澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-08-31

 An early rally on the local share market fizzled by the end of the day. Losses in Telstra and energy shares weighed down the broader index. The All Ordinaries index added just 0.2 per cent by the close. Telstra shed 2.6 per cent. Harvey Norman closed off 1.5. Macarthur Coal shares edged up. Virgin¹ Australia surged over five per cent by the close while food manufacturer Goodman Fielder slumped² by seven per cent. 

 

To commodities, West Texas Crude Oil and spot gold are edging higher and the Australian dollar is weaker against the greenback. 

 

The competition regulator has raised concerns about Telstra's structural³ separation plan. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the plan won't be accepted in its current form because it doesn't comply with legal requirements. Telstra says it's been talking to the ACCC for some months and is aware of the concerns. 

 

Harvey Norman's posted a nine-per-cent increase in its full-year profit despite the tough retailing⁴ environment. It made $252.3 million in the 12 months to the end of June. Investors⁵ will receive a full-year dividend⁶ of 12 cents.

 

And the board of Macarthur Coal has accepted a sweetened takeover offer from Peabody Energy and ArcelorMittal. The new offer is for $16 per share, plus a 16-cent dividend, up from the initial offer of $ 15.50 per share.

1 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

2 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

3 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

4 retailing   

n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词)

参考例句：

• career opportunities in retailing 零售业的职业机会
• He is fond of retailing the news. 他喜欢传播消息。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。