首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Belgium may appear to outsiders as a good example of ethnic power sharing, but the last time the French-speaking Walloons suppli
Belgium may appear to outsiders as a good example of ethnic power sharing, but the last time the French-speaking Walloons suppli
admin
2017-03-15
44
问题
Belgium may appear to outsiders as a good example of ethnic power sharing, but the last time the French-speaking Walloons supplied the country’s Prime Minister was in 1978. So, in Sunday’s national elections, they are itching to smash the Flemish grip on the top job.
A victory by the leading French-speaking candidate, Elio Di Rupo, would make history not only because of his language, but as Europe’s first openly gay Prime Minister. As leader of the Socialist Party (PS) in Wallonia— and also the region’s minister-president—Di Rupo, 55, is the heavyweight of Francophone politics. And the fact that his origins are Italian, Belgium’s second-largest immigrant community after Moroccans, adds a third dimension to the identity challenge represented by his candidacy. But the dapper, bow-tied Di Rupo is handicapped by recurrent scandals in his Socialist Party, and has been criticized for his poor command of the Flemish language.
His main rival from Wallonia is Didier Reynders, the head of the liberal Reform Movement (MR), a 48-year-old energetic business-oriented conservative who hopes to catch some of the bounce from Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent victory in France. Reynders, who is also Finance Minister, was even in Paris on May 6 to celebrate Sarkozy’s triumph.
Both Di Rupo and Reynders believe that Francophones are long overdue a turn at the premiership. Their community accounts for just 40% of the country’s 10.6 million population, but they believe they are in their best position for over a generation to claim the premiership, believing they have overcome negative perceptions of the Walloon community by their Flemish neighbors.
Still, even doing well in the election is no guarantee of getting the top job. Pierre Blaise of the Crisp political research center, explains: "Forming a government in Belgium is a two-step process. You have to first hold the election and see the arithmetic of the results. Then you have to negotiate on the coalition, which is not just about the Prime Minister, but all the other ministers and the overall government mandate. If Di Rupo or Reynders do well in the election, we would then have to see if they can negotiate as well."
Belgium became independent in 1830 after a Francophone revolt against the country’s Dutch rulers. Cultural and linguistic tensions have been a constant throughout its history, but Belgium’s politicians have been remarkably adept at developing compromise mechanisms to maintain a tenuous balance between Flemish and French-speakers whose famously separate communities have different economic profiles, tastes, influences and habits. Talk of devolution is rife, and last December French state broadcaster RTBF interrupted its regular programming to announce that Flanders had declared independence. Viewers were shocked by the grainy footage of King Albert II and Queen Paola heading for the airport to flee the country. The program was an elaborate hoax, but the outrage it provoked appeared to underline the fragility of the country.
Under the circumstances, the election campaign has been comparatively restrained on the issues that divide the two communities. Despite their differences, the evidence suggests that both the Flemish and the Walloons are loath to split: A survey March revealed that both 93% Flemings and 98% Walloons wanted Belgium to continue to exist in some form—although only 40% believed it would 50 years from now.
Despite the optimism of Di Rupo and Reynders, the favorites for the Prime Minister’s job remain Flemish: Christian Democrat leader Yves Leterme: Socialist Party leader Johan Vande Lanotte; and Flemish Liberal leader and outgoing Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
Front-runner Leterme, 46, has sparked anger by saying that the Belgian nation is an "accident of history" with "no intrinsic value", and accusing Francophones of "lacking the mental capacity to learn Dutch". But even if he emerges as Prime Minister, French speakers should not be too distraught. As Leterme is the son of a Francophone father, they could even claim he is one of theirs.
The sentence "...they are itching to smash the Flemish grip on the top job..." in the first paragraph of the passage can be best paraphrased as______.
选项
A、they are fighting against Flemish people for the job
B、they are eager to repeal the Flemish job as Prime Minister
C、they are eager to suspend the Flemish Prime Minister from his position
D、they are anxious to lift the Flemish control over the premiership
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/w3SO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI高级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI高级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
SirMartinSorrell,thechiefexecutiveoftheadvertisingconglomerateWPP,wasatKensingtonWade,Britain’sfirstprimarysch
TheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)wassetupin1988toassessinformationonclimatechangeanditsimpact.
Workersandconsumershaveadirectinterestindevelopinglaborprocessesthatwillnotdestroythehealthofthosedirectlyin
Thisexplainswhendrivingthroughthecountrysideyoucanseeonesideofafenceisasbareasaboardandtheotherwithfoot
Wehavenotstressedsofrequentlytheimportanceofliaisonwithourowncolleagues,arguing(withsometimesdubiousvalidity)
Letmeillustratethat.AsChinagrowsworldclasscompaniesandthesegooutintointernationalmarkets,manyareattractedto
下面你将听到的是一段有关中国教育改革与发展的讲话。党的十一届三中全会以来,随着党和国家工作重点转移到以经济建设为中心。教育在社会主义现代化建设中的地位和作用也越来越重要,我国教育的改革和发展取得了很大的成就。进入20世纪90年代,科学
假期往往是快乐与压力相伴而行。你需要陪伴家人、购买和互赠礼物、拜亲访友、享用节日大餐、打折疯狂采购、组织和参加聚会等。回归到日常生活节奏和相对更安静的工作场所,会使你因缺乏新鲜事物的刺激而精神不振。感到有点失落是一种正常的感觉;一旦回归到日常生活
中国赢得2010年世界博览会的举办权,靠的是国际社会对中国改革开放的支持和信心。这次博览会将是自1851年在英国伦敦第一次举办以来,首次在发展中国家举办的世界博览会,它表达了全世界人民对中国未来发展的期望。2010年上海世博会的主题是“城市,让生
数年前,一家公司对2000多人进行采访,询问对他们最重要的一两件事情是什么。结果表明,对大部分受访者而言,朋友要比住房、工作、衣服或是轿车更为重要,但很少有人能了解建立深厚友谊的秘密所在。专家们就如何建立更可靠的友谊给出如下建议:首先,要对朋友更体贴;第二
随机试题
断续分齿法飞刀铣削蜗轮时,配置交换齿轮须注意正确选择惰轮数目。()
—Haveyoueverreadthatarticle?—Yes,ButIthinkthereisnothing______initWhichofthefollowingiswrong?
属于串联结构的器官为
A.肝B.心C.肾D.脾E.胃
气血两虚证的舌象是
医生甲退休后,擅自为人看病2年多。某日,甲为乙治疗,需注射青霉素。乙自述以前曾注射过青霉素,甲便未做皮试就给乙注射青霉素,乙因青霉素过敏而死亡。关于本案,下列哪一选项是正确的?
下列不属于市场细分的作用的是()。
下列有关文学常识的表述,不正确的一项是()。
态度是指心理上对其所接触的客观事物对象所持有的看法,并以各种不同的行为方式表露出来。下列不属于态度的要素的一项是()。
使用VC6打开考生文件夹projl下的工程pmjl,其中有“沙发”类Sofa和主函数main的定义。程序中位于每个,/ERROR**********found**********下的语句行有错误,请加以更正。更正后程序的输出应该是:座位数:3
最新回复
(
0
)