Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela and Democracy starting time
in south Africa
In the history of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is a key person and 1994 is a key year. Until then, a small minority of white people governed South Africa and blacks were forced to live separately from whites. In 1948, the white government had made the separation of races official with a policy called apartheid. Black South Africanswere not allowed to live in the same area or go to the same schools or churches as white people. Blacks had to carry identification papers, and'the government controlled their movement and their employment.
When the apartheid policy began, Nelson Mandela was thirty years old. He had completed law school, and together with his friend Oliver Tambo, he opened a law office—the first blacks to do so intheir country. Mandela and Tambo disagreed with the policy of apartheid and they began working to try to change it. They became leaders of the African National Congress (ANC), a movement of blacks and whites for democratic political change.
The white government did not like the ideas of the ANC and soon it was banned (made illegal). However, Mandela and other members of the ANC continued to workagainst apartheid, leading large demonstrations and rallies. Mandela became the leader of the military wing of the ANC, and he traveled to Algeria for military training. Upon his return to South Africa in 1962, he was arrested and sent to prison.
While Mandela was in prison, other ANC leaders were arrested for fighting against the government. In June 1964, Mandela and the other leaders were allsent to South Africa's worst and most dangerous prison, on Robben Island. But still they managed to keep in contact with the antiapartheid movement and they did not give up hope. Mandela wrote his autobiography and sent it out of the prison with visitors, piece by piece.
Other members of the ANC told people around the world about Mandela and his struggle against apartheid. Many countries stoppeddoing business with South Africa. World leaders demanded that Mandela be released from prison. Finally, F.W. deKlerk, the white president of South Africa, decided to release him and allow the ANC to meet again. In February 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison, a free man after twenty- eight years!
Mandela took over the leadership of the ANC once again,and led talks with the white governmentfor an end to apartheid. Many people feared that the white government would refuse to give up power and there would be a terrible war, a "blood bath." However, working together, Mandela and deKlerk were able to bring peaceful democratic change to their country. They were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this achievement.
The next year, 1994, the first multiracial elections were held, and NelsonMandela was elected president. At the end of his term as president in 1999, new elections were held and another black man, Thabo Mbeki, was elected. After his election, President Mbeki remarked, "One democratically elected president was followed by another, the true test of democracy."
Finishing time Reading time

Circle the best answer for each item. Do not look back at the passage.
1 Thispassage is about

A the policy of apartheid in South Africa.
B events In the history of South Africa.
C how black South Africans fought against apartheid.
D how Mandela brought democracy to South Africa.

2 Under the apartheid policy, black South Africans could not
A go to school or church.
B. live where white people lived.
C carry identification papers.
D work for white people.

3 Wecan infer from this passage that

many South African blacks supported the ANC.
B the ANC was not popular with South African blacks.
C other African countries were against the ANC.
D Mandela and Tambo disagreed with the ANC.

4 The white government of South Africa banned the ANC because it

A was a foreign organization.
B had no white members.
C . wanted to change the government,
D ....