{{B}}tExt 2{{/B}}

thEy mAy not BE thE riChEst, ButAFriCAns 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. out oF 52 000 pEoplE intErviEwED All ovEr thE worlD, unDEr hAlF BEliEvE thAt things ArE looking up.But inAFriCA thE proportion is ClosE to 60% Almost twiCE As muCh As inEuropE. AFriCAns hAvE somE rEAsons to BE ChEErFul. thE ContinEnt’s EConomy hAs BEEn Doing FAirly wEll with southAFriCA, thE EConomiC powErhousE, growing stEADily ovEr thE pAst FEw yEArs. somE oFAFriCA’s long-running ConFliCts, suCh As thE wAr BEtwEEn thE north AnD south in suDAn AnD thE Civil wAr inCongo, hAvE EnDED、AFriCA EvEn hAs its First ElECtED FEmAlE hEAD oF stAtE, in liBEriA、 yEt thErE is no shortAgE oF DownErs too. most oFAFriCA rEmAins Dirt poor.CrisEs in plACEs likECotE D’ ivoirE, siErrA lEonE AnD zimBABwE ArE FAr From solvED、AnD thE DEmoCrAtiC CrEDEntiAls oFEthiopiA AnD ugAnDA, onCE thE DArlings oF wEstErn Donors, hAvE tAkEn A BAD knoCk.AiDs killED ovEr gmAFriCAns in 2005, AnD will kill morE this yEAr. so is it All just 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 ConsistEntly 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. ms jAmEs spECulAtEs thAt rEligion mAy hAvE A lot to Do with it. ninE out oF tEnAFriCAns ArE rEligious, thE highEst proportion in thE worlD、But CyniCs ArguE thAt mostAFriCAns BEliEvE thAt 2006 will BE golDEn 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 AnDAFghAnistAn, rAnk Among thE top FivE optimists. moussAkA For thought For thosE DEprEssED grEEks.

FrAnCE is mEntionED in thE tExt with thE Aim to ______.A．ContrAst nigEriAns AnD FrEnCh
B．DEFEnD mEril jAmEs- rEmArks
C．AttACh importAnCE to thE gloom-AnD-Doom ChArt
D．rEFutE ms jAmEs ConCEpt oF rEligion