考研英语阅读能力提升需要不断地积累练习，通过阅读来积累词汇量，提升阅读速度和理解能力。冲刺阶段，阅读力度要加大，新东方在线持续分享一些有关政治、经济、文化、生活、体育、科技等方面的文章，大家要多多拓展。下面一篇文章是关于古巴革命领袖卡斯特罗去世。
2017考研英语拓展阅读：古巴革命领袖卡斯特罗去世
"The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this evening," President Raul Castro said.
总统劳尔·卡斯特罗说道：“古巴革命总司令今晚（11月26日）22点29分去世了。”
Fidel Castro ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost 50 years before Raul took over in 2008.
在劳尔2008年接手古巴政权之前，菲德尔·卡斯特罗曾经统治古巴这个一党制国家近50年。
His supporters said he had given Cuba back to the people. But he was also accused of suppressing opposition.
卡斯特罗的支持者们赞扬他将古巴归还到了人民手中。但是他也被抨击压迫反对派。
Ashen and grave, President Castro told the nation in a late night broadcast on state television that Fidel Castro had died and would be cremated on Saturday.
神色庄严肃穆，总统劳尔·卡斯特罗在国家电视台一个深夜广播中对全国人民宣布，菲德尔·卡斯特罗去世了，将在本周六进行火葬。
There would now be several days of national mourning on the island.
现在古巴将进行持续几天的全国性哀悼。
Barring the occasional newspaper column, Fidel Castro had essentially been retired from political life for some time.
除了偶尔出现在报纸专栏中，卡斯特罗已经退出政治生活好一段时间了。
In April, Fidel Castro gave a rare speech on the final day of the country’s Communist Party congress.
今年四月，卡斯特罗很少见地在古巴共产党代表大会最后一天发表了演讲。
He acknowledged his advanced age but said Cuban communist concepts were still valid and the Cuban people "will be victorious".
他承认自己年事已高，但是指出古巴共产主义理念仍然健全有效、古巴人民“将会胜利”。
"I’ll soon be 90," the former president said, adding that this was "something I’d never imagined".
“我马上就要满90岁了，”这位前总统当时说道，他接着说“我以前从没想过会有这一天。”
"Soon I’ll be like all the others, to all our turn must come," Fidel Castro said.
卡斯特罗说道：“很快我就会像所有人一样，迎来我们所有人都必须面对的终焉。”
Throughout the Cold War, Fidel Castro was Washington’s bete noire.
整个冷战期间，卡斯特罗都是美国政府的眼中钉肉中刺。
An accomplished tactician on the battlefield, he and his small army of guerrillas overthrew the military leader Fulgencio Batista in 1959 to widespread popular support.
卡斯特罗在战场上是一个伟大的战术家，他和他所率领的小股游击部队在1959年推翻了军事领导人富尔亨西奥·巴蒂斯塔，得到了人民的广泛支持。
Within two years of taking power, he declared the revolution to be Marxist-Leninist in nature and allied the island nation firmly to the Soviet Union.
在执政不到两年时间，卡斯特罗就宣布古巴革命是马列主义性质的，并且带领古巴坚定地和苏联结为联盟。
Despite the constant threat of a US invasion as well as the long-standing economic embargo on the island, Castro managed to maintain a communist revolution in a nation just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
尽管面对着美国入侵的持续性威胁、以及对古巴的长期经济禁运，卡斯特罗成功地在距离佛罗里达海岸只有90英里远的这个岛国上坚守住了共产主义革命。
Despised by his critics as much as he was revered by his followers, he outlasted ten US presidents and defied scores of attempts on his life by the CIA.
卡斯特罗的一生是毁誉参半的一生，支持者爱他至深，批评者对他恨之入骨。他熬过了10任美国总统，躲过了CIA数不清的暗杀。
文：11/26日