澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 白宫扣留乌克兰援助被指违法

Heavy storms have dampened some of the country's firegrounds giving crews the chance to strengthen containments lines but the rainfalls are not enough to extinguish major blazes. There were big downpours across New South Wales. Emergency services received almost 200 call outs across the state, with thousands losing power in the Hunter Valley. But for many the rain was cause for celebration, these children in the southern tablelands used deluge¹ as an excuse to get muddy. It was the first time they's seen rain in six months.

暴风雨落在澳大利亚部分火场，使消防员有机会巩固控制线，不过降雨量不足以扑灭大火。新南威尔士州迎来倾盆大雨。应用服务机构收到该州各地打来的近200起电话，猎人谷地区有数千人断电。但对许多人来说，这场雨水是值得庆祝的事情，南部高原地区的儿童将暴雨作为自己混身是泥的借口。这是他们六个月以来首次见到雨水。

Authorities are investigating a near mid-air collision between two Qantas planes at Sydney airport. A preliminary safety report has found the two jet's came within 152 metres of each other last August. Qantas says even if both aircraft stayed on the same flight paths, they were not in danger of colliding.

有关部门正在调查两架澳洲航空班机险些在悉尼机场发生空中相撞一事。初步安全报告发现，去年8月，这两架飞机之间的距离只有152米。澳洲航空表示，即使两架飞机停留在相同的飞行路径上，它们也没有相撞的危险。

The White House has violated federal law in withholding² aid to the Ukraine according to a us federal watchdog agency. Meanwhile a key figure in the scandal that led to Donald Trump's impeachment³ has claimed the president had full knowledge of a plan to pressure Ukraine for political gain. The impeachment trial has now formally begun, with charges being read out in the Senate.

据美国联邦观察机构表示，白宫扣留乌克兰援助一事违反联邦法。这起事件引发了唐纳德·特朗普弹劾案，现在该丑闻中的一名关键人物称，总统完全了解向乌克兰施压以换取政治利益的计划。弹劾审判已经正式启动，指控条款已在参议院宣读。

Sir David Attenborough has warned that the moment of climate crisis has arrived and Australia's bushfire disaster is a clear example of that. The British naturalist⁴ has criticised climate change deniers and is urging countries around the world to act now before it's too late.

大卫·爱登堡爵士警告称，气候危机时刻已经来临，澳大利亚的山火灾难就是明显的例子。这名英国自然学家对气候变化否认者进行了批评，同时敦促世界各国在为时已晚前马上采取行动。

1 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

2 withholding   

扣缴税款

参考例句：

• She was accused of withholding information from the police. 她被指控对警方知情不报。
• The judge suspected the witness was withholding information. 法官怀疑见证人在隐瞒情况。

3 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

4 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。