Zuma promises half a million jobs

Zuma promises half a million jobs 祖玛承诺50万份工作

New South African President Jacob Zuma has promised to create half a million jobs this year in his first state of the nation address.

He said fighting poverty was his priority, a week after South Africa officially announced it was facing its worst recession（衰退，不景气） in 17 years.

"We must act now to minimise the impact of this downturn（低迷时期） on those most vulnerable（易受伤害的）," he said in Cape¹ Town.

But he also told parliament the government had to spend wisely.

Mandela cheers

The BBC's Karen Allen in Cape Town says Mr Zuma, in power for less than a month, has had to perform a delicate balancing （脆弱的平衡）act to appease（安抚，缓和，平息） his unions allies, currently staging strike action, and avoid scaring off investors².

Karen Allen, BBC News, Cape Town

In vintage Zuma style, the new president sought to be all things to all people.

By delivering some of his speech in Afrikaans, he adopted an inclusive posture（姿势，态度，情形） - very different to former President Thabo Mbeki who spoke³ in English, and whose critics dubbed（复制） him "aloof（疏远的，冷淡的）" and "out of touch with the common man".

Jacob Zuma has been more vague （模糊的）than his predecessor⁴ Mbeki - who during his time as president set out clear goals, objectives and targets as part of his south African vision. Jacob Zuma may have sought to build bridges with poorer south africans - some of whom who feel neglected - but he has yet to demonstrate（示范，演示） that he is capable of facing up to the hard choices that lie ahead.

Zuma speech: Your comments

"Between now and December 2009, we plan to create about 500,000 job opportunities," he told MPs.

He promised his government would create a further four million jobs by 2014, but did not explain how.

Mr Zuma also:

• announced an annual national holiday, Mandela Day, on 18 July, prompting cheers from the audience and a wave from the watching anti-apartheid（种族隔离） icon⁵ himself

• promised to deliver "the best World Cup ever" when South Africa hosts the football tournament in June 2010

• promised to provide anti-retroviral HIV drugs for 80% of those in need by 2011, as part of efforts to halve⁶ the rate of new HIV infections within that period

• stuck by pledges to cut violent crime by between 7%-10% a year (in a country where 50 people are killed every day)

Mr Zuma, whose African National Congress Party (ANC) swept into power in April elections on the back of strong support from unions and the poor, cautioned against expectations of a quick fix to the financial slump⁷.（暴跌，意志消沉）

"The economic downturn will affect the pace at which our country is able to address the social and economic challenges it faces. But it will not alter the direction of our development," he said.

Ninety-year-old Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela was in the audience

Fifteen years after the end of apartheid, about 40% of South Africans live in poverty - more than half of that number surviving on less than one dollar a day, according to government data.

Its economy shrunk by 6.4% during the first quarter of this year and almost one in four South Africans is unemployed⁸.

Mr Zuma said a three-year 787bn rand ($98bn; £60bn) spending programme announced in this year's budget - and including funds for schools, transport, housing and sanitation⁹ - must be properly planned.

"In the face of the economic downturn, we will have to act prudently¹⁰ - no wastage, no rollovers of funds - every cent must be spent wisely and fruitfully," he said.

(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑) 

 

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

5 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

6 halve   

vt.分成两半，平分；减少到一半

参考例句：

• Let's halve the project between our two teams.让我们两个队平均分担这项工程吧。
• I'll halve expenses with you.我要跟你平均分摊费用。

7 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

8 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

9 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

10 prudently   

adv. 谨慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He prudently pursued his plan. 他谨慎地实行他那计划。
• They had prudently withdrawn as soon as the van had got fairly under way. 他们在蓬车安全上路后立即谨慎地离去了。