英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2014-02-11

 Victoria's Premier¹ Denis Napthine is heading to Canberra this afternoon to try to secure an assistance package for Toyota workers. The company's decision to stop making cars in Australia by the end of 2017 effectively spells(意味着） the end of the local industry. More than 2,500 Toyota jobs will go in Victoria with up to 30,000 others under threat. 

 

Fire crews are continuing to battle a large bushfire north of Melbourne. Twenty homes have been destroyed so far with more loss overnight. Two emergency warnings are still in place for residents of the Kilmore and Wallen areas,although fire crews have been assisted by easing conditions.

 

A Sydney man who threw his fiancee off a balcony will be sentenced for her murder today. The Supreme³ Court heard that Simon Gittany threw Lisa Harnum from the balcony of their 15-tall unit in 2011 because she planned to leave him.

 

David Jones Chairman Peter Mason and two non-executive director Steve Vamos and Leigh Clapham are stepping down from the company's board. Mr.Vamos and Mr. Clapham have been under pressure since buying thousands of company's shares the day after Myer's merge² proposal. It's emerged Mr.Mason approved those purchases. 

 

And a second round of peace talks to end Syria's civil war have resumed in Geneva. Last month's talks ended with no firm agreements. Three hundred Syrians have managed to flee the besieged⁴ city of Homs during the a three-day ceasefire. 

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

3 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。

4 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。