Korean-Born University President Picked as World Bank Chief

 　　President Barack Obama has nominated Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank.

　　Making the announcement Friday in the White House Rose Garden, President Obama said the World Bank is much more than just a bank.

　　He called the institution "one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce poverty," and explained his choice of a non-economist to lead it.

　　"It is time for a development professional to lead the world’s largest development agency," he said, adding that Kim has worked for years to fight poverty and promote development -- the main missions of the 187-nation World Bank, which helps finance infrastructure¹ projects like roads and dams.

　　“Jim has spent more than two decades working to improve conditions in developing countries around the world," said Obama. "As a physician and an anthropologist², he co-founded Partners in Health, and led a World Health Organization to treat three million patients with HIV/AIDS."

　　Kim is the first Asian-American to lead one of the United States' eight prestigious³ Ivy⁴ League universities. He holds degrees from Ivy League members Brown and Harvard.

　　He was born in South Korea in 1959, and his family moved to the United States when he was five years old.

　　If confirmed by the World Bank board, Kim will succeed Robert Zoellick, who has led the bank for almost five years.

　　The institution has always been led by an American, although developing countries have expressed interest in replacing Zoellick with a candidate from outside the United States.

　　Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has declared her candidacy for the World Bank presidency⁵, and former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo has been mentioned as a possible candidate.

　　In recent years there has been a push to have the World Bank chief and the head of the International Monetary⁶ Fund come from a developing economy, which have grown in financial power. Traditionally, a European leads the IMF, and an American the World Bank.

　　Obama made the announcement before leaving late Friday for the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

3 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

4 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。