新视野大学英语读写教程听力 第四册 课文 4t02b

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[00:00.00]喜欢hxen.net，就把hxen.net复制到QQ个人资料中！The Political Career of a Female Politician
[00:-1.00]Modest and soft-spoken,Agatha Muthoni Mbogo,24,
[00:-2.00]is hardly the image of a revolutionary.Yet,six months ago,
[00:-3.00]she did a most revolutionary thing:
[00:-4.00]She ran for mayor of Embu,Kenya,and won.
[00:-5.00]Ms.Mbogo's victory was even more surprising
[00:-6.00]because she was voted in by her colleagues on the District Council,all men.
[00:-7.00]For the thousands of women in this farming area two hours northeast of Nairobi,
[00:-8.00]Ms. Mbogo suddenly became a symbol
[00:-9.00]of the increasingly powerful political force women
[00:10.00]have become in Kenya and across Africa.
[00:11.00]Ms.Mbogo launched her dream of a career in politics in 1992
[00:12.00]by running for the Embu Council,
[00:13.00]facing the obstacles that often trouble African women running for political office.
[00:14.00]She had little money.
[00:15.00]She had no political experience.
[00:16.00]She faced ridiculous questions about her personal life.
[00:17.00]"My opponent kept insisting that I was going to get married to somebody
[00:18.00]in another town and move away,"Ms.Mbogo said.
[00:19.00]Ms.Mbogo also faced misunderstanding among the town's women,
[00:20.00]many of whom initially were unwilling to vote for her.
[00:21.00]She became an ambassador for women's political rights,
[00:22.00]giving speeches before women's groups and going from door to door,
[00:23.00]handbag in hand,spending hours at a time giving a combination of speech
[00:24.00]and government lesson.
[00:25.00]"I was delighted when she won the election,because men elected her,"
[00:26.00]said Lydiah Kimani,an Embu farmer and political activist.
[00:27.00]"It was the answer to my prayers
[00:28.00]because it seemed to be a victory over this idea that 'women can't lead'."
[00:29.00]Education of African women has become a top priority for political activists.
[00:30.00]One organization has held dozens of workshops in rural Kenya
[00:31.00]to help women understand the nation's constitution
[00:32.00]and the procedures and theory behind a democratic political system.
[00:33.00]One veteran female political activist
[00:34.00]said that many women had not been taught the basics of political participation.
[00:35.00]They are taught to vote for the one who
[00:36.00]"gives you a half-kilo sack of flour,200 grams of salt,
[00:37.00]or a loaf of bread" during the campaign,said the activist.
[00:38.00]Women politicians and activists
[00:39.00]say they are fighting deeply held cultural traditions.
[00:40.00]Those traditions teach that African women cook,clean,
[00:41.00]take care of children,sow and harvest crops and support their husbands.
[00:42.00]They typically do not inherit land,divorce their husbands,
[00:43.00]control their finances or hold political office.
[00:44.00]Yet,political activity among Kenyan women is not a new phenomenon.
[00:45.00]During the struggle for independence in the 1950s,
[00:46.00]Kenyan women often secretly provided troops with weapons
[00:47.00]and spied on the positions of colonial forces.
[00:48.00]But after independence,
[00:49.00]leaders jealous to protect their power shut them out of politics,
[00:50.00]a situation repeated across the continent.
[00:51.00]Today,men still have the upper hand.
[00:52.00]Women in Kenya make up 60 percent of the people who vote,
[00:53.00]but only 3 percent of the National Assembly.
[00:54.00]No Kenyan woman has ever held a cabinet post.
[00:55.00]Against that background,Agatha Mbogo began her political career.
[00:56.00]After winning her council seat,
[00:57.00]she declined a spot on the education and social services committee
[00:58.00]after a colleague called it "a woman's committee".
[00:59.00]She instead joined the town planning committee,
[-1:00.00]a much more visible assignment.
[-1:-1.00]Then last year,she decided to challenge Embu's mayor,
[-1:-2.00]a veteran politician.
[-1:-3.00]Ms.Mbogo said she had become frustrated
[-1:-4.00]because the donor groups that provide substantial