Nelson Mandela is respected and admired across the world. And to South Africans he is a superstar. He is a hero who shocked the world by fighting for peace between races, despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist regime(政權(quán)).
Mandela who won the nation’s first all-race elections after the fall of apartheid (種族隔離) in 1994, retired 1999.
But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re white or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South
Africa’s former cricket (板球) chief.
His popularity has inspired an entire national industry. His portrait(肖像) has appeared at many places, including
on some goods. His face has appeared on a South African coin, a metropolitan area was named in his honour and
some business leaders hope to build a massive, rotating statue in his likeness --- the Statue of Freedom. It would
stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popular appeal is similar to that of John F. Kennedy with US or Winston Churchill in Britain, but few
politicians in this times have achieved his level of admiration, said Tom Lodge, head of the political science
department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
“Sometimes it isn’t completely appreciated what a skilled performer Mandela has been throughout his political
career. He’s a very, very clever man.” However, he is far from perfect.
Most articles for his birthday, which appeared in every major South African newspaper on the day, brief
mentioned that Mandela did have his shortcomings.
Then they returned to their flowing praises.
“Through the ages, the human race has had its icons (偶像) --- men and women who rose above ordinary people
to inspire their generations,” The Mail and Guardian Weekly said. “In our generation, the gods presented us Nelson
Mandela.”
1.Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because _____.
A. he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill
B. he spent 27 in prison
C. he’s a great fighter against the racialism
D. he’s the first all-race elections president
2.Which of the following statements about Mandela’s portrait is true?
A. It helps develop business.
B. It appears on the Statue of Freedom.
C. It is used to raise money for the Statue of Freedom.
D. It is similar to that of John F. Kennedy or Winston Churchill.
3.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means “________.”
A. Mandela is as great as a god
B. We are proud to live in Mandela’s time
C. Mandela lives together with us all
D. We are proud to know Mandela
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. Mandela is very skilled politician.
B. Most articles specially stressed Mandela’s shortcomings.
C. The Statue of Freedom is a present for Mandela’s birthday.
D. The article may have appeared in a newspaper on Mandela’s birthday.
