澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-01-14

 Floodwaters in Brisbane have fallen rapidly overnight, revealing the extent of the clean-up that lies ahead. The Brisbane River is at about 2.8 metres and is dropping quickly. Floodwaters have already receded¹ in some areas, leaving huge amounts of rubbish and debris² behind. The city's Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says the clean-up begins this morning and the top priority is to get the roads open.

 

It’s been a sleepless³ night in Goondiwindi with locals bracing⁴ for the Macintyre River to peak. It's expected to reach a record 10.85 metres this morning or higher. The mayor, Graeme Scheu, says the Macintyre River has been at 10.6 metres for several hours.

 

The clean-up is underway at Ipswich as water levels drop. Three thousand homes and a large number of businesses were flooded by the Bremer River. Mayor Paul Pisasale says there is a lot of work ahead and a stack of volunteers from all over Queensland are arriving to pitch in.

 

And heavy rains have fallen across western Victoria overnight. Police are evacuating⁵ homes in Beaufort after the town's reservoir broke its banks. Up to 300 homes are also being threatened at Great Western and along with 16 properties in Kyneton .

1 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

2 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

3 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

4 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

5 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？