澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-07-12

A dramatic World Cup final is being played out in Johannesburg between Spain and the Netherlands. The match is going into extra time after the score was locked at nil¹ all. Both sides are vying² for their first-ever crown in the history of the sport.

Two new polls out today show Labor³ has lost some of the initial boost that it received after Julia Gillard took over as Prime Minister. Both Nielson and Galaxy⁴ polls indicate Labor is maintaining its election-winning lead over the Coalition⁵. The Nielson poll found the Coalition holds a 44% to 42% lead as the best party to handle asylum⁶ seeker policy.

A new survey shows Australians still want action on climate change. The Australian Conservation Foundation says almost half of the 1,500 voters surveyed saw no difference between the major parties on climate change.

Hundreds of people have gathered to mark the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre⁷ in Bosnia Herzegovina. More than 700 recently-identified victims were buried as part of the memorial. In 1995 more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys from and around Srebrenica were killed by Bosnian Serb troops.

And a Libyan aid ship has stayed on course for Gaza despite Israeli warnings that it will be intercepted⁸ at sea. A Gaddafi Foundation organiser said the group was not seeking confrontation⁹. But Israel says the activists¹⁰ won't break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.

1 nil   

n.无，全无，零

参考例句：

• My knowledge of the subject is practically nil.我在这方面的知识几乎等于零。
• Their legal rights are virtually nil.他们实际上毫无法律权利。

2 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

7 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

8 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

9 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》