They may not be the richest， but Africans remain the world’s staunchest optimists． An annual survey by Gallup International， a research outfit， shows that， when asked whether this year will be better than last，Africa once again comes out on top．0ut of 5 2，000 people interviewed all over the world。under half believe that things are looking up．But in Africa the proportion is close t0 60％ almost twice as much as in Europe．examda.
　　Africans have some reasons to be cheerful．The continent’S economy has been doing fairly well with South Africa。the economic powerhouse，growing steadily over the past few years．Some of Africa’s long-running conflicts，such as the war between the north and south in Sudan and the civil war in Con90， have ended．Africa even has its first elected female head of state，in Liberia． examda.
　　Yet there is no shortage of downers t00．Most of Africa remains dirt poor．Crises in places like Cote d’Ivoire。sierra Leone and Zimbabwe are far from solved．And the democratic credentials of Ethiopia ant Uganda，once the darlings of western donors，have taken a bad knock．⑦AIDS killed over 2m Africans ir 2005，and will kill more this year． examda.
　　So is it all iust a case of irrational exuberance?Meril James of Gallup argues that there is，in fact,usually very little relation between the survey’s optimism rankings and reality．Africans，this year led by Nigerians，are collsistently the most upbeat，whether their lot gets better or not．On the other hand， Greece--hardly the worst place on earth--tops the gloom-and-doom chart，followed closely by Portugal and France．examda.
　　Ms James speculates that religion may have a lot to do with it．Nine out of ten Africans are religious，the highest proportion in the world．But cynics argue that most Africans believe that 2006 will be 901den because things have been so bad that it is hard to imagine how they could possibly get worse．This may help explain why places that have suffered recent misfortunes，such as Kosovo and Afghanistan，rank among the top five optimists． [346 words]
　　1．______believe that the future is brighter．
　　A．Most people in Africa examda.
　　B．Most people in Europe
　　C．Few people in Europe
　　D．Few people in the world
　　2．The Africans’optimism can be explained by the fact that______
　　A．South Africa is the economic powerhouse
　　B．the economy in Africa is prosperous examda.
　　C．there have been wars in both Sudan and Congo
　　D．Liberia is the first country to have a female head
　　3．The pessimism in Africa is rational because______
　　A．the economy in South Africa keeps growing
　　B．there are less crises in Africa than ever before
　　C．Africa is still the poorest continent in the world
　　D．both Ethiopia and Uganda enjoy more democracy now
　　4．The optimism in Africa isn’t irrational because______
　　A．Europeans tend to be more pessimistic
　　B．optimism isn’t necessarily related to people’s real welfare
　　C．Nigerians are consistently the most upbeat
　　D．the lot of most Africans is better than Europeans
　　5．The author thinks that______
　　A．religion helps to develop one’s optimism
　　B．2006 will be golden because things are looking up
　　C．the argument brought forward by the cynics is comprehensible
　　D．the proportion of people who believe in religion is highest in Africa

　难句透析
　　①An annual survey by Gallup International，a research outfit，shows[that，(when asked<whether this year will be better than last>，Africa once again comes out on top)]．examda.
　　【结构】方括号所标示的部分是“shows”的宾语从句。圆括号所标示的部分是其中的状语从句。尖括号所标示的部分是“asked”的宾语从句。“when asked”相当于“when people are asked”。
　　【释义】盖洛普国际是一个研究机构，它所做的一次年度普查表明。当问到今年是否会比去年好时，非洲再次名列前茅。
　　②Out of 52，000 people interviewed all over the world，under half believe[that things are looking up3．
　　【结构】过去分词“interviewed”用做后置定语，修饰“people”。方括号所标示的部分是“believe”的宾语从句。
　　【释义】在全世界所调查的52000人中。相信形势会转好的人不到一半。
　　③And the democratic credentials of Ethiopia and Uganda，once the darlings of western donors，have taken a bad knock．
　　【结构】  句中的短语“0nce the darlings of western donors”是对“credentials of Ethiopia and Uganda”的补充说明。
　　【释义】埃塞俄比亚和乌干达的民主，过去赢得西方施主的喜爱和信任，现已遭受严重挫折。