Investigation into Parramatta Council

調查 Parramatta 市議會


Introduction

A group called ICAC is checking the Parramatta Council. They want to know if Gail Connolly and other leaders did bad things at work.

一個名為 ICAC 的組織正在調查 Parramatta 市議會。他們想確認 Gail Connolly 及其他領導者是否在工作中存在違規行為。

Main Body

Some leaders helped their friends get jobs. They changed papers and gave secret interview questions to their friends.

部分領導者協助其友人獲聘。他們竄改文件,並將秘密的面試題目提供給友人。

Leaders also spied on staff and a council member. They used computers to watch people who did not agree with them. Staff felt scared at work.

領導者還監視員工及一名議會成員。他們利用電腦監控與其意見不合的人。員工在工作環境中感到恐懼。

Finally, the leaders used public money in a wrong way. They fired some workers and gave a lot of money to others to leave the job.

最後,領導者以不當方式使用公款。他們解雇了部分員工,並支付大筆款項要求其他人離職。

Conclusion

The investigation is not finished. John Hatzistergos will decide if the leaders broke the law.

調查尚未完成。John Hatzistergos 將決定這些領導者是否違法。

Vocabulary Learning

🛠️ Action Words (Past Tense)

In this story, everything already happened. To talk about the past, we usually add -ed to the end of the word.

The Pattern:

  • Check → Checked
  • Help → Helped
  • Change → Changed
  • Spy → Spied
  • Fire → Fired

💡 Word Pairs for A2

Learn these 'Good vs. Bad' opposites from the text to build your vocabulary:

  • Public money (Money for everyone) \rightarrow Wrong way (Bad use of money)
  • Secret (Hidden) \rightarrow Investigation (Finding the truth)
  • Friends (People you like) \rightarrow Scared (How the staff felt)

📝 Simple Sentence Build

Notice how the text describes people doing things: [Person] + [Action] + [Who/What]

  • Leaders \rightarrow helped \rightarrow their friends.
  • ICAC \rightarrow is checking \rightarrow the Council.

Vocabulary Learning

investigation (n.)
Looking carefully at something to find the truth.
Example:The police started an investigation to find the thief.
council (n.)
A group of people who manage a city or town.
Example:The city council decided to build a new park.
secret (adj.)
Something that is hidden from other people.
Example:She told me a secret about her new job.
spied (v.)
Watched someone secretly to get information.
Example:The man spied on his neighbor through the window.
public money (n.)
Money that belongs to the government and the people.
Example:The government uses public money to fix roads.
fired (v.)
Told someone they must leave their job.
Example:The boss fired him because he was always late.
Practice A2 words in a crossword