澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-04-23

 Canadian authorities say they've thwarted¹ a major terrorist plot to blow up a railway line bewteen Canada and the United States. Police say they've charged two people in connection to the alleged² plot as raids were carried out in Toronto and Montreal. Officials say the believed the planned attack was supported by Al-Qaeda.

 

U.S. officials meanwhile say they've charged the surviving Boston bombing suspect Dzohkhar Tsarnaev. He's still in hospital where he's been charged with several offences including using weapons of mass destruction. The White House says Tsarnaev will be trialed in a civilian³ court where he could face the death penalty.

 

Authorities have launched a manhunt for two dangerous prisoners who escaped from a north Queensland jail. Twenty-six year old Algana Tiers and twenty-five year Tyrone Speechly escaped from the Townsville Correctional Center Farm. Police say the men have been convicted of sexual assaults and have removed GPS tracking devices that were strapped⁴ to their legs.

 

The Australian population is set to reach a new milestone⁵ of 23 million later today. Australia is now growing by more than 1,000 people per day or 1.7% every year.

 

And the former lead singer of Australian rock band The Divinyls Chrissy Amphlett has been remembered as groundbreaking and a daring performer. The singer died in New York after battle with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer, she was 53.

1 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。