委内瑞拉总统查韦斯去世 结束14年执政

 　　Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer, ending 14 years of tumultuous rule that made the socialist¹ leader a hero for the poor but a hate figure to his opponents.

　　本周二，委内瑞拉总统乌戈·查韦斯在经历两年与癌症的抗争后，于当日下午逝世，结束了对对委内瑞拉14年的执政。这位著名的社会主义领导人，是委内瑞拉贫苦人民的英雄，但也是反对派憎恨的对象。

　　The flamboyant² 58-year-old had undergone four operations in Cuba for a cancer that was first detected in his pelvic region in mid-2011. His last surgery was on December 11 and he had not been seen in public since.

　　查韦斯终年58岁，2011年年中，他因为骨盆区发现癌细胞而患上癌症，在古巴接受了四次手术。最后一次手术是在去年的12月11日，自此他再未出现在公众面前。

　　"We have just received the most tragic³ and awful information. At 4.25 p.m. today March the 5th, President Hugo Chavez Frias died," Vice⁴ President Nicolas Maduro announced in a televised address, his voice choking.

　　古巴副总统马杜罗在电视讲话中宣布了这一消息：“我们刚收到了最让我们悲痛的消息，就在3月5日今天下午的4点25分，我们的总统查韦斯逝世。” 马杜罗几度哽咽。

　　Chavez easily won a new six-year term at an election in October and his death will devastate⁵ millions of supporters who adored his charismatic style, anti-U.S. rhetoric⁶ and oil-financed policies that brought subsidized food and free health clinics to long-neglected slums.

　　查韦斯在去年10月的总统大选中轻松连任，开始了新的六年任期。他的死讯也让数不清的支持者难过不已，他的个人魅力和反美激情深受委内瑞拉人民喜爱，而他主导的石油金融政策也为国内长期被忽视的贫民们带来了食品补贴和免费医疗等多项福利。

　　Chavez's death opens the way for a new election that will test whether his socialist "revolution" can live on without his dominant⁷ personality at the helm.

　　查韦斯的逝世意味着委内瑞拉将重新选举，而他的社会主义“革命”也将受到考验，在没有了关键人物掌舵，这些政策是否还会持续下去？

1 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

2 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 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。

5 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。