美国有线新闻 CNN 特朗普炒掉国务卿蒂勒森 前往加州视察边境墙

 

We're starting to look at the U.S. secretary of state. This is the top adviser¹ to the president on international affairs. He or she conveys U.S. foreign policy to the rest of the world. The person who's held the job since last February is Rex Tillerson. He's a former businessman who used to lead the ExxonMobil oil and gas company, as well as the Boy Scouts² of America.

And some observers say Tillerson tackled the secretary of state job with the same diligence and dedication³ he used to lead the Boy Scouts from 2010 to 2012. But critics say that Tillerson's business experience did not translate to effective leadership at the State Department. And on several issues, like international trade and government policy, related to Iran, North Korea, and Russia, Secretary Tillerson often disagreed with President Donald Trump⁴.

Yesterday, the president announced that he was firing the secretary of state, saying the two of them were not really thinking the same.

President Trump said he and Mike Pompeo have a similar thought process. Pompeo is the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and he's now President Trump's choice to become the next secretary of state.

Pompeo graduated first in his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later from Harvard Law School. The Republican from Kansas served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before he became CIA director. But like that job, the position of secretary of state is cabinet level. So, Director Pompeo will need approval from the Senate to fill it. His confirmation⁵ hearings are set for April.

A border measuring 1,954 miles separates what two countries?

North Korea and South Korea, U.S. and Canada, U.S. and Mexico, or China and Russia?

This is the length of the border between the U.S. and its southern neighbor, Mexico.

AZUZ: Yesterday, President Trump had a look at prototypes for the wall he wants built on that border. One of his first promises as presidential candidate was to build the wall and have the nation of Mexico pay for it. That country has refused, but the Trump administration says it will eventually find a way to have Mexico fund the wall. For now, it needs money from Congress.

Estimates for building the wall ranged from $10 billion to $70 billion. The president says walls work to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. Critics say borders can be secured more cheaply with fencing, border agents and technology.

The eight prototypes the president saw yesterday in San Diego, California, had been standing⁶ and tested since October.

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

3 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 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。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。