用法学习: 1. Get on the piss To get on the piss, or getting on the piss, refers to the act of drinking alcoholic beverages, most typically with friends, and getting heavily intoxicated as a result. Joe: What are you doing tonight, Bob? Bob: I'm going to go get on the piss! pissed I. US slang annoyed, irritated, or disappointed. Extremely irritated or angry. Often used with off. II. Brit, Austral, and NZ slang intoxicated; drunk.
新年夜攻击: Police allege Mr Christie and his brother Peter, who had just arrived
to ring in ( ring in I. (Telecommunications) (intr) Brit to report to someone by telephone. II. (tr) to accompany the arrival of with bells (esp in the phrase ring in the new year). III. (Horse Racing) (tr) Austral to substitute (a horse) fraudulently for another horse in a race. IV. (tr) Austral and NZ to recruit or include (a person)
n. V. (Horse Racing) Austral a horse that serves as a substitute. VI. Austral and NZ a person or thing that is not normally a member of a particular group; outsider. a person included in an activity at a late stage. ) the new year, were attacked after going to the aid of two
teenagers being assaulted by Mr McNeil. It began with a random verbal
altercation口角, 争吵 on Victoria Road between Mr McNeil and two "very slightly
built" teenagers, Jack Flynn and Tony Gill, police documents state. "I'm
an MMA [mixed martial arts] fighter," Mr McNeil warned the pair before
allegedly punching Mr Flynn in the head, causing him to fall to the
ground. When the pair tried to hide behind Daniel and Peter Christie,
who were simply walking past, Mr McNeil shifted his gaze(gaze 盯视, 盯着. stare, look, fixed look. She felt uncomfortable under the woman's steady gaze. He gazed reflectively at the fire. steely gaze 冷冷的注视着 Cliché an intense, staring gaze. The principal turned a steely gaze toward the frightened student and suddenly smiled. reflective 反光的 Capable of or producing reflection: a reflective surface. ). Daniel was
allegedly punched once to the face, causing him to immediately lose
consciousness and hit the ground. Peter tried to throw himself
between Mr McNeil and his brother and was also allegedly punched and
left with a cut lip. On Wednesday, Michael and Maureen Christie, from
Thornleigh, remained at their son's bedside as he clung to life 命悬一线 ( cling I. 紧抓不放. To hold fast or adhere to something, as by grasping, sticking, embracing, or entwining: clung to the rope to keep from falling; fabrics that cling to the body. II. To remain close; resist separation: We clung together in the storm. III. To remain emotionally attached; hold on: clinging to outdated customs. ) with
bleeding on the brain, pressure to the skull and several fractures. Just
weeks after graduating from Pennant Hills High School, the rugby-mad
teenager, who was starting a T-shirt design business with his brother,
now faces a prognosis of considerable brain injury, police said. She
said Mr McNeil "doesn't live in a box与世隔绝" and would have seen media
coverage about king hits and alcohol-related violence. The court
registrar agreed and said "given the current climate" of media coverage
and the "very strong" prosecution case, it would be inappropriate to
grant bail. In a blue forensic jumpsuit and with a cut to his lip,
Mr McNeil cried as he was remanded in custody. "He's very distressed,
he's devastated about what's happened to the boy and he said it was not
unprovoked," his mother Sharen McCormack said.
Mariah Carey criticised for Angola president performance: Mariah Carey has been criticised by human rights campaigners for accepting an estimated $1 million (£610,000) to perform for an African dictator. The American singer was accused of selling out 出卖灵魂 to Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the longtime president of Angola, after entertaining him with a two-hour concert in the country on Sunday. "It is the sad spectacle of an international artist purchased by a ruthless police state to entertain and whitewash ( n. I. A mixture of lime and water, often with whiting, size, or glue added, that is used to whiten walls, fences, or other structures. II. Concealment or palliation of flaws or failures. III. A defeat in a game in which the loser scores no points. tr.v. I. To paint or coat with or as if with whitewash. II. 掩饰, 洗白. To conceal or gloss over (wrongdoing, for example).) the father-daughter kleptocracy([klɛpˈtokrəsi] A government characterized by rampant greed and corruption.) that has amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth不义之财( ill-gotten Obtained in an evil manner or by dishonest means: ill-gotten gains. ill-gotten gains money or other possessions acquired in a dishonest or illegal fashion. Bill cheated at cards and is now living on his ill-gotten gains. Mary is enjoying her ill-gotten gains. She deceived an old lady into leaving her $5,000 in her will. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. Prov. If you frequently win at card games, you will not have happy love affairs. (Can imply the converse, that if you do not win at card games, you will have happy love affairs.) Fred: I wish I was George. He always wins tons of money at our poker games. Alan: Don't be jealous of him. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. ) while the majority of Angola lives on less than $2 a day," said Thor Halvorssen, the president of the Human Rights Foundation. Mr Dos Santos, 71, is one of the world's longest-serving dictators and has been president since September 1979. He has "exploited oil and diamond wealth to build total control over all branches of the government, the military, and the courts" according to the Human Rights Foundation. Last month an Angolan news website reported that it had obtained an internal report from the state security services that said two activists who organised a street protest over unpaid military pensions were tortured and murdered by government agents. Carey, 44, is said to have told the audience at the gala concert: "I am happy to be here in this room, and I am honoured to share this show with the president of Angola". The show was organised by the Angolan Red Cross, which is run by Dos Santos's daughter, Isabel. The singer, whose wealth is estimated at more than half a billion dollars, received similar condemnation after performing in front of Muammar Gaddafi, the late Libyan leader, in 2008. She said later that she had been "naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for," was "embarrassed to have participated in this mess," and said it was "a lesson for all artists to learn from".
新闻摘选: 1. The Abbott government has approved the biggest rise in private health insurance premiums in almost a decade, as it walks away from any early implementation of its election promise to scrap the means testing (A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help. Social security, in Australia, refers to a system of social welfare payments provided by Commonwealth Government of Australia. These payments are administered by the Department of Human Services (Australia). In Australia, most benefits are means tested. ) of the 30 per cent rebate for health fund members. In a pre-Christmas whammy 打击 for Australians grappling with 挣扎于, 身陷 rising health costs(grapple I. to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat. II. To struggle, in or as if in wrestling. (intr; foll by with) to cope or contend. to try to overcome or deal: to grapple with a problem. to grapple with a financial problem. grappled with their consciences; grapple with the political realities of our time.), the average family policy including ancillaries (ancillary [ænˈsiləri] adj I. 附属. subsidiary. II. auxiliary; supplementary ancillary services. n. 分支机构. a subsidiary or auxiliary thing or person the company has an ancillary abroad.) such as dental is likely to rise by more than $200 a year because of the average 6.2 per cent increase for 2014 endorsed by Health Minister Peter Dutton. Singles can expect to pay an extra $100 a year in premiums. For all categories, the increase is almost triple the overall rate of inflation. Mr Dutton blamed an 8 per cent increase in overall payouts 分红 ( I. 支付. The act or an instance of paying out. 2013 June 8, "Obama goes troll-hunting", The Economist: According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents[ˈpeitənt ˈpætənt] and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle. II. A percentage of corporate earnings that is paid as dividends to shareholders. misanthropy hatred, dislike, or distrust of humankind. Hatred or mistrust of humankind. anthrop(o)- word element [Gr.], man (human being). troll I. (fantasy) A supernatural being of varying size, now especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges. II. (slang) An ugly person of either sex, especially one seeking sexual experiences. III. (astronomy, meteorology) Optical ejections from the top of the electrically active core regions of thunderstorms that are red in color that seem to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward toward the cloud tops. IV. An instance of trolling, especially, in fishing, the trailing of a baited line. V. (colloquial) A person who provokes others (chiefly on the Internet) for their own personal amusement or to cause disruption. ) by health funds this year for the sharp rise. "There is no doubt this increase could have been lower had it not been for the pressures placed on the sector by Labor," he said in a statement. Mr Dutton declined a request for an interview to explain what these pressures were. Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said the premium hike was a slap in the face for consumers and had been pushed through just before Christmas in the hope people wouldn't notice. "Making this announcement two days before Christmas is highly cynical([ˈsinikəl] I. distrustful or contemptuous of virtue, esp selflessness in others; believing the worst of others, esp that all acts are selfish. II. sarcastic; mocking. III. 愤世嫉俗的. showing contempt for accepted standards of behaviour, esp of honesty or morality. the politician betrayed his promises in a cynical way.) and something the government should be ashamed of," Ms King said. The rise in premiums comes as the government weighs up 衡量, 考虑 when, and indeed whether, to scrap means testing of the 30 per cent health insurance rebate. Under measures that came into effect last year, singles earning about $88,000 and families earning more than $176,000 no longer get the full rebate. One government source said on Monday: "Given the financial situation as revealed last week, it could be a long while(I. A period of time: stay for a while; sang all the while. II. The time, effort, or trouble taken in doing something: The project wasn't worth my while.) [before the means test is abolished废除掉]." The Consumers Health Forum of Australia said the federal government needed to take a serious look at why health costs continued to vastly outpace inflation. An ageing population, increasing doctors fees and rising equipment costs did not adequately explain the surge不足以解释, spokesman Mark Metherell said. "There are no real measures from government to show whether we are getting value for money. Health costs have been going up more than inflation for more than a decade," he said. "We feel the whole issue should be examined. Premiums are going up. Out-of-pocket costs are going up. The average family will struggle to pay this increase." He said good performance and efficiency among health funds should be rewarded by the government. At the moment, they were simply being compensated for the level of payouts they have made. 2. Apple signs iPhone deal with China Mobile: Pricing and availability details for the smartphone giant's latest models, the iPhone 5S and 5C, will be available at a later date. The deal gives Apple access to China Mobile's 760 million customers, in a market dominated by low-cost Android smartphones. The deal ends years of discussions between the pair, who reportedly butted heads over Apple's demands(butt heads 大吵 (idiomatic) To argue uncompromisingly with someone. They always seem to butt heads when they end up talking about politics.) for guarantees over sales volumes. 3. On Monday the network captured footage of the family exploring the local waterways on a boat and frolicking 嬉笑打闹 at a South Stradbroke Island sand bank. 4. NSW govt takes over ID scanner tender ( tender adj. I. Sensitive or painful to the touch. II. 娇嫩的. Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate. tender plants; tender flesh; tender fruit. III. Physically weak; not able to endure hardship. IV. (of food) Soft and easily chewed. V. Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained. VI. Fond, loving, gentle, sweet. Suzanne was such a tender and sweet mother to her children. VII. Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic. tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain. VIII. Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate. a tender subject. tender2 I. (formal) To offer, to give. to tender one’' resignation. II. To offer a payment, as at sales or auctions. In business law, a tender offer is an invitation to shareholders of a corporation to tender, or exchange, their shares in return for a monetary buy-out. n. I. A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card. Your credit card has been declined. You need to provide some other tender such as cash. II. (law) A formal offer to buy or sell something. We will submit our tender to you within the week. III. Any offer or proposal made for acceptance. ) after bidder fails ethics test: As report raises privacy concerns. The NSW Government has taken the tender 招标 for electronic ID scanners at Sydney nightclubs out of the hands of the Kings Cross Liquor Accord after uncovering probity ( probity [ˈprəubiti] 诚信 n. confirmed integrity; uprightness. integrity and uprightness; honesty. ) issues with a prospective supplier. The Accord had been running the tender process for the system, which would see electronic identification scanners implemented at 35 high-risk licensed venues in Sydney's Kings Cross, since October. The scanners were scheduled to be introduced on December 6th, to coincide with the arrival of new legislation - the Liquor Amendment (Kings Cross Plan of Management) Act 2013, passed on 16 October 2013. The act will see the 35 venues operate ID scanners from 7pm on Fridays until 7am Mondays. Venues will be required to scan the photo identification of all patrons coming through their doors during that time. The plan, launched by Premier Barry O'Farrell in September last year, was part of a two-step strategy to reduce alcohol-related violence in the area. But late Friday, NSW hospitality minister George Souris announced the Kings Cross Liquor Accord tender would be cancelled and taken over by the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, after the first chosen supplier failed an ethics check. He said the move had the support of NSW Police. "Unfortunately, the Director-General of Trade and Investment was unable to issue a probity clearance for the first tender. This means that a fresh tender process must now be undertaken by the government," he said in a statement. "The Government recognises that the community must have complete confidence in the tender process and the choice of supplier and operator. It must ensure that this process is not compromised." A spokesperson for Souris declined to comment further due to "legal issues" but said there were "very good reasons" why the tender had been cancelled. CEO of the Kings Cross Liquor Accord, Doug Grand, said he had received six tenders收到投标书 which the organisation had been given five days to evaluate. The Accord had been given only six weeks from the 16th October - when the new legislation was passed - to choose a successful supplier, under a "extremely tight timeframe时间非常紧" given by the state government, Grand said. The organisation made or received contact with 14 companies prior to that time. A supplier was selected and put into probity but pulled out at the last minute, for reasons Grand said the government had not provided him. The Accord was then asked to recommend two further companies in addition to the selected supplier last week. Grand said his understanding was the two recommended companies were currently in probity with the government. Technical specifics of the scheme are yet to be revealed, but the system is expected to be linked across the 35 venues, to allow a person ejected from one premise to be banned across all. Grand said the supplier the Accord had initially chosen had put forward 提出 a cloud-based system. The data will not be stored on premise and will only be accessible to the state's police, he said. The Trade and Investment department expects to issue a new tender early in the new year, and will appoint a supplier soon after following a "strict probity process". "It is far better to take little extra time in order to provide greater certainty and confidence especially with privacy and probity for the community and all concerned, that the process is undertaken properly," Souris said. Meanwhile, a report into the use of ID scanners in nightclubs has found they bring up serious privacy concerns, without reducing alcohol-related violence. The Australian Institute of Criminology last week put out a report which studied the impact of ID scanners in Melbourne nightclubs over four years, and found the approach had increased rather than decreased alcohol-related hospital admissions. It found the ID scanners had resulted in violence moving from inside the 10 high-risk clubs to out on the surrounding streets, while police were failing to use the collected data to identify violent offenders. Premises were also only selectively scanning patrons when long queues formed, it found. 5. Dennis Rodman has lost his corporate partner for his upcoming basketball exhibition in North Korea to celebrate the birthday of the repressive regime's young leader, Rodman's "friend for life" Kim Jong Un. The online betting site Paddy Power announced in an email Monday that it had decided to end its association with Rodman and his planned exhibition basketball game between the North Korean national team and a group of former U.S. players due to "changed circumstances.". "With a bit of hindsight we realized we just got this one wrong," communications director Paddy Power, son of site founder David Power, told The Times in a telephone interview Monday. "It's the Dennis Rodman gig now," he added. Power said that the "changed circumstances" mentioned in the email referred to "worldwide scrutiny of the North Korean regime that wasn't there before recent events." Earlier this month, Kim's uncle, Jang Song Thaek — married to Kim's biological aunt and considered to be second in command behind his nephew — was executed for his "anti-state, counterrevolutionary actions反政府, 反革命" and other crimes including womanizing玩弄女性, drug abuse and gambling, official North Korean media said. 6. A VETERAN Australian journalist is facing up to five years in a Thai jail in what human rights activists claim is an attempt to curtail 紧缩 press freedom新闻自由. Alan Morison, editor of news website Phuketwan, has told AAP that he and fellow journalist Chutima Sidasathian were confronted with defamation allegations by Thai police last week. "We were shocked and surprised when we were sued by the Royal Thai Navy, especially given that all we did was carry a paragraph from Reuters," Mr Morison told AAP from his home on Phuket on Monday night. Mr Morison said the pair were also accused of breaching Thailand's Computer Crimes Act and if convicted face maximum jail terms of five and two years or a fine of up to 100,000 baht (AU$3400) or both. A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Canberra was aware of the case. "Embassy officials in Bangkok are providing consular assistance to an Australian man who has been called to give a statement before police on 24 December," she told AAP. Human Rights Watch has attacked the legal action, calling it an attempt to stifle 压制, 打压 reporting. "The Thai navy's lawsuit is a reckless attempt to curtail journalists reporting on alleged human trafficking by its officers," the group's Asia director Brad Adams said in a statement. But Mr Morison said he believed the suit may stem from a simple mistranslation of his website's English-language article into Thai. And the incident won't send him packing. "I've been here for 10 years," he said. "Phuket is a paradise for tourists and it's even more of a paradise for journalists." The Royal Thai Navy could not be reached for comment. A response has been sought from Reuters. 7. Cardinal George Pell urges Christians to be bold: AUSTRALIA'S highest ranking Catholic has urged fellow Christians not to "lapse into timid silence" in the face of 面对困难的时候 adversity, as church leaders across the country delivered their annual Christmas messages. In the wake of the royal commission into institutional child sex abuse, Cardinal George Pell painted a picture of a church and religion under siege after one of the most tumultuous[tju:ˈmʌltjuəs]跌宕起伏的 years for the Catholic Church. "We acknowledge the wide scepticism广泛质疑 and occasional hostility敌意 of those around us," Mr Pell said. "But because we know Christ, we should have the courage of our convictions, we should not lapse into timid silence and we should not be frightened to appear as different. "Our new Pope Francis has warned us of these dangers, urging us not to lapse into 陷入 small-minded melancholy([ˈmɛlənkəli]计较个人得失. small-minded narrow-minded; petty; intolerant; mean. Having a narrow or selfish attitude. ), not allow ourselves to be submerged 吞噬, 淹没 by bitterness and fatigue." Mr Pell also made reference to "hectic and confused times" and said the challenge for Christians was not atheism but how to respond to those looking for God. "Christians cannot answer this challenge if we look like we have just come from a funeral," he said. Other church leaders were more upbeat in their messages, calling on Australians to renew their imagination and hope, and to give more generously this holiday season. The head of the Anglican Church in Australia, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, said the spirit of Christmas cheered the Christian community. "When we take time with family and friends, waiting with one another and sharing our lives and stories, we broaden our vision," he said. "The world need not be a disenchanted ( disenchanted [ˌdisinˈtʃɑ:ntid] adj disappointed or disillusioned. ) place." Melbourne's Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart and Andrew Dutney, the president of the Uniting Church, both reflected on the burdened, the sick, asylum-seekers and Aborigines. "This Christmas I invite you to remember all who walk in 'darkness' - especially Australia's first peoples, who continue to miss out on sharing the benefits of this wealthy nation," the Reverend Professor Dutney said. "And remember that the message of Christmas is for you too in your own time of 'darkness'." The Serbian Orthodox Church was the only denomination to directly comment on same-sex marriage in its message. "The sanctity 神圣 of the most intimate human community - marriage, and with it family - is compromised before diversity without unity," Bishop Irinej said. Leaders of non-Christian faiths also extended their good wishes. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff said Christmas was a time Australians could celebrate togetherness and friendship. "The Jewish community wishes all who celebrate this festival a happy Christmas and a meaningful holiday season," he said. The general manager of the Lebanese Muslim Association, Khaled Alameddine, wished Australians a safe summer break and new year: "We hope that 2014 brings much needed peace to our global family." 8. National wellbeing健康状况 deteriorated to 63.5 points in the last three months of the year, down from 64.4 points in the previous quarter, according to the National Australia Bank Wellbeing Index. When it comes to marital status, widows and widowers had the highest levels of wellbeing while singles had the lowest, the survey of 2,100 Australians showed. "In particular, mental wellbeing, feeling part of the community and physical health are significantly stronger contributors to the wellbeing of widows when compared to married couples," NAB economists said. Those with no children reported higher levels of wellbeing than those with children, while the highest earners - those on $100,000-plus - were happier than those on lower incomes. Overall, wellbeing was highest in South Australia and the Northern Territory and lowest in Tasmania, due to a sharp increase in anxiety over the quarter. Those in regional cities reported the highest levels of wellbeing, compared with people in capital cities and rural areas. When it comes to age, women aged 18 to 29 reported the lowest levels of wellbeing while women aged 50-plus reported the highest levels. "The most important influences on positive wellbeing include personal relationships, your home and personal safety," NAB economists said.
