填空题
[A] The rise of a tycoon who is fond of America and South Africa, and who
prints English slogans on his bottles of milk and mineral water, is a snub to
Mr. Ratsiraka. The president, who has dominated politics since 1975—with a few
years' absence in the mid-1990s—steers close to France, the former colonial
power. He has been unwell, and spends much of his time having medical treatment
in Paris. His government, predictably, is accused of widespread corruption. But
he offers stability—and declares that "any other president" would usher in years
of uncertainty.
[B] Mr. Ratsiraka might indeed feel aggrieved ff he did lose power just as the economy is coming right. After a two-decade spell as a socialist, then a few years of exile, he bounced back into the presidency in 1996 to impose austere neo-liberal reforms. These are now paying off. Many people are still desperately badly off, living in villages without roads, electricity or doctors. But, according to an optimistic IMF report on December 13th, the economy may mm out to have enjoyed 6.7% growth this year and inflation is low.
[C] In a high turnout, he took nearly 80% of the votes in the capital, and well over half in other cities. Results from the less susceptible countryside are slowly coming in. They narrow the gap, but he still seems to have a chance of either beating the incumbent, Didier Ratsiraka, outrght or facing him in a run-off next year.
[D] A swelling flow of tourists comes to the island to see its rainforests, lemurs and tropical beaches. Sales of textiles to America are doing well, thanks to tariff reductions there. And. in the past few years. Asian investors have opened dozens of factories in special export zones around the capital. Mr. Ratsiraka has managed to negotiate debt relief that almost halves the amount the country spends on servicing its debts. R is thus able to spend a bit more on schools and hospitals. Incomes in the cities are clearly up. A good rice harvest this year. and the absence of cyclones, has eased hanger in the countryside.
[E] As mayor, Mr. Ravalomanana won many citizens' hearts by cleaning up the capital, and seeing to new roads and street lighting. He oversaw a building boom. the rise of a dozen' flashy new supermarkets, more policemen on the streets and a cut in crime. He is. known in the country at large, too. thanks to his Tiko food empire, which delivers yoghurt and other good things to Madagascar's emerging middle class. His face is everywhere on T-shirts. baseball caps and bags all parts of a slick campaign that was helped along by his own radio and television stations. His Christian fervour, and his job on a council of Protestant churches, have also helped him, especially among the rural poor.
[F] All this is rare good news for Africa. Might it be risked if there were a change of president? Some point to possible ethnic tension: Mr. Ravalomanana is from the highland Imerina people, who have a mix of Asian-settler and African blood, who have never before held political office over the blacker coastal communities. Others worry that he will have little support in parliament, and that his business career has not prepared him for political compromises. A bigger concern, perhaps, is that he might not seriously undertake to spread the good times enjoyed in the capital into the impoverished countryside.
[G] Excitement is in the air in Madagascar, a vast island of 15m people off the east coast of Africa. On December 16th, its voters trudged to the. polls from their homes in highland towns and remote forest villages to pick a president. Many favoured Mare Ravalomanana, a tycoon who is also the handsome young mayor of the capital Antananarivo.
Order:
[B] Mr. Ratsiraka might indeed feel aggrieved ff he did lose power just as the economy is coming right. After a two-decade spell as a socialist, then a few years of exile, he bounced back into the presidency in 1996 to impose austere neo-liberal reforms. These are now paying off. Many people are still desperately badly off, living in villages without roads, electricity or doctors. But, according to an optimistic IMF report on December 13th, the economy may mm out to have enjoyed 6.7% growth this year and inflation is low.
[C] In a high turnout, he took nearly 80% of the votes in the capital, and well over half in other cities. Results from the less susceptible countryside are slowly coming in. They narrow the gap, but he still seems to have a chance of either beating the incumbent, Didier Ratsiraka, outrght or facing him in a run-off next year.
[D] A swelling flow of tourists comes to the island to see its rainforests, lemurs and tropical beaches. Sales of textiles to America are doing well, thanks to tariff reductions there. And. in the past few years. Asian investors have opened dozens of factories in special export zones around the capital. Mr. Ratsiraka has managed to negotiate debt relief that almost halves the amount the country spends on servicing its debts. R is thus able to spend a bit more on schools and hospitals. Incomes in the cities are clearly up. A good rice harvest this year. and the absence of cyclones, has eased hanger in the countryside.
[E] As mayor, Mr. Ravalomanana won many citizens' hearts by cleaning up the capital, and seeing to new roads and street lighting. He oversaw a building boom. the rise of a dozen' flashy new supermarkets, more policemen on the streets and a cut in crime. He is. known in the country at large, too. thanks to his Tiko food empire, which delivers yoghurt and other good things to Madagascar's emerging middle class. His face is everywhere on T-shirts. baseball caps and bags all parts of a slick campaign that was helped along by his own radio and television stations. His Christian fervour, and his job on a council of Protestant churches, have also helped him, especially among the rural poor.
[F] All this is rare good news for Africa. Might it be risked if there were a change of president? Some point to possible ethnic tension: Mr. Ravalomanana is from the highland Imerina people, who have a mix of Asian-settler and African blood, who have never before held political office over the blacker coastal communities. Others worry that he will have little support in parliament, and that his business career has not prepared him for political compromises. A bigger concern, perhaps, is that he might not seriously undertake to spread the good times enjoyed in the capital into the impoverished countryside.
[G] Excitement is in the air in Madagascar, a vast island of 15m people off the east coast of Africa. On December 16th, its voters trudged to the. polls from their homes in highland towns and remote forest villages to pick a president. Many favoured Mare Ravalomanana, a tycoon who is also the handsome young mayor of the capital Antananarivo.
Order: