英语名人堂：埃伦·约翰逊·瑟利夫

埃伦·约翰逊-瑟利夫 (Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf) ，2006年1月16日当选利比里亚总统，成为非洲历史上首位女总统。作为一名女权主义者， 2011年10月7日，瑟利夫与活动家莱伊曼-古博薇及也门活动家塔瓦库尔-卡曼因维护妇女权益共同获得2011年度诺贝尔和平奖。

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born 1938) became President of Liberia in 2005. She was Africa's first ever elected female head of state. She has the nickname “Iron Lady” because of her iron will and determination. She also actively¹ campaigns for women’s rights. Before taking office as president, she worked for the World Bank and was vice² president of Citibank Africa.

 

Johnson Sirleaf went to the top schools in the Liberian capital Monrovia. She was a very bright and diligent³ student. Her family moved to the USA, where she got her Bachelor’s degree in accounting⁴. She had a head for figures. In 1971, she graduated from Harvard University with a Master’s in Public Administration. She was now equipped to help her poor country.

 

Ellen returned to Liberia and worked hard in several government positions and soon became Assistant Minister of Finance. In 1980, a coup⁵ forced Johnson Sirleaf into exile in Kenya. She returned home to run for the Senate in 1985. However, when she spoke⁶ out against the military regime, she was put in prison. After her release, she fled to America.

 

She returned to Liberia in 1997 to run in the presidential election. She got only 10% of the votes. She continued to play an active role in politics. She contested the 2005 elections and beat her rival, the soccer player George Weah. She wants Liberia to “become a brilliant beacon⁷, an example to Africa and the world of what love of liberty can achieve”.

1 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

4 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 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。

7 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。