澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-01-01

People around the country have enthusiastically welcomed the new decade. World weather threatened to derail plans for fireworks in a number of capital cities. But Sydney again hosted a spectacular¹ show - more than one and a half million people watched it from the city's foreshore. It also attracted a global audience of a billion people.

Countries across Asia and the Pacific have also been ringing in the New Year. Hong Kong's famous fireworks display lit up the harbor². In Japan, thousands of balloons were released³ as Tokyo's electric light board flashed 2010. And in South Korea, celebrations had a more traditional feel.

A gunman has gone on a shooting rampage in Finland, killing⁴ five people at a suburban⁵ shopping mall. He later shot himself. Finnish police said the man killed his ex-girlfriend in a nearby apartment before heading to a mall near Helsinki.

And changes to Australia's workplace relations laws come into effect today. The Fair Work system marks the official death of Howard government's Work Choices. The changes include new laws about wages and working hours. And businesses with fewer than 100 workers can no longer sack⁶ someone without good reason. The Opposition⁷ says the changes will be bad for the economy.

1 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

2 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。

3 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 sack   

n.袋子，劫掠；vt.解雇，劫掠，把...装入袋子

参考例句：

• They made him pay for his offence by giving him the sack.他们解雇了他，从而使他因自己的过错而受到了惩罚。
• If you're late again tomorrow,you'll get the sack!如果你明天再迟到，那就卷铺盖走吧！

7 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。