澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-05-03

 Australia's defence spending will be under the spotlight¹ today as the government prepares for a very difficult federal budget. The release of the defence white paper is expected to lay the ground work for further delays. But the Defence Minister Stephen Smith says he won't allow Australia's defence capability² to be compromised.

 

Sydney police are questioning a man over a fire at a King's Cross Strip Club. Seventeen people were evacuated³ from the club and nearby residences in Darlinghurst road. No one was injured.

 

 

 

The federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet will today face questioning by the New South Wales corruption⁴ watchdog. He's expected to be asked about a letter of support he wrote for a controversial mine in the Hunter Valley. The licence for the Doyles Creek⁵ mine was given to former union official John Maitland without a tender.

 

More than a week after the Bangladesh clothing factory collapse⁶, relatives are still searching for victims in the rubble⁷. The death toll⁸ has risen to 430. About 2,500 people, though, have been rescued. Many remained unaccounted for.

 

In the US, a two-year-old girl has become the second child in a week to be shot dead by a sibling⁹. Caroline Starks died at the hands of her five-year-old brother who was playing with a rifle designed for children. The accident happened in rural Kentucky. It follows a similar incident in Alaska where a little girl was shot and killed by her eight-year-old brother.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

3 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。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 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。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

8 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。

9 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。