VOA常速英语2008年-Fidel Castro is Longest Serving Leader in Weste

By Brian Wagner
Miami
19 February 2008

 Fidel Castro has retired¹ as Cuba's president, ending his 49-year rule of the Caribbean nation.  After taking power in a coup² in 1959, Mr. Castro built a Communist government that survived a U.S.-backed invasion, a Cold War-era missile crisis and more than 40 years of economic sanctions by Washington. VOA's Brian Wagner reports some people see him as a revolutionary hero, and by others as a cruel dictator.

Born on a sugar plantation³ in eastern Cuba on August 13, 1926, Fidel Castro Ruz was the son of a Spanish immigrant landholder and a household servant.  After attending Jesuit schools, he graduated from the University of Havana with a law degree and became active in politics. Mr. Castro quickly gained attention through his rousing speeches.   He emerged as a key leader in the growing movement against dictator Fulgencio Batista.

In the early 1950's, Mr. Castro and his brother, Raul, began organizing a militant⁴ group to oppose the Batista government. The group launched the failed take-over of a military base in 1953, and Mr. Castro was captured, tried and sentenced to prison. Two years later, the Cuban government issued an amnesty, freeing him and many others. The young revolutionary fled to Mexico where he met Argentine Marxist, Ernesto Che Guevara, and plotted a new attack on the Cuban government.

Victory over Batista's forces finally came in January, 1959, and his triumphant⁵ guerrillas marched into Havana.  Many of the fighters were bearded and wearing green fatigues⁶ - a style that would come to define Mr. Castro's appearance.

Many Cubans welcomed the fall of the Batista government.  And, Mr. Castro promised the new government would strive to serve the island's people.

"What I have said is that I have no ambition at all.  I feel myself sincerely, I don't have ambition for power, money, nothing, only to serve my country," Castro said.

But concern spread when his government began organizing collective farms and nationalizing banks and industries, including more than $1 billion worth of American-owned property.  Political liberties were suspended and government critics jailed.  Frank Calzon, a Cuban pro-democracy activist⁷, says many of Mr. Castro's one-time supporters became disillusioned⁸ and fled the island.

"He is a man who made a lot of promises to the Cuban people," Calzon said.  "Cubans were going to have freedom.  They were going to have honest government.  They were going to have a return to the constitution.  Instead, what he gave them was a Stalinist type of government."

Mr. Castro also fostered a close alliance with the Soviet⁹ Union -- a move that alienated¹⁰ the United States.  Washington imposed a trade embargo¹¹ against Cuba in 1960 and broke off diplomatic relations some months later. 

In April of that year, the United States armed and directed a poorly planned invasion by Cuban exiles, which was easily defeated at the Bay of Pigs.  One year later, Cuba was at the center of a confrontation¹³ between Washington and Moscow over the placement of  Soviet nuclear missiles on the island.  A nuclear war was narrowly averted¹⁴.

With Soviet help, Mr. Castro lent military troops and political backing to help spread Communism in Africa and Latin America. Former U.S. diplomat¹² and Cuba expert Wayne Smith says Mr. Castro's actions turned Cuba into an international player.

"I think he will be remembered as the leader who put Cuba on the world map.  Before Castro, Cuba was considered something of a banana republic.  It did not count for anything in world politics.  Castro certainly changed all that and, suddenly, Cuba was playing a major role on the world stage, in Africa as an ally of the Soviet Union, in Asia, and certainly in Latin America," Smith said.

At the same time, Mr. Castro imposed social reforms that produced high literacy rates and low mortality rates, rivaling those in many developed nations. These programs succeeded, in large part, because of financial support from Moscow, totaling $6 billion a year in the early 1990's.

After the collapse¹⁵ of the Soviet Union, in the early 1990's, and the end of subsidies¹⁶, Cuba faced a serious financial crisis.  The government was forced to enact¹⁷ some reforms, such as legalizing the use of the U.S. dollar.  But Mr. Castro resisted further changes to his Communist system and often blamed the U.S. trade embargo for the nation's economic problems.  At the 2006 anniversary of his military take-over, Mr. Castro vowed¹⁸ to keep fighting what he called American imperialism¹⁹.

"I will fight my whole life, until the last moment, he said, to do something good, something useful. He said we have all learned to improve ourselves each year, all of us revolutionaries,"  he said.

In his later years, Mr. Castro became the role model to a new generation of leftist leaders in Latin America.  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez built an alliance with the Cuban leader and offered economic assistance to help bolster²⁰ the government in Havana. Mr. Chavez also made several trips to visit the ailing²¹ leader, after Mr. Castro underwent stomach surgery in 2006.

Because of the operation, Mr. Castro handed power to his brother, Raul and has disappeared from the public scene, ever since.  Still, Cuba expert Wayne Smith says his influence in the region will endure.

"He survived for almost 50 years, through great cataclysmic changes in the world:  the collapse of his principal supporter and patron, the Soviet Union....Survived all that, came through it, and, at the end of his days, was playing a role in Latin America, probably a more significant role than he had played in years and years. Incredible," said Smith.

Few world leaders have served as long as Mr. Castro. But like other revolutionary leaders, his memory is sure to generate conflict for years to come, says Thomas Paterson of the University of Connecticut.

"I think he will be remembered much as Mao Tse Tung is remembered in China as one who overthrew²² a corrupt²³, dictatorial²⁴ system, who embodied²⁵ the identity of his nation, who pushed out foreigners," Paterson said.  "At the same time, as is the case of the Chinese critique of Mao today, there will be a criticism of him as authoritarian²⁶, repressive and having imposed incredible sacrifices on the Cuban people."
 
Tyrant²⁷ or revolutionary hero, Fidel Castro remains²⁸ at the center of the world's media spotlight²⁹ - an object of fascination³⁰ for some and repudiation³¹ for others.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 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。

3 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

6 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

9 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。

10 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

12 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

13 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

14 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

15 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。

16 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

18 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

19 imperialism   

n.帝国主义，帝国主义政策

参考例句：

• They held the imperialism in contempt.他们鄙视帝国主义。
• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。

20 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

21 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

22 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

23 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

24 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

25 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

27 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。

28 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

29 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

30 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

31 repudiation   

n.拒绝；否认；断绝关系；抛弃

参考例句：

• Datas non-repudiation is very important in the secure communication. 在安全数据的通讯中，数据发送和接收的非否认十分重要。 来自互联网
• There are some goals of Certified E-mail Protocol: confidentiality non-repudiation and fairness. 挂号电子邮件协议需要具备保密性、不可否认性及公平性。 来自互联网