澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-02-16

 Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will have to stand trial on charges of paying sex for an underage prostitute. Now under Italian law, sex workers must be aged¹ 18. The prime minister is also accused of abusing the power of his office by intervening when she was arrested on a theft charge. Mr Berlusconi is denying the charges.

 

The Northern Territory’s on cyclone² watch with wild weather already lashing³ the Top End. Authorities are monitoring a tropical low that’s sitting around 50 kilometres south-west of Darwin. The system’s tipped to turn into a cyclone this afternoon. Schools from Darwin to the Tiwi Islands will be closed today.

 

In New South Wales, a new poll shows the Keneally government is heading for a historic defeat at next month’s election. The Nielsen poll shows Labor⁴ could hold as few as 13 seats in the new Parliament. The Coalition⁵ has 66 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

 

The Federal Government’s flood levy⁶ will come under the microscope at a public hearing in Canberra today. The House Economics Committee will examine legislation set to raise $1.8 billion dollars through that one-year levy. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard will make history today as the first foreign politician to address New Zealand’s parliament.

 

And Egypt’s ruling military council says the country’s constitutions will be reformed within 10 days. The current constitution has been suspended because of changes made by the ousted⁷ President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.  

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 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。

3 lashing   

n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

7 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。