澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-11-01

 The Australian teenager facing drug charges in Bali will front court for the first time in Denpasar today. The 14-year-old boy was arrested last month for allegedly buying a small amount of marijuana. His lawyers say they expect the case to last for two weeks but they are confident that the boy won't be jailed.

 

Qantas planes may be back in the air but thousands of passengers are still facing lengthy¹ delays. The airliner's put on extra staff to deal with the backlog². Qantas says it'll take until tomorrow to move all stranded³ passengers.

 

Many economists⁴ are betting the Reserve Bank board will cut interest rates when it meets today. The economists are predicting the official rate could be cut by 0.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent. If this happens, it'll be the first rate cut since April 2009.

 

Police are describing a fatal car crash involving seven teenagers in Melbourne overnight as horrific. A four-wheel drive carrying the teenagers lost control and rolled in Brighton East. A 16-year-old boy died after he was thrown from the vehicle. The unlicensed driver suffered life-threatening injuries. Four other passengers are recovering in hospital.

 

And Australian soldiers have shot and killed a civilian⁵ in Afghanistan. The Australian Defence Force says this happened at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province on Saturday. The army says the man was riding a motorbike and was shot when he ignored orders to stop. Australian and Afghan authorities are investigating that shooting.

1 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

2 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。