新西兰英语 735 Julia Gillard visits NZ

 　　John Key met the Australian Prime¹ Minister, Julia Gillard, in Queenstown at the weekend. They discussed a number of things including the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia. Ms Gillard said that New Zealanders are like family in Australia and can live and work there without a special visa. They also get the same medical care as Australians. However, they cannot get an unemployment benefit if they lose their job. The problem is that there are many New Zealanders living in Australia but only a few Australians in New Zealand.

　　Australia has hundreds of boat people living in camps. John Key said New Zealand will help by taking some of these refugees². New Zealand takes up to 750 refugees each year. These boat people will be some of our 750 so we will take fewer refugees from UNHCR next year.

　　John Key and Julia Gillard also talked about roaming³ charges for mobile⁴ phones. About 1 million Australians visit New Zealand every year as tourists or on business and it is very expensive to use their phones in New Zealand. The same thing happens when New Zealanders visit Australia so the two Prime Ministers want to reduce roaming charges.

　　The two Prime Ministers visit each other once a year to discuss trade and other important matters.

　　Vocabulary

　　?rights – e.g. right to live in the country and to vote

　　?boat people – they arrive in Australia from Indonesia, by boat, without a visa

　　?refugees – people who have to leave their country because of war or their religious or political beliefs

　　?UNHCR – United Nations High Commission⁵ for Refugees

　　?roaming charges – you pay more to use your phone in another country; this is called roaming

1 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 roaming   

随便走( roam的现在分词 )； 漫步； 眼睛或手 （缓慢地）扫遍； 摸遍

参考例句：

• After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Canada. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在加拿大定居了下来。
• After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Quebec. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在魁北克定居了下来。

4 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

5 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。