英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-12-17

 Treasurer Joe Hockey will use today's budget update to strengthen the case for tough spending cuts. The mid-year budget update is expected to show a deficit¹ close to 50 billion dollars for this financial year. That's 20 billion dollars more than what was forecast during the election campaign. 

 

Police say a fatal shooting in Sydney's inner west overnight appears to be a targeted attack. Police say a 50-year-old man was shot dead in Strathfield when he answered a knock on his door. The victim was known to police.

 

There've been violent clashes between police and protesters at the sight of freeway development in Melbourne. Protesters are opposed to a plan to build a tunnel, connecting freeways in Melbourne's eastern and western suburbs. About 50 protesters have been trying to block a drilling site in an inner-suburb in Fitzroy.

 

The United Nations has launched its biggest ever appeal. It wants to raise about 13 billion dollars with half the money going to help the victims of Syria's civil war. The UN estimates that nearly three quarters of Syria's population will need humanitarian² aid in the coming year.

 

And a new report shows a big jump in the number of homeless people seeking help. The report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says 244,000 people sought assistance in the past year. That's a three per cent increase on the previous year.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。