澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-04-22

Qantas has given the green light for flights to take off from London. Earlier this morning, passengers were stranded¹ as flights were cancelled or delayed for more than ten hours because of a new threat from volcanic² ash. Airlines are putting on extra flights and using larger planes to try to clear the backlog³ after almost a week of travel chaos⁴.

 

Former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and John Howard have finally faced off a debate 23 years after they went head-to-head in a federal election. But despite being old political enemies, they were more like old friends last night. The former leaders agreed on a wide range of issues, with both sharing the view that State Governments should be abolished.

 

The Federal Government is believed to have abandoned plans to introduce a revamped home insulation⁵ scheme later this year. The Government had to scrap⁶ its original scheme in February after four deaths were linked to the program.

 

And tributes are flowing for the former head of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch. The 89-year-old died in a Barcelona hospital after suffering from heart problems. IOC President Jacques Rogge has praised his predecessor⁷ for leaving a powerful legacy⁸ after 21 years in the top job.

 

We'll have more news updates throughout the day.

1 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

2 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

3 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

6 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。