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金融时报:法国新总理是谁

所属教程:金融时报原文阅读

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2022年01月13日

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法国新总理是谁

由于在地方选举中惨败,法国总统奥朗德决定换总理以求变,出生于巴塞罗那的内政部长马努埃尔·瓦尔斯(Manuel Valls)成为新总理。这篇文章是五个关于瓦尔斯的有趣事实。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识:

uncharacteristically [,ʌn,kæriktə'ristikli] 不典型的,非同寻常的

audacious [ɔː'deɪʃəs] 无畏的,有冒险精神的

Blairite ['blεəait] 布莱尔主义,布莱尔派

founder ['faʊndə(r)] 沉没,失败

dour ['dʊə; 'daʊə] 严厉的,不爱讲话的

run-off 决胜

Five things to know about Manuel Valls(444 words)

By Ben Hall, FT's world news editor and a former correspondent in Paris

French President François Hollande has made an uncharacteristically audacious decision in appointing Manuel Valls, an economic reformer and Socialist party moderniser, as his new prime minister. Here are five things you need to know about the new premier:

1) Mr Valls, 51, is about as rightwing as you can be in France's Socialist party. He is about as close as you can get in France to Britain's New Labour(championed by Tony Blair), which is regarded by the French left as a toxic brand. He was fond of Blairite mantras. “We must change or die,” he argued in 2009, when the Socialist party was foundering under the leadership of leftwinger Martine Aubry. He even suggested ditching “Socialist” from the party name. At one point he was threatened with expulsion from the party for speaking out.

2) He made his mark as the slick spokesman for the dour Lionel Jospin, prime minister from 1997 to 2002. He saw up close Mr Jospin's disastrous bid for the presidency in 2002 when the National Front's Jean-Marie Le Pen beat the Socialist candidate to make it through to the second, run-off vote (Jospin came only third in the first round voting, therefore Chirac and Le Pen entered into the second round, before Chirac got reelected). But Mr Valls' formative political years were as mayor of Evry, a gritty, multi-ethnic newtown in the southern suburbs of Paris. His “tough on crime” message endeared him to working-class voters – and to Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Hollande's rightwing predecessor, who once tried to recruit him to join his government.

3) He was born in Barcelona to a Catalan artist father and a Swiss-Italian mother and only became a French citizen in 1982. But in spite of his immigrant roots, he has been a controversial advocate of tough curbs on immigration as interior minister since 2012. His push to deport of a 15-year Gypsy girl with a bad school attendance record prompted a backlash from the left and left Mr Hollande looking indecisive and weak.

4) Mr Valls was against the 35-hour maximum working week (championed by Ms Aubry). When running for the Socialist nomination for the 2012 presidential election, he opposed the reinstatement of retirement at 60(lifted up to 62 by Sarkozy, and then brought down by Hollande) and the creation of hundreds of thousands of state subsidised jobs for the young (both promised by Mr Hollande). Mr Valls argued for tough fiscal discipline and higher sales taxes in return for lower social security charges.

5) In the 2011 Socialist presidential primary, he won only 6 per cent of the vote. But as interior minister, he was regularly ranked as France's most popular politician.

请根据你所读到的文章内容,完成以下自测题目:

1.Valls wanted to ditch the name “Socialist” from his party, why?

A.He was disappointed by his party and wanted a fresh start.

B.He got into a fight with the left wing of the party.

C.He, a moderate, thought “socialist” was too leftward.

D.As a Blairist, he wanted his party also named “New Labour”.

答案(1)

2.What drew him support from the working class?

A.His multi-ethnic family background.

B.His toughness on crime.

C.His experience of being spokesman for prime minister Jospin.

D.His opposition to cap weekly working hours to 35.

答案(2)

3.Why Hollande's appointment of Valls is “uncharacteristically audacious”?

A.Valls is clearly a risky choice for the president.

B.Hollande had a reputation of being irresolute.

C.The president choses one who had challenged him.

答案(3)

4.Who would be upset to see Valls' becoming PM?

A.French Retirees.

B.The European Union

C.French government-bond investors.

D.Businesses operating in France.

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案:C.He, a moderate, thought “socialist” was too leftward.

解释:作者在第一点中,不厌其烦地介绍他“is about as rightwing as you can be in Socialist party”,以及布莱尔主义“is regarded by the French left as a toxic brand”.即使你不了解布莱尔以“中间路线”著称,或法国社会党(原意是社会主义党)以强烈左倾著称(比如75%富人税),也可以很容易判断出来。

(2)答案:B.His toughness on crime.

解释:快速介绍一个政客和政治家,需要关注的重点自然是他的年龄出身、政治阵营、重要的过往职位、主打形象,和支持度等。来自多民族的移民家庭,Valls却主张限制移民;他反对低退休年龄和35小时最高工作时间,这一般不受工人阶级欢迎,他严厉打击犯罪的主张endeared him to working-class voters. (简直是萨科齐的翻版)

(3)答案:B.Hollande had a reputation of being irresolute.

解释:uncharacteristically audacious,也就是说他典型的形象是不无畏、没有冒险精神的。

(4)答案:A.French Retirees.

解释:结合倒数第二段瓦尔斯的经济主张,他反对将退休年龄退回60岁(萨科齐将之提升至62)并希望减少社会保障费用肯定得不到退休者的支持。但亲商姿态对企业主和失业者,和欧盟来说是好消息,他argued for tough fiscal discipline,这对国债投资者来说是降低他们风险的好事。


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