VOA慢速英语2021 拜登提名卡多纳担任新任教育部长

The United States will soon welcome Joe Biden as its new president.

美国很快将迎来新总统乔·拜登。

The president-elect has already named several people to serve in government leadership positions. For example, Janet Yellin is his candidate for Secretary of the Treasury¹ and General Lloyd Austin is his choice for Defense² Secretary.

这位候任总统已经提名了几人担任政府领导职位。例如，珍妮特·耶伦（Janet Yellin）是财政部长的候选人，劳埃德·奥斯丁将军（Lloyd Austin）是国防部长的候选人。

Biden also named Miguel Cardona as the new Secretary of Education. The 45-year-old man currently serves as education chief for the state of Connecticut. Biden has called Cardona "brilliant."

拜登还提名米格尔·卡多纳作为新任教育部长。这名45岁男子目前是康涅狄格州教育局局长。拜登称卡多纳“才华横溢。”

Cardona grew up in government-supported housing in that state. His parents, who are from Puerto Rico, spoke³ Spanish to him. Cardona did not even speak English when he entered the public school system.

卡多纳在康涅狄格州的公租房里长大。他的父母来自波多黎各，跟他说西班牙语。卡多纳进入公立学校系统时甚至根本不会说英语。

Cardona started his career in education as a fourth-grade teacher. He became the top administrator⁴, or principal, of a Connecticut public school at the young age of 28.

卡多纳作为四年级教师开始了他的职业生涯。28岁那年，他成为了康涅狄格州一所公立学校的校长。

As American as apple pie and rice and beans

像苹果派、米和豆一样具有美国特色

He says his personal history has provided him a special understanding of the nation's educational inequalities.

他说，他的个人经历让他对美国的教育不平等现象有了特殊理解。

"I, being bilingual and bicultural, am as American as apple pie and rice and beans," Cardona said.

卡多纳表示：“作为双语和双重文化人士，我就像苹果派、米和豆一样具有美国特色。”

Cardona was appointed education chief in Connecticut just months before the COVID-19 crisis began last year. When schools moved to distance learning, he hurried to get more than 100,000 laptop computers to students across the state. Since then, however, he has increasingly urged schools to reopen, saying it is harmful to keep students at home.

去年新冠肺炎危机爆发前几个月，卡多纳被任命为康涅狄格州教育局局长。当学校转向远程学习时，他急忙为全州学生提供了超过10万台笔记本电脑。但是从那以后，他越来越多地督促学校重新开放，他说让学生呆在家里不好。

Cardona's first duty in his new job will be to help public schools across the U.S. safely reopen. Biden has promised to have a majority of U.S. schools reopened within his first 100 days in office.

卡多纳在新岗位上的首要指责是帮助美国各地公立学校安全地重新开放。拜登已经承诺在上任100天内重新开放美国大多数学校。

During the campaign, Biden also said he will work to get money to schools that are struggling. He plans to ask Cardona to help more young children get into preschool for free and to diversify⁵ the nation's teaching force.

拜登在竞选期间还表示，他将会努力为陷入困境的学校筹集资金。他计划要求卡多纳帮助更多幼儿免费入学，并使该国的师资力量多样化。

The outgoing Secretary writes a letter

即将卸任的教育部长写了一封信

If the U.S. Senate confirms Cardona, he will replace Trump⁶ appointee Betsy Devos in the position. Last week, the outgoing Secretary of Education wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress to say goodbye.

如果美国参议院通过卡多纳的提名，他将接替川普任命的贝蒂·德沃斯担任这一职位。上周，这位即将卸任的教育部长给美国国会写了一封告别信。

In the letter, DeVos said the coronavirus crisis showed many things that are "not encouraging" about the U.S. education system. She also said she will continue to work for students even after her service as Secretary is over.

德沃斯在信中表示，新冠病毒危机展现出了许多对美国教育系统不利的事情。她还表示，即使作为教育部长任期结束，她也会继续为学生服务。

DeVos is a major supporter of private education for Americans who want it. She sought policy that would give financial assistance to poorer students so they could attend private schools.

德沃斯是给想上私立学校的美国人提供私立教育的主要支持者。她寻求政策为贫困学生提供经济援助，使他们可以上私立学校。

Devos argued that it was wrong to keep federal money from students who want to go a private high school while permitting federal money to go to students who attend a private university.

德沃斯辩称，截留面向想上私立高中的学生的联邦资金，同时又批准面向想上私立大学的学生的联邦资金，这是错误的。

Her policy proposal failed.

她提出的政策未能通过。

DeVos, in her letter, asked Congress to reconsider her idea.

德沃斯在她的信中要求国会重新考虑她的想法。

DeVos also pushed schools to reopen during the health crisis. However, the Education Department did not create national guidelines for reopening operations.

在健康危机期间，德沃斯还督促学校重新开放。然而，美国教育部并未制定重新开放运营的全国指南。

Biden has promised to withdraw or remake several of DeVos' policies.

拜登已经承诺撤销或重新制定几项德沃斯的政策。

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

6 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。