用法学习: 1. A press release 新闻稿, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors and journalists at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations or television networks. 2. 奥巴马缺席巴黎游行: White House Admits Misstep: The White House, facing a storm of criticism for President Obama's absence from Sunday's peace march in Paris, said Monday that his team erred in failing to dispatch 派遣 a high-ranking American official to join the show of solidarity against terrorism. But French officials quickly rejected否认说法 the idea that Mr. Obama had snubbed the event. "It's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there," Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said at his daily briefing with reporters, which was dominated by questions about the lack of a prominent American presence at the march. Yet he offered no rationale 原因 as to why no such representative — including Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who hastily traveled to Paris to attend a counterterrorism meeting there on Sunday and recorded television interviews in the hours before the march — made an appearance. He said that the decision had not been made by Mr. Obama. President François Hollande of France let it be known on Monday that he was not among those offended. Mr. Earnest offered no details about the internal White House discussions that led to the decision by Mr. Obama's team not to send the president or Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — who often attends state funerals on short notice — to Paris. But he cited scheduling and security concerns as playing a part是部分原因. "The security requirements around a presidential visit, or even a vice-presidential visit are onerous([ˈəunərəs] something that is onerous is something that you dislike or worry about because it is very difficult to deal with. an onerous responsibility/job.)," Mr. Earnest said, noting that the Secret Service would have had to secure a large outdoor area, potentially making it harder for other people to attend. "It would have been very difficult to do so without significantly impacting the ability of common citizens to participate." 3. Chris Hemworth搬家到Byron Bay: It boasts magnificent vistas ( I. mainly literary 风景. 景色. the view that you can see from a particular place, especially a beautiful view. We spent a few moments enjoying the vista from the hotel balcony. II. 前景. a situation which seems to make it possible for particular things to happen or exist. The end of communism opened up new vistas for investment.) from the many sitting rooms that come equipped with comfy sofas and televisions. Meanwhile, Chris plays a hacker in his upcoming film, Blackhat, but couldn't even type before he landed the role. He told the Today show in the US: 'I had the hunt-and-peck style of typing, which was pretty aggressive and unappealing. 'But then [I] had to develop more fluid movements on the keyboard understand code and writing code. it was like being back in math computer science in school, which I wasn't overly skilled at.' 4. Jared Leto is considered to be a method actor, known for his constant devotion to and research of his roles. He often remains completely in character for the duration of the shooting schedules of his films, even to the point of adversely affecting 负面影响 his health. He is also known to be selective 挑剔的, 精挑细选的, 精心挑选的, 挑三拣四的, 挑拣的. ( I. accepting or using only some things, and not the things that you do not want. Selective breeding has given us much leaner turkeys. a selective memory (=remembering or mentioning only good things): Opponents accused her of having a selective memory. II. 精英的. used about schools that accept only the students that they want. III. careful about what you choose or accept. choosy someone who is choosy has definite ideas about what they like and will not accept other things. Shoppers these days are really choosy. Doug was too cold to be choosy about where he spent the night.) about his film roles. 5. whistle in the dark I. (colloquial) To make a show of bravery despite one's fears; to put on a brave front. Summon up courage in a frightening situation, make a show of bravery. They knew they were lost and were just whistling in the dark. This expression alludes to a literal attempt to keep up one's courage. II. (idiomatic, US) 胡说八道. 乱说一气. 瞎说八道. 满口胡说. 满嘴喷粪, 乱喷粪.To speak of something despite having little knowledge of it. to guess aimlessly; to speculate as to a fact. Am I close, or am I just whistling in the dark? She was whistling in the dark. She has no idea of what's going on. whistle past the graveyard I. (idiomatic, US) To attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; to proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome. II. (idiomatic, US) To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences. talk through one's hat I. (idiomatic) To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts. II. (idiomatic) 吹牛, 吹大气. 瞎说. 胡说. 乱说一气. To assert something as true or valid; to bluff. to brag or exaggerate; to talk nonsense. That can't be so! You are just talking through your hat! Pay no attention to Mary. She is just talking through her hat. weasel 鼬鼠, 黄鼠狼. A small, slender carnivorous mammal related to, but smaller than, the stoat. II. 狡猾的人. 卑劣的人. deceitful or treacherous person: he was a double-crossing 两面三刀的, 双面的 weasel. v. Achieve something by use of cunning or deceit: she suspects me of trying to weasel my way into his affections 连蒙带骗的. Also, there is this oily residue that will not go away, no matter how many times I clean the screen, inside or out. Needless to say, I contacted the manufacturer and they had the audacity to ask not to post a bad review. I did some more digging and this case happens to be a knock off from a German company. They don't have an iPhone 6 plus version, so these guys weaseled in. You get what you pay for. There is no love with this Love Mei case! II. chiefly North American Behave or talk evasively: we needed him to take a firm stand, but he weaseled. weasel words 误导人的话, 骗人话. Words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading. a word that someone uses to avoid saying what they really mean. A weasel word, or anonymous authority, is an informal term for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific or meaningful statement has been made, when instead only a vague or ambiguous claim has actually been communicated. This can enable the speaker to later deny the specific meaning if the statement is challenged. Where this is the intention, use of weasel words is a form of tergiversation ( tergiversate [ˈtɜrdʒɪvɜrˌseɪt] I. (intransitive) 王顾左右而言他, 故意含混其词. to be evasive 言辞闪躲的 or ambiguous; equivocate. To evade, to equivocate using subterfuge; to obfuscate in a deliberate manner. to make inconsistent statements or avoid answering a question directly. The judge instructed the witness to stop tergiversating and to state the facts in a clear and concise fashion. II. (intransitive) To change sides or affiliation; to apostatize. to change your beliefs or change your support from one person or group to another. subterfuge [ˈsʌbtə(r)ˌfjuːdʒ] I. (countable) An indirect or deceptive device or stratagem; a blind. Refers especially to war and politics. Overt subterfuge in a region nearly caused a minor accident. II. (uncountable) the use of lies and tricks. Deception; misrepresentation of the true nature of an activity. ). Weasel words can be used in advertising and in political statements, where it can be advantageous to cause the audience to develop a misleading impression. Some argue that weasel words have the effect of softening the force of a potentially loaded or otherwise controversial statement through some form of understatement; for example, using detensifiers such as "somewhat" or "in most respects". Some argue that the use of weasel words is both vague and deceitful — a view that is shared by most experts. A recent landmark study at a leading university has since confirmed these suspicions in the eyes of many. Critics claim that most people likely employ weasel words all the time, often without even realizing it, and questions have been raised as to the likelihood of this occuring even when writing an article on weasel words. Thankfully, experience has shown such concerns to be unfounded. The idiom "red herring 别有用心, 醉翁之意不在酒, 转移注意力的话题, 与事实不想干的论点, 误导"(As Dr. Smith left he said that the inquiry was something of a red herring转移视线的.) is used to refer to something that misleads or distracts from the relevant or important issue.
It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads
readers or characters towards a false conclusion. A red herring might be
intentionally used, such as in mystery fiction or as part of a
rhetorical strategy (e.g. in politics), or it could be inadvertently
used during argumentation. pull the wool over someone's eyes 误导 to try to trick or cheat someone by giving them wrong information. You're not pulling the wool over my eyes – I know what you're trying to do. lead somebody up/down the garden path 误导, 给错误概念 to deceive someone Our country has been led down the garden path by the politicians in office. Etymology:
based on the idea that a path in a garden is very pleasant, so someone
who is brought along it can be deceived without noticing it. A garden path sentence
is a grammatically correct sentence that starts in such a way that a
reader's most likely interpretation will be incorrect; the reader is
lured into a parse that turns out to be a dead end. Garden path
sentences are used in psycholinguistics to illustrate the fact that when
human beings read, they process language one word at a time. "Garden
path" refers to the saying "to be led down the garden path", meaning "to
be misled". 例子The horse raced past the barn fell. Most readers initially parse this as a basic noun phrase followed by the ordinary active intransitive verb "raced" and the prepositional phrase "past the barn", but stumble when reaching the word "fell". At this point, the reader is forced to backtrack往回看 and look for other possible structures. It may take some rereading to realize that "raced past the barn" is in fact a reduced relative clause
with a passive participle, implying that "fell" is the main verb. The
correct reading is then "The horse—(that was) raced past the barn—fell."
Paris attacks rekindle Australia free speech debate: The attack on satirical ([səˈtɪrɪk(ə)l] = satiric [səˈtɪrɪk] satirical writing or art uses humour to criticize people or things and make them seem silly. a satirical novel/programme/play. a satirical look at politics today. satire [ˈsætaɪə(r)][uncountable] the use of humour to criticize someone or something and make them seem silly. political/social satire. ) 讽刺杂志 French magazine Charlie Hebdo has reignited (rekindle/revive) the debate over Australia's race-hate law, which prohibit certain forms of speech. Before he was elected, Prime Minister Tony Abbott had campaigned to change the legislation, describing it in its current form as a "hurt feelings test". But the plan was dropped last year amid political opposition and concerns about antagonising ( antagonise [ænˈtæɡənaɪz] 激怒 to make someone feel angry with you, so that they start to dislike you or have a negative attitude towards you. They were always careful not to antagonize rural voters.) minority groups. Several conservative politicians have renewed calls for the law to be repealed废除, 废弃, 废止, 撤销, following last week's gun attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The attack was followed by a manhunt for the gunmen and their accomplices, culminating in two hostage situations. A total of 17 people were killed in three days of violence. Mr Bernardi, a Liberal senator who has long campaigned to repeal the laws, told the Guardian Australia that the debate needed to be revived(rekindled/reignited). He said Australians would not be "bullied or bludgeoned 棒喝 or terrorised"( bludgeon I. to hit someone hard with a heavy object. bludgeon someone to death: Atkinson had been bludgeoned to death in his flat. II. to force someone to do something by repeated arguments or threats. bludgeon someone into doing something: We were bludgeoned into accepting their offer. ) into maintaining silence over controversial issues - including topics that could potentially offend Muslims. He said "the overwhelming majority of the Australian public have made emphatically ( [ɪmˈfætɪkli] I. very firmly and clearly. Adams emphatically denied that the conversation ever took place. II. in a very clear way that no one can argue about. Scientists proved emphatically that there was a link between smoking and cancer.) clear that the current law should be retained保留". Mr Bolt had defended a newspaper column in which he suggested that light-skinned people of Aboriginal descent had "chosen" to be Aboriginal for personal gain, ignoring their other cultural heritages. Last year, however, the government faced such strong opposition from ethnic groups and others that it dropped plans to change the Act. Community groups warned Mr Abbott against pursuing what they described as "morally repugnant(extremely unpleasant or offensive)" changes to racial discrimination laws. In a joint statement issued in March last year, representatives of Australia's indigenous community, as well as its Greek, Jewish, Chinese, Arab, Armenian and Korean communities, said the proposed amendments would "license the public humiliation of people because of their race".
Push for telcos to roll over 滚动 unused mobile data: Australian mobile phone providers should follow in the footsteps of their US counterparts and allow customers to roll their unused mobile internet data into the next month's billing, consumer groups say. Consumer groups CHOICE and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network both say the introduction of so-called "data stashing"( stash to put something in a safe or secret place, usually so that you can use it later. The police are looking for guns that have been stashed away. He kept thousands of banknotes stashed in a jar. ) and rollover services, introduced by US telcos T-Mobile and AT&T in December and January, should be introduced here. While AT&T's plan allows unused data to be carried over 带入下一个月 for only one month, T-Mobile allows the rolled-over data to be stashed for up to a year. "It would give them more value for money." Turner added that she hoped Australian telcos would develop more innovative plans" rather than the limited offerings currently available". Research by ACCAN, CHOICE and the Consumer Action Law Centre last year found more than 50 per cent of mobile phone customers with an included allowance were not using their full monthly call, text or data quota [ˈkwəutə] 配额, 配给(I. economics an amount of something that someone is officially allowed to have or do. The government is planning to introduce quotas on sugar production. The UK fishing fleet is likely to reach its annual quota after only six months. quota of: By ten o'clock she had already had her daily quota of calories. II. an amount of something that someone has to do. He was worried he might not meet his monthly sales quota. quota of: I've done my quota of the work. III. a number of votes that someone needs to get in order to be elected. He was just 15 votes short of the quota. IV. informal an amount of something that you expect. We've had our usual quota of wet days this summer.). "This amounts to 等同于 the telcos getting a big free kick 任意球( in football, an occasion when a player is allowed to kick the ball without any opposition, because a player from the other team has broken a rule. ) from consumers, who are paying for included value that never gets used," ACCAN's spokesman said of the research. "With mobile data consumption likely to rise, allowing for unused data to be rolled over would benefit many. "It would be particularly useful for consumers who spend extended periods of time 很长一段时间 overseas as they could accumulate the data they are paying for and use it when they return to Australia." Optus would also not be drawn into whether it would consider rolling over customer data. "We constantly listen to feedback from our customers and are always open to making our plans even better," a spokeswoman said. Despite some suggestions in the US that rollover plans would make it a little harder to compare plans, Hanlon said this wouldn't be the case. "I can't imagine that incorporating rollover data into plans would make them much more complex to compare — they are mindbogglingly complex as it stands," he said. "More than anything, I think it would be a show of good faith显示诚意 on the part of any telco who adds rollover data to existing plans this year, a way of saying that they understand that mobile data is expensive and that they are giving us every opportunity to use the data that we are already paying for." Foad Fadaghi, a telco analyst at Telsyte, said market conditions in the US were driving aggressive behaviour that resulted in the introduction of rollover services there. Similar moves could happen here this year, he said. "I think in Australia we could see more of that if competition kind of heats up竞争白热化, 竞争加剧 over the next 12 months," Fadaghi said. "However, what the carriers are doing is they are looking at larger data packs or looking at bonus packs for people signing on to try and sort of attract people." Fadaghi added that Telsyte research showed customers were getting better at understanding their data usage because of the apps being introduced by the telcos to help them keep track. This was leading to customers being more liberal with their usage(liberal I. accepting different opinions and ways of behaving and tending to be sympathetic to other people. Their views on marriage and divorce are very liberal. believing in social or political change if most people want it. liberal politicians. used about societies, institutions etc that allow people a lot of personal freedom. We live in a liberal democracy. The government has promised more liberal economic policies if it is elected. II. 充足的. 足够的. a liberal amount is large and generous. There was a liberal supply of food and wine. a. generous with something. liberal with 大方的, 慷慨的: He was always quite liberal with his cash. III. not strict or exact. I admitted to a rather liberal interpretation of the rules.) in the latter part of 后半段 their monthly allowance, he said.
Notice of termination and redundancy pay: Redundancy pay: An employee is entitled to redundancy pay (subject to the exceptions set out below) from the employer if the employee is terminated: at the employer's initiative主动的 because they no longer require the job to be done by the employee or anyone (except where this is due to the ordinary and customary turnover of labour) or because of the insolvency or bankruptcy( insolvent a company or person that is insolvent does not have enough money to pay what they owe. ) of the employer. Based on the table below, the amount of redundancy pay equals the total amount payable to the employee for the redundancy pay period worked out at their 'base rate of pay' for ordinary hours worked. What amount of notice must be given(how much notice, minimum period of notice, the minimum notice period. What notice is required from an employee)? An employer must not terminate an employee unless they have: given the minimum period of notice (see table below) or paid the employee in lieu of notice 代替事先通知 at the full rate of pay for at least the hours the employee would have worked had the employment continued until the end of the minimum period of notice (see table below). An employee's full rate of pay (other than a pieceworker( piecework 计件制工作 Work paid for according to the number of units turned out. pieceworker 计件工作者 A worker who is paid according to the number of units of work produced.)) is the rate of pay payable to an employee, including all the following: incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates, any other separately identifiable amounts. Resignation - how much notice? When an employee resigns, they may have to give notice to their employer. The notice: starts when the employee gives notice that they want to end the employment. ends on the last day of employment. An employee's award( The minimum wages and conditions an employee is entitled to are set out in awards (also known as modern awards). Awards don't apply when a business has an enterprise agreement or other registered agreement and the employee is covered by it. Awards apply to employees depending on the industry they work in or the job that they do.), employment contract, enterprise agreement or other registered agreement sets out: how much notice (if any) they have to give when they resign, when an employer can withhold money if they don't give the minimum notice period. If you're covered by a registered agreement, check the terms of your agreement for information. What notice is required from an employee? If an employee wants to quit, they are generally required to give notice. The period of notice that an employee has to give their employer is set out in their award (and may refer to the National Employment Standard or NES) and is usually the same as required by an employer – although there is no requirement for an employee to give additional notice based on their age. If an employee fails to give the required notice, an employer may be able to withhold an equivalent 同等的 amount from the employee's final pay if this is allowed by the modern award. Can an employee withdraw their notice? Generally no, unless the employer decides that they want to keep the employee on. Hasty words can be spoken 气话, 一气之下, 意气用事 (hasty 匆匆忙忙的, 匆忙的 I. done in a hurry because you do not have much time. a hasty inspection. II. doing things in a hurry, without careful planning or thought. She shouldn't be so hasty.) in moments of high stress or emotion压力大的情况下. To avoid confusion later on it is probably better to give the employee an opportunity to consider their decision to resign, to be really sure that the employee means to resign. What period of notice is required from an employer? An employer must give an employee the right amount of notice as outlined in the appropriate modern award or under the National Employment Standards (NES). The employer can pay employees instead of requiring them to work through their notice period – so if they are entitled to 1 week's notice the employer can pay them 1 week's pay instead. The NES exclude certain employees from notice of termination entitlements, including casual employees or an employee being terminated because of serious misconduct严重犯错, 严重行为不端. Some modern awards also exclude daily hire employees. An employer is required to give an additional week's notice if the employee is over 45 years of age and has at least two years of continuous不间断的, 连续的 service. How much notice do I get if I am on a probation period? Being on a probation period will not change the amount of notice that an employee would receive on termination. The notice period is found under the National Employment Standards. The amount of notice is based on the employee's years of service with an employer. The amount of notice is capped at five weeks. Can my employer make 强制, 强迫 me take annual leave instead of working out my notice? No, your employer can either: ask you to work out your notice period, or pay you instead of giving you the required notice as per the National Employment Standards. An employer would need to pay you at least the amount that you would get if you worked during the notice period. As an example, if you were entitled to 1 weeks' notice, you would receive 1 weeks; pay instead. What would be serious misconduct? Examples of serious misconduct are:theft, fraud, assault, being drunk at work, refusing to do something that is lawful and reasonable that is a part of your job, seriously risking someone else's health or your employer's business. Does an employer have to give three warnings before sacking an employee? No, an employer does not have to give three warnings to an employee before a termination – however, it is advisable to give an employee at least one warning. An employer should always follow their termination policy regarding how many warnings are to be given. If an employee is dismissed and that employee was to claim an unfair dismissal claim against an employer – the Fair Work Commission may look at the process that has been taken to dismiss the employee – was the employee told that there was an issue regarding their performance or conduct and that a termination may occur if their performance or behaviour of the employee does not improve. I worked over the weekend/ a public holiday – should I get paid more? This will depend on the type of work that you do and whether or not you are covered by a modern award. If you are covered by a modern award or an enterprise agreement, check what the award or agreement states regarding working on the weekend or on a public holiday. Can my employer send me home without pay if it is quiet比较闲, 没有什么工作做? If you are a full-time or a part-time employee your employer cannot send you home without pay because it's quiet. If you are a casual employee, your employer can send you home as long as you have completed the minimum number of hours as defined under your award or agreement (as an example your award may state that you need to work for a minimum of three hours per engagement).
