南非前总统曼德拉逝世

　　JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Former South African president Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95 Thursday, President Jacob Zuma announced in a televised speech to the nation.

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　　"Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed," Zuma said.

　　The president said that Mandela passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20:50 p.m. local time (1850 GMT) on Dec. 5.

　　"He is now resting. He is now at peace," Zuma said, "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father."

　　"Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss," he said, "His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. "

　　"His humility¹, his compassion², and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude³."

　　Zuma said "This is the moment of our deepest sorrow. Our nation has lost its greatest son," adding "Yet, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely⁴ what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves."

　　"As we gather to pay our last respects, let us conduct ourselves with the dignity and respect that Madiba personified," he said.

　　Zuma said that as people gather, wherever they are in the country and wherever they are in the world, they should recall the values for which Mandela fought.

　　"Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another," he said.

　　He also urged South Africans to commit themselves to strive together - sparing neither strength nor courage - to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.

　　Zuma also announced a state funeral for Mandela and ordered all national flags to be lowered to half-mast starting Dec. 6 until after the funeral.

　　Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, had battled health problems in recent months, including a recurring⁵ lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.

　　Mandela was released from hospital in early September following an 85-day stay for a recurring lung infection, the result of his longtime imprisonment⁶ during the apartheid times.

1 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

2 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

3 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

4 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

5 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

6 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。