VOA标准英语2010年-Founder of Russia's Gazprom Dies

Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, the founder¹ of the world's largest gas company Gazprom, has passed away at the age of 72. No cause of death has been released.
Viktor Chernomyrdin was the longest serving prime minister in post-Soviet² Russia. Analysts³ say he helped guide the country through much of the chaos⁴ that occurred after the collapse⁵ of the Soviet Union.
Mr. Chernomyrdin was seen as a loyal advocate to then-president Boris Yeltsin during the difficult economic and political times of the 1990s. He negotiated with Chechen rebels and even stepped in to take the reigns⁶ of the presidency⁷ when Yeltsin underwent heart surgery in 1996. The temporary role gave him the control over the codes that could start a nuclear war.
The former mechanic also created Gazprom, the world's largest gas company, which holds about 17 percent of the planet's natural gas reserves. The state-controlled company is seen as the Kremlin's biggest bargaining chip on the world's economic market.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed Mr. Chernomyrdin's passing. Mr. Putin said that not only was Mr. Chernomyrdin a man who was very clever, but had a good sense of humor and was a good human being. Mr. Putin added that the former prime minister was a man who did a lot for Russia's economy and foreign policy. He also expressed his condolences to the Chernomyrdin family.
Most Russians remember Mr. Chernomyrdin for his tongue-in-cheek expressions during some of Russia's toughest economic times, such as, "Better than Vodka, there is nothing worse."? Many of his idioms were adopted into popular Russian lexicon⁸. Born in a Siberian village, Mr. Chernomyrdin rose through the ranks to become head of the Soviet oil and gas ministry⁹ in 1985 and then transformed the ministry into a state gas company, Gazprom , following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 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。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 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。

6 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。