Rio Mayor Plans to Reduce Samba School Funding

 

Carnival¹ is one of the most popular celebrations in South America’s biggest country, Brazil.

And nowhere is the six-day celebration bigger than in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

People across the city fill the streets with singing and dancing in the days before the Catholic² religious observance of Lent. The festival includes parades and contests between the city’s top samba schools, known as the Special Group.

But the Rio Times newspaper reports that the mayor³ may reduce the amount of money given to the city’s top samba schools by one half for the 2018 festival.

Rio mayor Marcelo Crivella says the money would be used for the city’s childcare centers.

City officials say the samba schools of the Special Group received about $8 million for the Carnival parades in 2017. Now, officials want to reduce that amount to about $4 million for 2018.

Crivella said that people living in the city must decide whether they would rather use their resources for, in his words, “a three-day party or 365 days a year.”

Jorge Luiz Castanheira is the president of The Independent League of Samba Schools, or LIESA. He said that Crivella promised to invest⁴ more money in Carnival, not less, during his campaign for mayor.

He added that Rio’s economy depends on Carnival for tourism. He argued that hotels, restaurants and other economic activities create hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue⁵ for the city.

LIESA wrote a more detailed⁶ response to the mayor’s announcement on their website.

Crivella became mayor of Rio de Janeiro in January. He is a member of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. That religious group does not approve of Carnival.

The mayor was criticized⁷ for not giving the key to the city to King Momo during this year’s Carnival. King Momo is the traditional figure of Carnival whose appearance represents the beginning of the celebration.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

festival –n. a special cultural event marked by celebrations and gatherings⁸

revenue – n. money that is collected for public use by a government through taxes

tourism – n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment, etc., for people who are traveling

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

3 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

4 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

5 revenue   

n.总收入，财政收入，税收；税务局

参考例句：

• The country diminished the revenue by reducing tax.这个国家通过减税而使税收减少了。
• A government's revenue and expenditure should be balanced.政府的财政收入和支出要平衡。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

8 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。