2006年VOA标准英语-Questions Surround Cuba's Raul Castro

By Michael Bowman
Washington
02 August 2006
 
In Cuba, Vice¹ President Raul Castro has maintained a low profile since assuming executive authority while his older brother, Fidel, recovers from intestinal² surgery. Cuban officials insist the transfer of power is only temporary, but many Cuba-watchers see the exercise as a dress rehearsal³ for the eventual⁴ permanent passing of the reins⁵ to Raul Castro, Fidel's designated successor.  Just how Raul Castro would lead, and where he would take the country is an open question.

----------

  
Raul Castro attends a rally in Havana, Cuba in this Jan. 24, 2000 file photo  
  
For decades, Raul Castro has lived in the shadows of the charismatic Fidel.  The two brothers have been virtually inseparable since childhood.  They plotted together in a failed coup⁶ attempt in 1953, after which they both went to prison. They departed for Mexico on their release, and later fought together in Cuba's 1959 communist takeover. Commonly viewed as Fidel's right-hand man, Raul has served in a variety of high-ranking government posts, including vice president and defense⁷ minister.

Raul, 75, is now the focus of attention, yet shows no eagerness to step into the limelight during the temporary transfer of power.

A former chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Wayne Smith now heads the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington.  Smith, who continues to visit the island as a researcher and has met both Fidel and Raul on numerous occasions, says the brothers are very different people.

"Raul has always been thought of as a rather dour⁸, not terribly imaginative, not charismatic like his brother, which is true enough," said Mr. Smith.  "But Raul Castro does have a sense of humor. He is pragmatic, and, as a matter of fact, I think Raul will be much more open to a relationship with the United States, and an opening to the rest of the world than was his brother."

Cuba-watchers note that Raul Castro has carried out some of Fidel's harshest orders, including crackdowns on dissidents on the island. Yet it was Raul who successfully argued for limited economic liberalization in the 1990s after the collapse¹⁰ of the Soviet¹¹ Union, famously noting at the time that "beans are more important than bullets." More recently, when asked what will transpire¹² after his brother's death, Raul replied that Cuba will see a transition to a better form of socialism and a more democratic society. He did not elaborate.

At the Center for a Free Cuba in Washington, executive director Frank Calzon sees Raul Castro as a pale shadow of his older brother, and predicts his rule of the island will be brief.

"Whatever one might say about Fidel, Raul is not up to [does not possess] the evil genius qualities that his brother has. It is very unlikely that General Castro will be able, for any length of time, to keep control of Cuba," he explained.

Calzon notes that other, younger members of Cuba's communist hierarchy¹³ likely harbor ambitions of leadership. Some Cuba-watchers say a newly-inaugurated Raul Castro may be tempted¹⁴, at least initially¹⁵, to rule with an iron fist to demonstrate his authority and intimidate¹⁶ potential rivals.

But just what will happen is open to debate. In fact, given that Fidel Castro is only four years Raul's senior, should he recover fully⁹ from his current ailment¹⁷, there is the possibility that the president could outlive his brother.

In Washington, the Bush administration is taking a wait-and-see approach, especially during the current temporary transfer of power in Havana. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"The fact of the matter is, this is a pretty closed decision-making circle," he said.  "And it is very opaque¹⁸ as to what is actually going on."

McCormack adds, however, that the United States stands willing to aid Cuba in a transition to democracy if and when the people demonstrate their desire for change.

1 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。

2 intestinal   

adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌

参考例句：

• A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
• This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句

3 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

6 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。

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。

8 dour   

adj.冷酷的，严厉的；（岩石）嶙峋的；顽强不屈

参考例句：

• They were exposed to dour resistance.他们遭受到顽强的抵抗。
• She always pretends to be dour,in fact,she's not.她总表现的不爱讲话，事实却相反。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

12 transpire   

v.(使)蒸发，(使)排出 ；泄露，公开

参考例句：

• We do not know what may transpire when we have a new boss.当新老板来后，我们不知会有什么发生。
• When lack of water,commonly plants would transpire as a way for cool.在缺乏水分时，植物一般用蒸发作为降温的手段。

13 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

14 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

15 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

16 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

17 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

18 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。