澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-02-17

 Tropical Cyclone¹ Carlos is continuing to thrash the Territory's coastline with gale² force winds and widespread flooding. Darwin has seen 400 millimetres of rain, which has cut main roads and inundated³ at least 30 homes. Schools are remaining closed today, and the Darwin airport is still shut.

 

Survivors⁴ of the Christmas Island boat wreck⁵ are refusing to return to the island today. Twenty-one detainees, who lost family in the tragedy, attended funerals in Sydney earlier this week. The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is rejecting calls to let them stay at Villawood in Sydney, but he says a nine-year-old boy, whose parents both drowned in the tragedy, will be placed in the community sometime soon. 

 

An inquest into the Christmas Island boat disaster will examine why the vessel⁶ wasn't being monitored until just before it hit rocks and sank. West Australian Coroner Alastair Hope has received Commonwealth⁷ support for the inquest which is expected to start in May. He hopes it'll uncover the names of the 20 victims who are still unidentified.

 

Australians are spending more than $700 million a year on ATM fees despite attempts by the Reserve Bank to reform the system. A report by the Australia Institute reveals the overwhelming majority of people think ATM fees are unfair, but a quarter of those surveyed had paid the fee in the last week.

 

And the political unrest sweeping⁸ the Middle East has now reached Libya where hundreds of demonstrators have clashed with police and government supporters in the city of Benghazi. 

1 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

2 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

3 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

8 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？