VOA慢速英语--默克尔结束16年执政，奥拉夫·斯科尔斯接任德国总理

Olaf Scholz Becomes German Chancellor¹ After Merkel’s 16-year Rule

Olaf Scholz was sworn in Wednesday as Germany's new chancellor, ending 16 years of rule by Angela Merkel.

Scholz is a member of the country's Social Democratic Party, or SPD. The 63-year-old had served as Germany's vice² chancellor and finance minister since 2018.

Lawmakers in Germany's lower house of parliament supported Scholz with a clear majority. He is the country's ninth chancellor since World War Two.

Scholz has promised to use his office to help modernize³ Germany and fight climate change. But his government faces the immediate⁴ problem of dealing⁵ with the country's most difficult period of the COVID-19 crisis.

After being sworn in, Scholz met later with Merkel, who officially handed over the chancellor's office. Merkel wished Scholz a "steady hand" as the country's new leader.

In a short speech, Scholz praised Merkel as a great leader and thanked her for a close and trustful relationship over the years.

"I would like to build on the north-east German mentality⁶, if I may say so..." Scholz said. The comment pointed⁷ to Scholz and Merkel's shared northern roots in the port city of Hamburg. He added that "not much will change on that front."

Scholz has positioned himself as Merkel's natural successor. He will seek to lead Germany through a set of problems including rising aggressiveness from Russia and China.

Scholz will lead a three-way ruling coalition⁸. It includes the environmentalist Green party and the financially conservative Free Democrats⁹, or FDP.

Scholz is an expert negotiator and experienced politician. As the SPD's leader from 2002 until 2004, he defended highly-debated labor¹⁰ market reforms and social welfare cuts under former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Later, as labor minister, he sought policies that helped protect millions of German workers from the effects of the world economic crisis that hit in 2008.

Scholz served as the mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018. After that, he returned to Berlin to serve as Merkel's finance minister. In that position, he helped end the government's balanced budget goal and permitted record new borrowing. The action helped protect companies and workers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the European level, he worked closely with France and persuaded Merkel to support a debt-financed European Recovery Fund worth $900 billion. That program assisted EU member states hit hardest by COVID-19.

The 67-year-old Merkel has said she does not plan to seek another political position. When asked earlier this year about her post-chancellor life, she said she planned to take time to read and sleep. "And then let's see where I show up," she added.

Words in This Story

steady – adj. happening at a continual, regular rate

mentality – n. a person's opinions of way of thinking

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

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 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。