英语听力：澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2014-02-07

 Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has once again expressed concern about Australia's policy to turn back asylum¹ seeker boats. The ABC has obtained exclusive footage of an Australian navy lifeboat carrying asylum seekers that landed on Java's south coast on Wednesday night. Mr. Natalegawa says the policy is unhelpful.

 

Schapelle Corby will find out later today whether she'll be freed from a Bali jail. Indonesia's Justice Minister will announce whether he's approved her parole application this afternoon. Corby was jailed for 20 years in 2005 after authorities found more than four kilograms of marijuana in her body board bag. 

 

Snow boarder Alex Chumpy Pullin will carry the flag for Australia at tonight's opening ceremony of the winter Olympics in Sochi. The 26-year-old world champion was named at the team's reception in Russia overnight. The Olympics torch is getting closer to the main stadium. 

 

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will meet his New Zealand counterpart John Key in Sydney today. Mr. Key is on a three-day visit to Australia, accompanied by senior ministers and business leaders. They are here to discuss mutual² economic opportunities. 

 

And the Syrian government says a deal has been struck to allow trapped civilians³ to leave the besieged⁴ city of Homs. Homs has been under attack from government forces since 2012. It's believed thousands of women and children are trapped in the old city. Last week's peace talks in Geneva failed to reach an agreement on evacuation. Syria's Foreign Ministry⁵ says it' hoped people be allowed to leave before this coming weekend.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。