澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-10-07

 Lawyers for an Australian teenage boy arrested in Bali for allegedly buying marijuana say he is depressed¹ and distraught. The teenager was detained on Tuesday. He was allegedly carrying almost seven grams of marijuana. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says the Government will do everything it can to secure his release. 

 

Social networking websites have been swamped with messages about the death of Steve Jobs. The Apple co-founder died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. In China alone, 50 million messages have been posted on the country's equivalent of Twitter. 

 

Qantas says up to 6,000 passengers are still facing delays despite ground staff calling off their two-hour national strike this afternoon. Qantas says the last-minute decision is nothing more than a stunt². The airline says it's too late to reschedule cancelled and delayed flights. Engineers are still planning a one-hour stoppage at Melbourne Airport later today. 

 

Business groups and unions have welcomed the Federal Government's plans to help local manufacturers. The Prime Minister has announced measures to help local companies bid for a larger slice of big construction projects. Julia Gillard will also head up a new manufacturing task force. 

 

The United Nations human rights office says the death toll³ from the unrest in Syria has risen to more than 2,900. That figure doesn't include people who have disappeared. Earlier this week, the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution for action against Syria. After seven months, there's no sign of the protests ending.

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。