澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-01-04

 Rockhampton is now completely surrounded by floodwaters. The final road link to the central Queensland town has been cut. Five hundred homes have been evacuated¹, and it'll be another day before the waters peak. And some people are still ignoring the risks. A man has died in his car in a flooded creek² near Rockhampton. He's the tenth person to die in the floods.

 

US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks show Australia was willing to do a deal with Japan over whaling. Fairfax newspapers report the Federal Government was pushing for a big cut in the number of whales slaughtered³. It also wanted Japan to end whaling in Antarctic waters.

 

British actor Pete Postlethwaite has died of cancer, aged⁴ 64. He appeared in several well-known films including "Usual Suspects", and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 1993 film "In the Name of the Father". 

 

Pakistan's prime minister is desperately⁵ trying to keep his government together. The second largest party in the coalition⁶ government has walked out, robbing it of its majority. Yousuf Raza Gilani is talking with other opposition⁷ parties to find the numbers to stay in power.

 

 

 

Four German tourists have had a lucky escape when their car got stuck on a crocodile-infested river crossing in the Northern Territory. They tried to drive through the Kakadu National Park crossing, but got stranded⁸ half-way across. The group climbed onto the roof of their car before being rescued. 

1 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

2 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

3 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

6 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。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 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。