澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-02-22

 And Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi's 40-year iron rule on Libya is teetering on the brink¹ this morning. The capital Tripoli is in chaos² and anti-government demonstrators have now taken control of other major cities. Colonel Gaddafi's security forces have launched a violent crackdown on the protesters. But senior members of Libya's government have now started deserting the regime.

 

An Australian man jailed for murder in Bulgaria has lost his appeal against his 20-year jail sentence. Jock Palfreeman was convicted in 2009 for stabbing a man to death during a drunken brawl³. The 24-year-old pleaded not guilty, arguing he'd acted in self-defence. He'll now make a final appeal to Bulgaria's Supreme⁴ Court.

 

The stepmother of Australian girl Zahra Baker⁵ has been charged with her murder in the United States. A grand jury has just handed down the indictment⁶, charging Elisa Baker with second-degree murder. The 10-year-old disabled girl went missing in October, and police later found her remains⁷.

 

Three children orphaned⁸ by the Christmas Island boat tragedy will be allowed to stay in Australia permanently⁹. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says the children and their relatives will be released into community housing in Sydney later this week. Mr Bowen says the Government is moving to give the children permanent refugee status.

 

And a suicide bomber¹⁰ has killed at least 30 people in northern Afghanistan. Another 39 people have been wounded in the attack. The man blew himself up among a crowd of people.

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 brawl   

n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂

参考例句：

• They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
• I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

6 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。

9 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

10 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。