VOA标准英语2014--Profile: Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's Presidential Candidate, ‘Chocolate King’

 

Profile: Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's Presidential Candidate, ‘Chocolate King’ 

LONDON — Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko, a self-made confectionery magnate worth an estimated $1.3 billion, has emerged as the front-runner in opinion polls leading up to Ukraine's presidential election scheduled for May. The surveys show the one-time foreign minister who has pledged to rescue Ukraine’s economy and face down Russia, well ahead of his main rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Petro Poroshenko is known as the ‘Chocolate King’ in Ukraine, having built a fortune on confectionery. But he is no stranger to politics.

He was a regular speaker at Kyiv’s Independence Square at the height of the recent protests, denouncing corruption² and calling for membership in the European Union. Orysia Lutsevych is at the London-based policy institute Chatham House.

“He became so popular during the recent protests because he was giving some kind of confidence in terms of his direct action, and also because he was not affiliated³ with the existing political parties,” said Lutsevych.

Poroshenko has received the backing of opposition⁴ leader and former boxer⁵ Vitaly Klitschko. In a recent interview, Poroshenko said he would build on Ukraine’s revolution.

“It was born, the new country," he said. "It was born the new people. But unfortunately it left old politicians and I tried to do my best that the politicians, the government, the authorities and the president be adequate to the new people from the revolution.”

Poroshenko played a big role in the Orange Revolution in 2004 alongside his now rival Yulia Tymoshenko - becoming foreign minister under the then President Viktor Yushchenko. He built his fortune on the back of his giant chocolate company,  Roshen, alongside media and manufacturing interests. Observers say he is cultivating an image as a safe pair of hands.

“You can come here in a very safe, in a very nice country with a very experienced labor⁶ with a very effective cheap cost for creation of businesses and the only obstacle for doing that is the corruption," said Poroshenko. "That's why this is the top priority for the modernization⁷.”

His status as a self-made billionaire sets him apart from Ukraine’s other business elites⁸ - who are often seen as corrupt¹, says Orysia Lutsevych of Chatham House.

“He has good understanding of the way international financial markets are working, and he is on a good term basis with a lot of Western politicians," said Lutsevych. "But also, he is somebody who understands Russia because he is doing a lot of his business with the confectionery and sugars in Russia.”

But Poroshenko’s relations with the Kremlin are poor, says Russia specialist Andrew Foxall of analyst⁹ group the Henry Jackson Society.

“His Roshen confectionery business was subject to trade sanctions and embargoes¹⁰ by the Russian government. The business lost an awful lot of money," he said. "He lost an awful lot of money. More recently, Poroshenko’s assets in Russia have been targeted.”

Petro Poroshenko has said he will never accept Russia’s forceful annexation¹¹ of Crimea. Russia has deployed¹² tens of thousands of troops along the Ukrainian border.

 

Whoever wins the May 25 election, victory will mark just the beginning of the daunting challenges that face Ukraine’s next leader

1 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。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

8 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 embargoes   

贸易禁运令，禁运( embargo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Britain, France and the United States refused to lift their embargoes. 英、法和美国都拒绝取消禁运。
• Its public position is that it abides by all UN arms embargoes. 其公开立场是，他们遵守所有联合国的武器禁运命令。

11 annexation   

n.吞并，合并

参考例句：

• He mentioned the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 .他提及1910年日本对朝鲜的吞并。
• I regard the question of annexation as belonging exclusively to the United States and Texas.我认为合并的问题，完全属于德克萨斯和美国之间的事。

12 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。