澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-01-08

 Communities in NSW and Victoria are being warned not to underestimate the fire dangers they face today. Soaring temperatures and strong winds combined with a high fuel load will create catastrophic conditions in many areas. Dozens of spot fires are already burning thanks to lightening strikes. The fear is that these could suddenly spark out of control.

 

In Victoria, nearly 500 firefighters have been working throughout the night to try to contain a large blaze in the southwest. It's burnt more than 4,000 hectares at Kent Bruck near Portland, and is still out of control. And an emergency warning has been issued for the farming community of Drik Drik.

 

The danger isn't over in Tasmania where crews are still trying to contain three fires at Lake Repluse, Forcett and Montumana. Police investigating the Lake Repluse fire say they'll charge a man for leaving a camp fire on unattended. Prime minister Julia Gillard has told victims who've lost everything that the country is behind them.

 

U.S president Barack Obama has nominated a former Republican Senator Chuck Hagal as his new Defense¹ Secretary. White House counterterrorism advisor² John Brennan has been chosen as the new director of the CIA. The appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.

 

The former speaker of the House of Representatives Peter Slipper³ is facing charges of carrying a maximum penalty of five years jail. He is due to appear in Canberra's magistrate⁴ court next month charged with misusing⁵ travel entitlements.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 slipper   

n.拖鞋

参考例句：

• I rescued the remains of my slipper from the dog.我从那狗的口中夺回了我拖鞋的残留部分。
• The puppy chewed a hole in the slipper.小狗在拖鞋上啃了一个洞。

4 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

5 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