澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2012-10-19

 Australia will sit on the United Nations Security Council again after nearly 30 years. Members of the UN Genearal Assembly have voted to give Australia a temporary seat. A delighted Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr has thanked the African and Pacific Nations which supported Australia's bid. It's the culmination¹ of a five-year diplomacy² campaign costing at least 25 million dollars.

 

 

 

Victoria's parliamentary inquiry³ into the church's handling of sex abuse allegations will begin public hearings today. The inquiry will hear from church groups, victims and their families, lawyers, welfare experts and academics. Victoria police has already launched a scathing⁴ attack on the Cathlic church for hindering its investigations⁵.

 

 

 

Riot police and protesters have clashed at an anti-austerity rally in Greece. More than 30,000 demonstrators gathered in Athens on the day of a general strike against government's spending cuts. Police fired teargas in response to stones and petrol bombs hurled⁶ by protesters. 

 

 

 

The Public Service Union has blamed job cuts for increasing level of violence against welfare staff. It says lower staffing levels have led to longer waiting times and more frustration⁷ in agencies like medicare and Centrelink. 

 

 

 

Police are appealing for witnesses to a suspected drive-by shooting in Sydney's west. Officers were called to a street in Merrylands after reports of shots being fired. Several bullet casings were found nearby. A short time later, a man in his 20s went to Auburn hospital with a gunshot wound to his thigh⁸.

1 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

4 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

6 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。