Perth hills has been threatening homes, while another blaze continues to burn near farmland in the southwest.

The Defence Force is investigating claims that a civilian⁶ was killed during a firefight involving Australian and Afghan soldiers. After the exchange, the ADF says soldiers were approached by locals carrying the body of a male and claiming he’d been killed in the fight. The ADF won’t comment until a review is completed.

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano has erupted again, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate⁷ the area. Thirty-eight people died when the volcano first erupted last week. Its latest blast was more powerful, but there have been no reports of casualties.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

4 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

5 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。