澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2012-10-14

 And when the markets in Europe closed a couple of hours ago, London's FTSE 100 was down 36 points. The Dax and Euro also closed moderately lower.

 

 

In the US, trading closed a short time ago and the Dow Jones edged slightly higher, while the S&P 500 finished slightly lower.

 

 

And the Australian dollar is worth nearly 102.3 US this morning. It'll also buy you 63 British pence and a dollar 25 New Zealand.

 

 

A formal deal has been clinched¹ to sell Australia's largest cotton farm to a Chinese-controlled consortium. Cubbie Station in southern Queensland is being sold to the Shandong RuYi Group and the Lempriere Texile Company. Under the deal signed with Cubbie's administrators², the Shandong Group promised to hounor the Australian government's conditions, which include reducing its stake to 51 percent in three years. The sale is still subject to finance approval for the buyers.

 

 

Poland has told a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers that it's unlikely to join the economic union any time soon. Poland is the only European Union member to avoid recession since the 2008 Wall Street crash. But its economy has recently faced an abrupt³ slowdown with some economists⁴ predicting Poland may face a recession early next year.

1 clinched   

v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）

参考例句：

• The two businessmen clinched the deal quickly. 两位生意人很快达成了协议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Evidently this information clinched the matter. 显然，这一消息使问题得以最终解决。 来自辞典例句

2 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

4 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》