AS IT IS 2016-03-05 Ramon Castro, Brother of Cuban Revolutionaries, Dies at 91

AS IT IS 2016-03-05 Ramon Castro, Brother of Cuban Revolutionaries, Dies at 91

Ramon Castro, a Cuban rancher and the older brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro, died last week in Havana at age 91.

The New York Times said his death was announced in a brief report by the Communist Party’s official newspaper, Granma.

Ramon Castro and his famous younger brothers, Fidel and Raul, grew up on a farm in the village of Biran in eastern Cuba. They attended Roman Catholic schools. Ramon was born on Oct. 14, 1924.

“Once grown, Fidel and Raul headed off to Havana for studies, then the business of launching a revolution against dictator Fulgencio Batista, who seized power in a 1952 coup¹,” reported The Washington Post.

Ramon studied agricultural engineering at the University of Havana. He and his brothers were jailed by the former government of dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1953.      

After the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel rose to power. Granma said Ramon Castro “aided his brothers’ efforts as their revolution progressed,” according to The New York Times.

After his brother Fidel took power, Ramon often worked as a consultant² for the government ministries³ of agriculture and sugar. In the early 1960s, he oversaw⁴ sugar production in eastern Cuba and helped increase output. 

He preferred to stay on the family farm in Biran, a rural town in eastern Cuba. His parents, Angel Castro and Lina Ruiz, had large family land holdings there, reported Reuters. 

Ramon Castro was two years older than his brother Fidel and looked a great deal like his famous brother. Ramon founded several state companies, including ones that transported sugar cane⁵ and produced oranges. He also was involved in agricultural research, according to the Washington Post. 

Ramon was married to Aurora⁶ Castillo and had five children. 

Raul Castro, 84, replaced Fidel, 89, as Cuba’s President in February 2008. Fidel resigned because of illness. Raul was his defense⁷ chief and chosen successor. He has led the Cuban government since then, and said he would step down in 2018.

Words in This Story

revolution – n. the usually violent attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one

coup – n.  from the French phrase coup d’etat, meaning a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence

sugar cane – noun  a tall grass that is grown in warm places as a source of sugar

successor – n. a person who has a job, position, or title after someone else

1 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。

2 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

5 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

6 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。