澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-08-18

 Perth and the Pilbara region will soon be connected to southeast Asia by a new fibre optic network. Fujitsu Australia and Trident have struck a deal to develop the network. Trident installs sub-sea cable systems. The proposed underwater link will run from Perth via Onslow in the Pilbara, then onto Jakarta and finally, to Singapore. Now, it's hoped the network will improve telecommunications services in the remote parts of Australia.

 

The Indian Rupee has hit a record low against the US dollar, despite recent efforts to prop¹ up the currency. Earlier this week, India's central bank put further restrictions² on the amount of money that companies as well as individuals can send out of the country. Well, that had little impact and the Rupee fell to 62.03 to the dollar. India's economy has seen a sharp decline in recent months, largely because of a slowdown in its manufacturing and services sectors³.

 

The central bank of Switzerland says the loan it granted to bailout troubled bank UBS five years ago has been repaid. Now, the development means UBS can now buy back the once toxic⁴ assets taken out of the bank at the height of the financial crisis. These assets, worth over 42 billion dollars at the time of the bailout, have since become profitable. UBS is Switzerland's largest bank and says it plans to buy the assets back.

1 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。