英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2014-01-17

 The massive blaze in the Grampians in western Victoria is threatening several communities.  Emergency warnings are in place for Wartook, Heathvale, Laharum and Brimpaen. Fire authorities are advising residents in the northern Grampians to leave now before weather conditions worsen. 

 

In South Australia, fire crews are also battling several blazes. Firefighters there are trying to control a large bushfire at Bangor in the east state's mid-north ahead of a strong wind forecast for later today. The fire is posing a threat to farmland and houses, and a watch-and-act remains¹ in place. 

 

The body of a missing Australian soldier has been found near the top of a mountain in the United States. Captain Paul Mckay walked into dense² woodlands near the Canadian border during freezing weather more than two weeks ago. 

 

A funeral will be held later today for Daniel Christie who died after being punched on New Year's Eve. The 18-year-old's life support system was switched off on Saturday, 11 days after the attack. Twenty-five-year-old Shaun Micneill has been charged with his murder.

 

The United Nations hearing's been questioning senior Vatican officials over child sex abuse by the clergy³. It's the first time the Vatican has had to defend itself in public. The UN Committee on the Rights of Children wants to know why the church failed to hand over suspected defenders⁴ to police.

 

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

3 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

4 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》