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(种族), despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist government.
Mandela who won the nation’s first all-race elections in 1994, retired 1999. But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re while or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South Africa’s famous cricket (板球) athlete.
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 and some business leaders hope to build a statue(雕像) for him --- the Statue of Freedom. It would stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popularity 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.”
“Through the ages, the human race has had its icons --- 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.”
小题1:Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because ________.
A．he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill
B．he has kept in prison for 27 years
C．he’s a great fighter against the racialism
D．he’s the first all-race elections president小题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.小题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.