澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-01-28

The Federal Government’s controversial new My School website has crashed just hours after its launch this morning. Users are reporting problems logging onto the site which lists student data comparing literacy and numeracy rates in almost 10,000 schools. Critics say the website will unfairly stigmatize¹ disadvantaged schools, but the Federal Government says the site gives parents more information on the performance of their child’s school. 

Lawyers representing an Australian man facing the death sentence in Afghanistan are locked in negotiations² to secure his release. Former soldier Robert William Langdon has been found guilty of murdering an Afghan colleague. Langdon’s lawyers have lodged³ an appeal and the Australian government is asking for clemency⁴. 

House prices are at an all time high in most of Australian capital cities. An Australian Property Monitors' report says the medium house price rose 12 percent in 2009, the largest increase since 2003. Prices are expected to increase by up to 10 percent this year. 

And Mahinda Rajapaksa has been declared the winner of Sri Lanka’s presidential poll, but the outcome was immediately rejected by his rival. General Sarath Fonseka says he will challenge the result in court. General Fonseka has left a luxury hotel in Colombo where he complained of being intimidated⁵. 

I’ll have more news later.

 

1 stigmatize   

v.污蔑，玷污

参考例句：

• Children in single-parent families must not be stigmatized.单亲家庭的孩子们不应该受到歧视。
• They are often stigmatized by the rest of society as lazy and dirty.他们经常被社会中的其他人污蔑为懒惰、肮脏。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

5 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》