澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2011-07-30

 To the market numbers first, in US, stocks have ended the week lower as investors¹ brace² for the outcome of a crucial vote to raise the US debt ceiling. The Dow Jones has shed 62 points while the S&P500 has dropped four points. The losses have also been driven by fears about the pace of US economic growth. 

 

Jitters³ have also been felt across the Atlantic. The FTSE and the DAX have also closed weaker. And the unease over the US market has weighed on Australian shares, which have hit an 11-month low. Both the ASX and All Ords lost 39 points. The Aussie dollar is currently worth around 110 US cents.

 

British satellite broadcaster BSkyB will hand out $1.5 billion to placate⁴ investors angered by a recent fall in share prices. The company's shares have fallen sharply in the past month after News Corporation abandoned its bid for BSkyB amid the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.

 

Apple has become the world's biggest seller of smartphones, according to industry analysts⁵. The figures from Strategy Analytics show the US company has overtaken Nokia and Samsung in the second quarter of this year.

 

And back home, a former executive director of the collapsed⁶ childcare provider ABC Learning has been committed to stand trial for breaching⁷ his duties to the company. Martin Kemp is accused by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission of misusing⁸ his position for personal financial gain.

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

3 jitters   

n.pl.紧张(通常前面要有the)

参考例句：

• I always get the jitters before exams. 我考试前总是很紧张。
• The whole city had the jitters from the bombing. 全城居民都为轰炸而心神不宁。

4 placate   

v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)

参考例句：

• He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。
• Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

8 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网