美国参议院批准赵小兰任美国运输部长

 　　Elaine Chao, a former top U.S. labor¹ official, was sworn in on Tuesday to lead the U.S. Transportation Department, which overseas aviation, vehicle, train and pipeline² safety. Chao, a former U.S. labor secretary and deputy transportation secretary, took office hours after the U.S. Senate voted 93 to 6 to confirm her.

　　美国前劳工部长赵小兰星期二宣誓就任美国运输部长，负责空运，车辆，火车和输油管道的安全。赵小兰曾任劳工部长和运输部副部长，美国国会参议院以93票支持6票反对的结果批准了她的提名几小时后，赵小兰宣誓就职。

　　She will be a key player in President Donald Trump's Cabinet if his administration pushes ahead with a major infrastructure³ spending program.

　　赵小兰将在川普总统新建和重振美国基础设施的计划中发挥重大作用。

　　The Transportation Department has a $75 billion annual budget and about 60,000 employees. It includes the Federal Aviation Administration, which handles air traffic control.

　　美国运输部年度预算750亿美元，有大约6万名雇员，负责空管的联邦航空管理局也属于运输部。

　　Chao is the wife of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet position.

　　赵小兰的丈夫是现任参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔，她本人是第一位担任部长级官员的亚裔女性。

　　At her confirmation⁴ hearing this month, Chao declined to take positions on a number of issues, including whether air traffic control jobs should be privatized, concerns over the safety of shipments of crude oil by rail, foreign airlines' push to move into the U.S. market and regulation of developing technologies.

　　在本月举行的提名听证会上，赵小兰在一些重要问题上没有表明立场，包括空管是否应该私有化，原油通过铁路运输的安全隐患，外国航空公司进军美国市场的努力，以及对正在开发的新技术的管理。

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。