美国国家公共电台 NPR Former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Dies At Age 90

Former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Dies At Age 90

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Fidel Castro has died in Havana at the age of 90. Out of power but still a powerful figure, he came to power in Cuba in 1959 and led his country for nearly 50 years. NPR's Tom Gjelten looks back at Fidel Castro's life.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE²: Fidel Castro is one of the most inspiring leaders of the 20th century. He was loved and hated passionately³. Many who later lost faith in him can remember how they once admired the man who needed just a dozen men to launch the Cuban revolution. Domingo Amuchastegui was a diplomat⁴ in Castro's government until he fled Cuba in 1994.

DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI: He was not a corrupt⁵ politician as in the past we used to have. He was a very promising⁶, courageous⁷, dedicated⁸, intelligent kind of people - an excellent fighter, man willing to risk his life for his ideas.

GJELTEN: Fidel Castro got involved in revolutionary politics while still a teenager. In his 20s, as a young lawyer, he began organizing a movement to overthrow⁹ Fulgencio Batista, Cuba's military dictator. By the time Batista fled the country on January 1, 1959, the charismatic 32-year-old rebel Fidel had much of the country behind him, rich and poor alike. On a visit to Washington in April 1959, Castro presented himself as a political moderate. A highlight of his trip was a guest appearance on NBC Television's "Meet The Press."

(SOUNDBITE OF "MEET THE PRESS")

LAWRENCE SPIVAK: Our guest is the prime minister of Cuba, Dr. Fidel Castro.

GJELTEN: Under questioning that day from panelist Lawrence Spivak, Castro reassured¹⁰ all those who feared he might be a communist, and he made a promise he would never fulfill¹¹.

PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO: Democracy's my idea. I do not agree with communists, my acts prove. Free press in Cuba - free ideas, freedom religion belief. What we want is to get, as soon as possible, the condition for free election.

SPIVAK: How long will that take?

CASTRO: Not in any condition more than four years.

GJELTEN: In fact, that 1959 trip would be the only one Castro ever made to Washington. Like many Cuban nationalists, Fidel Castro did not like the United States, which had dominated Cuba ever since the country gained its independence from Spain.

Once in power, Castro expropriated U.S. property in Cuba and took an increasingly hostile attitude towards the United States. Within four months of his trip to Washington, the Eisenhower administration had drawn¹² up a plan to overthrow Castro. He had declared allegiance, instead, to Cuba's poor. They saw their rents reduced and their utility bills cut, and they benefited from the construction of new schools and hospitals around the country.

ALFREDO DURAN: A lot of people who had been left out for many years took advantage of that to say, now is our time under the sun.

GJELTEN: Alfredo Duran was a college student from a prosperous Havana family.

DURAN: Unfortunately, it turned out bad. It turned out that this guy was - had such an ego¹³, that - and wanted so much power and wanted to be an international figure that he embraced the communism and the Soviet¹⁴ Union.

GJELTEN: Duran was among several hundred thousand Cubans who fled to Miami. He later fought in the U.S.-supported Bay of Pigs rebellion, the first of many efforts by Cuban exiles and their U.S. government backers to remove Castro from power.

Historians debate to this day whether Fidel Castro was a communist from the time he took power or only became one after he was spurned¹⁵ by the United States. What is not disputed is that he was always an autocrat¹⁶ moving ruthlessly against anyone who dared oppose him. More than 400 of his political enemies were executed by firing squad¹⁷ in his first 90 days in power.

As Cuba's leader, Castro answered to no one and allowed no challenge to his authority. Domingo Amuchastegui, who was with him often while serving in the Cuban foreign ministry¹⁸, says Castro sought advice when making a decision but in the end did things his own way.

AMUCHASTEGUI: Once he became convinced of any of these projects, despite whatever evidence, despite whatever arguments against that project, he stood by his convictions, and he would go on and on regardless of everything and everyone.

GJELTEN: Some of Castro's biographers think his stubbornness came from the years he spent in strict Catholic boarding schools. He was a born rebel. Unlike his brother Raul, Fidel was never close to his family - not to his parents, not to his wives, not to his children. He did not hesitate to order the arrest of former friends and associates if he thought they were conspiring¹⁹ against him. He set up an immense security apparatus²⁰ to keep him in power.

And yet, Castro was not interested in personal enrichment. His supporters say he deployed²¹ his enormous authority on behalf of health, education and welfare programs that brought Cuba attention around the world. Near the peak of his international popularity, in October 1979, Castro addressed the U.N. General Assembly on behalf of the countries in the Non-Aligned Movement. Castro told the delegates that if they were to talk about human rights, they should talk also about the rights of humanity.

CASTRO: (Through interpreter) Why do some people have to go barefoot so that others can drive luxury cars? Why are some people able to live only 35 years in order that others can live 70 years? Why do some people have to be miserably²² poor in order that others can be extravagantly²³ rich? I speak for all the children in the world who don't even have a piece of bread.

(APPLAUSE)

GJELTEN: But interest in Fidel Castro's Cuban model declined once the flaws of his centrally planned, socialist²⁴ system became obvious. The collapse²⁵ of the Soviet bloc²⁶ ended the massive subsidies²⁷ that had kept the Cuban economy afloat. The once-vaunted education and health care systems fell into disrepair. Fidel Castro's stubbornness, meanwhile, made political and economic change difficult in Cuba. As his country crumbled²⁸ around him, Castro's stature²⁹ diminished abroad and at home. He ceded³⁰ power to his brother Raul in 2006 and spent the last years of his life as a sickly old man.

His final major speech came at a Communist Party congress in the spring of 2016. President Barack Obama had made an historic trip to Cuba just a few weeks earlier. Speaking to the Congress in a voice that had long since lost its vigor³¹, Castro ignored Obama's overture³² to Cuba. He defended the revolution he had led 60 years earlier. But it was a farewell address.

CASTRO: (Speaking in Spanish).

(APPLAUSE)

GJELTEN: "Soon I'll be 90 years old," he said. "Soon, I'll be like all the others. For all of us, our turn will come."

His time had passed. By then, his brother Raul and other Cuban leaders were in command. Jorge Dominguez of Harvard University followed Fidel Castro for many years.

JORGE DOMINGUEZ: Had Fidel died in 1985, he would have seemed like a much more impressive figure with a much more substantial legacy³³.

GJELTEN: As it is, Dominguez gives Fidel Castro, at best, mixed marks. The leader who wanted to uplift the poor and educate the illiterate³⁴ was also a megalomaniac determined³⁵ to hold on to power at all costs.

DOMINGUEZ: He also ordered the imprisonment³⁶ and abuse of hundreds of thousands of people during the course of his career. That's what makes him such a complex figure. When he did things for good, he did a great deal of good. And when he did things for bad, he did a great deal of bad.

GJELTEN: Fidel Castro outlasted³⁷ U.S. presidents determined to overthrow him, survived the collapse of the communist bloc that sustained him and outlived many of those who wanted to replace him. For those reasons, he will go down in history as among the world's most skillful politicians, even if his achievements largely die with him.

Tom Gjelten, NPR News.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

7 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

10 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

14 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。

15 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

16 autocrat   

n.独裁者；专横的人

参考例句：

• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。
• The nobles tried to limit the powers of the autocrat without success.贵族企图限制专制君主的权力,但没有成功。

17 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

18 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。

19 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

20 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

21 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

22 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 extravagantly   

adv.挥霍无度地

参考例句：

• The Monroes continued to entertain extravagantly. 门罗一家继续大宴宾客。 来自辞典例句
• New Grange is one of the most extravagantly decorated prehistoric tombs. 新格兰奇是装饰最豪华的史前陵墓之一。 来自辞典例句

24 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

25 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。

26 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

27 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

29 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

30 ceded   

v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Cuba was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898. 古巴在1898年被西班牙割让给美国。
• A third of the territory was ceded to France. 领土的三分之一割让给了法国。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

32 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

33 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

34 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

35 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。

36 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

37 outlasted   

v.比…长久，比…活得长( outlast的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I outlasted several downsizings but the last one included me. 虽然我坚持到了最后，还是逃不过被裁的命运。 来自互联网
• This clock has outlasted several owners. 这座时钟的寿命比它的几个主人的寿命都长。 来自互联网