ECONOMICS REPORT - Carlos Gutierrez, Nominee for Commerce Se

ECONOMICS REPORT - Carlos Gutierrez, Nominee¹ for Commerce Secretary
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Friday, December 10, 2004

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Economics Report.

President Bush says his choice for the next secretary of commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, understands business from bottom to top. Until his nomination², Mister Gutierrez was chief of the food company Kellogg. But, as the president noted³, Mister Gutierrez took his first job there as a truck driver in Mexico City.

Carlos Gutierrez is fifty-one years old. He was born in Cuba. He lived there until he was six. His parents exported pineapples from the island. However, the family members fled the communist takeover led by Fidel Castro. They came to the United States in nineteen sixty, but later moved to Mexico.

That is where Mister Gutierrez started at Kellogg in nineteen seventy-five. He quickly rose to supervisory positions in the Latin American, Canadian, United States and Asian-Pacific divisions. In nineteen ninety-eight, he became president of the company. The next year he became chief executive officer.

Mister Gutierrez is seen as a supporter of open trade. Under his leadership, Kellogg asked Congress to open United States markets to lower-priced foreign sugar. That has not happened. A Kellogg official called the current situation "the worst form of protectionism."

Kellogg is a major seller of processed food products. It is the world's largest maker⁴ of breakfast cereals.

Mister Gutierrez won praise as head of Kellogg. Sales and profits increased. The price of Kellogg stock rose nearly one hundred percent.

Mister Gutierrez expanded production in Mexico and closed the Kellogg factory in Battle Creek⁵, Michigan. That is where the company started. The move saved money. But Michigan lost more than five hundred jobs. The company still has its headquarters in Battle Creek. Kellogg announced that James Jenness will be its next chairman and chief executive officer.

Carlos Gutierrez must be confirmed by the Senate to replace Donald Evans, who resigned.

Congress created the Department of Commerce in nineteen-oh-three. The budget this year is more than six thousand million dollars.

The Commerce Department supervises trade and intellectual property rights in the United States. And it helps American businesses compete in world markets. The department also includes the Census⁶ Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁷ Administration.

This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter. I'm Gwen Outen.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

6 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

7 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。