VOA标准英语2010年-Eastern Europe's First Black Mayor Tel

Dr. Peter Bossman, who was born in Ghana, is starting his work as mayor of Slovenia's coastal¹ town of Piran. Bossman's election earned him the distinction of being Eastern Europe's first black mayor. But he has urged supporters not to view him as the next Barack Obama, a reference to the United States' first black president.

Dr. Peter Bossman, 54, has become a superstar in Slovenia. His supporters are celebrating his election victory Sunday, when he was chosen mayor of Piran, a postcard mixed Slovenian town of 17,000 Slovenians, Italians, Croats, Bosnians and others around the tiny Gulf² of Piran in the Adriatic Sea.

Bossman immigrated³ from Ghana to what is now Slovenia in the 1970s to study medicine.

He says he intended to return to Ghana, but changed his mind after marrying a fellow student of Croatian origin, and getting a first job as a medical doctor for tourists visiting Slovenia's seaside.

Media call Bossman the 'Slovenian Obama' as he is the first black person to be mayor in Eastern Europe. Yet, the Ghanaian-born leader urges Slovenians not to compare him with America's first elected black president.

The incoming mayor makes clear that he is different than President Barack Obama. He adds he usually tells reporters: "I am Peter Bossman and I am the mayor of Piran."

The black physician, a member of Slovenia's governing Social Democrats⁴, won a run-off election in the town with just over 51 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating the center-right outgoing mayor, Dr. Tomaz Gantar.

Bossman's success is viewed by commentators⁵ as remarkable⁶ in Eastern Europe, where people from Africa and other non-European nations have complained about discrimination or mistreatment.

Even Slovenia's human rights record had been criticized after it erased⁷ over 25,000 people from official documents for failing to apply for Slovenian citizenship⁸ after it declared independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Yet, the Alpine⁹ nation of two million people became the first former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union in 2004 and has since promised to re-instate those whose residency was erased.

About 12 percent of people living in Slovenia were born abroad, but only a fraction come from Africa. Most black people tend to be tourists. But Bossman, who also speaks English, tells international media his victory in mayoral elections shows that Slovenia is now mature enough to elect a nonwhite political representative.

"I think that people don't see me as a black man," he said. "They see me as a good man, as a doctor and the racial question really didn't came into play here."

Bossman awaits a busy period. He has promised voters to introduce electric cars in Piran and boost Internet shopping to overcome its few stores. He also wants to increase tourism revenues by trying to bring an airport and a golf-course to town.
 

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

9 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。