澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-03-23

 Two US airmen have been rescued after their fighter jet crashed in Libya. A military spokesman says it appears to have suffered a technical fault while flying near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Colonel Gaddafi’s forces have launched new attacks on rebel-held towns after a third night of allied¹ air strikes.

 

Yemen’s president is warning that any attempted coup² by the military will lead to civil war. Three of his top generals have defected to the opposition³, but he says he will step down in a year after organising parliamentary elections. That, however, has been rejected by his opponents who want him to go now.

 

Queensland Premier⁴ Anna Bligh isn’t ruling out an early election to take advantage of the Opposition’s leadership turmoil⁵. Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is effectively a leader-in-waiting now. He plans to contest the next election and take over the Liberal National Party leadership when he wins a safe seat. The party is backing the move and has appointed him interim⁶ leader.

 

Firefighters are battling to put out a blaze at Egypt’s Interior Ministry⁷ building in Cairo. The fire erupted during a large protest by policemen who want better pay and conditions. Flames quickly engulfed⁸ the building and authorities are blaming the protesters for the fire, but they deny any involvement.

 

An Israeli court has sentenced the country’s former President Moshe Katsav to seven years in jail for rape⁹. Mr Katsav shouted “It’s a lie” as he was sentenced. 

1 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

2 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 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。

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。