澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-06-16

 Nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated¹ from their homes, and hundreds more are now isolated² by floodwaters on the New South Wales Mid³ North Coast. The Manning River east of Taree has peaked higher than expected overnight. And the SES says that slightly higher peak means that residents of Manning Point will most likely be isolated for a couple of days now. 

 

Qantas and Jetstar will resume all domestic flights across the country today. That volcanic⁴ ash plume⁵ over southern Australia is no longer considered a safety risk. So Virgin⁶ expects its domestic flights to be running as scheduled today. Qantas, however, says its flights to and from New Zealand remain suspended. 

 

Greek police have clashed with protesters who are angry about the government's planned austerity measures. The Prime Minister George Papandreou has announced that he'll form a new government and he'll ask for a vote of confidence. Mr Papandreou has been facing a revolt within his socialist⁷ party over that austerity package that includes cuts of almost $40 billion from the budget. 

 

As Michael just mentioned, three boys and a man have died after two cars collided in South Australia. The mother of the children, aged⁸ one, two and nine, is now in a critical condition in hospital. The crash happened near Padthaway in the state's southeast. 

 

Now if you look to the sky this morning, you've got just a few minutes left, you might catch the end of a once-in-a-decade lunar eclipse. The moon turned blood-red as the earth passed between the sun and the moon very early this morning.

1 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

4 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

5 plume   

n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰

参考例句：

• Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
• He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。

6 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

7 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

8 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。