澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-11-24

 Bushfire is still burning out of control near the West Australian town of Margaret River. At least 20 homes have been destroyed, more than 50 people have been evacuated¹. Firefighters are struggling to control the blaze, which started from a controlled burn.

 

Three more people have died as the violence in Cairo continued for a fifth day. Riot police fired tear gas and birdshot at protesters in a street near Tahrir Square. Protesters have rejected a military offer to hand power to civilian² rule next year. More than 30 people have died since the violence began.

 

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to resign and hold early elections in a deal brokered³ by the Arab Gulf⁴ states when they started to sign the deal for him to step down after 33 years in power. Mr Saleh signed the agreement which guarantees immunity⁵ against prosecution⁶ in Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of people died during anti-government protests in February.

 

Indian police have detained a man in connection with a train fire that killed seven people, including an Australian woman, on Tuesday. The fire engulfed⁷ two carriages of the passenger train travelling to the northern city of Dehradun. Twenty-one-year-old Kate Scanlon from Tasmania died in the blaze. Three other Australian women escaped with minor⁸ injuries.

 

Paul Keating says it will be difficult for Federal Government ministers to travel to China anytime soon because of President Barack Obama's speech to parliament last week. The former Prime Minister described the US president's speech as hard rhetoric⁹ against China.

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 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。

3 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

6 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

7 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

9 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。