澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-02-07

 Firefighters are battling strong winds as they try to contain two large blazes on the outskirts¹ of Perth. One fire in the south-eastern suburbs of Roleystone and Kelmscott destroyed up to 40 homes. One firefighter has been injured; a dozen people have been treated for smoke inhalation. And residents in the Swan Valley have been evacuated².

 

Survivors³ of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires will mark the second anniversary of the disaster at services around the state today. Politicians and survivors gathered for a memorial service in Melbourne yesterday. Small ceremonies will be held in Kinglake and Marysville today to remember those who perished. 

 

There has been more flooding in Victoria because of the weekend deluge⁵. About 80 homes in the small community of Irymple near Mildura in the state’s north-west have been evacuated. Several communities south-east of Melbourne remain on alert this morning. 

 

(In) Egypt is inching towards a resolution to its political crisis. The country’s Vice⁴ President Omar Suleiman has held talks with opposition⁶ groups including the Muslim Brotherhood⁷. He’s offered more concessions⁸ but not enough to end the protests. Protesters say they won’t budge⁹ until President Hosni Mubarak quits. 

 

And three young Americans accused of spying have gone on trial in Iran. The first hearing has taken place behind closed doors. The trio was detained in the country’s north in 2009. They say they inadvertently crossed the unmarked border (while) into Iran while hiking. And it’s unclear just how long the trial will last.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 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。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 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。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

8 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

9 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。