澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-02-12

 The Australian share market has snapped aseven-day winning streak¹ after unrest in Egypt sent global markets tumbling.The All Ords and the ASX200 closed down nearly three quarters of a per cent.

 

Despite a record annual profit of $14 billion, Rio Tinto share holders² punished the miner for a smaller-than-expected $5 billion share buy-back.

 

Newcrest shares also finished lower despite nearly doubling its first-half netprofit to $437 million. Investors³ are worried about the resignation of the company's chief. Ian Smith is credited with transforming Newcrest from a debt-laden company to the world's third largest gold miner.

 

Harvey Norman lost 1.7 per cent after reporting a five per cent fall in second-quarter sales. Qantas fell one and a quarter. The airline's just announced its domestic,regional and trans-Tasman air fares will rise five per cent in two weeks' time.But Telstra shares recovered somewhat from yesterday's hammering. They added nearly one per cent.

 

And the Australian dollar's fallen below parity⁴ with the greenback after the Reserve Bank governor announced he wouldn't be lifting interest rates for some time.Glenn Stevens also confirmed the bad news about the economic impact of the Queensland floods and Cyclone⁵ Yasi, telling a parliamentary inquiry⁶ inflation will rise and national growth will fall by up to a percentage point in March.

1 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？

2 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

5 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

6 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。