VOA常速英语2008年-Mugabe Approves Pay Hike to Zimbabwe's Civil Se

By Peta Thornycroft
12 March 2008

President Robert Mugabe says he has given teachers and other government workers large pay raises before national elections on March 29. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA that the army has its pay boosted by at least 400 percent last month.

Mr. Mugabe made his announcement the Lupane area in northwestern Zimbabwe, in what is now an opposition¹ stronghold.

It was around Lupane, that some of the worst excesses of Mr. Mugabe's army took place in the early 1980's when thousands of opposition supporters were killed by the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade.

Mr. Mugabe, now 84-years-old, is on the campaign trail to be re-elected for a another five year term. He has ruled Zimbabwe since independence 28 years ago.

All teachers and most state medical staff are on strike throughout Zimbabwe over poor pay. The salaries of civil servants have been eaten away by more than 100,000 percent inflation.

At a rally Tuesday, Mr. Mugabe said he had signed an order for large increases for all civil servants. He did not disclose what the increases were. He criticized teachers who were on strike, saying their action was "undignified."

Teachers earn the same as the lowest paid soldiers in the Zimbabwe National Army.

When the army was given its pay raise last month, salaries for the lowest paid soldiers went from $300 million (Zimbabwe dollars) to 1.5 billion dollars. But one soldier who spoke² on the condition of anonymity³ said that increase has already been eaten up by inflation and the depreciation⁴ of the Zimbabwe dollar.

Last week, Mr. Mugabe handed out millions of dollars worth of tractors and other agricultural equipment to rural supporters.

Many of those supporters have been given chunks⁵ of farm land that used to belong to the white commercial farming sector⁶. Zimbabwe's economy, which depended on agricultural exports, began collapsing⁷ as white farmers were kicked off their land in a Mugabe government reform program.

Mr. Mugabe also signed a new law, which came into effect this week, that requires black Zimbabweans to own 51 percent of all foreign-owned and new companies in Zimbabwe.

This week it took at least $25 million Zimbabwe dollars to buy a U.S. dollar on the black market, which is the only place foreign currency is available. Mr. Mugabe blames inflation and the economic crisis on western countries that he says are determined⁸ to bring about regime change in the country.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

4 depreciation   

n.价值低落，贬值，蔑视，贬低

参考例句：

• She can't bear the depreciation of the enemy.她受不了敌人的蹂躏。
• They wrote off 500 for depreciation of machinery.他们注销了500镑作为机器折旧费。

5 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。