2006年VOA标准英语-A Profile of Proposed Secretary of Defense Robe

By Ernest Leong
Washington, D.C.
10 November 2006
 
watch Gates profile

Robert Gates, President Bush's nominee¹ to become the new U.S. Defense² Secretary, is a former CIA Director with decades of experience in the national security field.  He has also served as the president of a major university in Mr. Bush's home state of Texas.

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Robert Gates at the White House, Nov. 8, 2006  
  
Robert Gates began his career with the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 as an entry-level employee.  In the next 25 years, Gates served under six presidents, both Republican and Democrat³, eventually working his way up to become CIA director under President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father. 

Following his tenure⁴ as CIA director from 1991 to 1993, he left the government to work at Texas A&M University, the seventh largest university in the U.S.  He began as dean of the George Bush School of Government, and later rose to university president.

In announcing his nomination⁵, President Bush praised his managerial skills, and his ability to work in a bi-partisan manner. "He's a man of integrity, candor⁶ and sound judgment⁷.  He knows that the challenge of protecting our country is larger than any political party.  And he has a record of working with leaders on both sides of the aisle⁸ to strengthen our national security.

Gates said he had not anticipated returning to public life, until the president called on him. "Because our long-term strategic interests and our national and homeland security are at risk, because so many of American's sons and daughters in our armed forces are in harm's way, I did not hesitate when the President asked me to return to duty."

From left: Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush and Robert Gates    
  
President Bush nominated Gates shortly after announcing the resignation of current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to become Speaker of the House, welcomed the change. "I think it will give a fresh start to finding a solution to Iraq rather than staying the course."

During his time as Defense Secretary, Rumsfeld was seen by some as pugnacious⁹, and confrontational¹⁰.  Gates, on the other hand, is "totally different," according to Professor Anna Nelson, Distinguished¹¹ Historian in Residence at American University. "Anyone who runs the CIA, spends his career in the CIA, is discreet¹²."

Mr. Bush is not the first President to change his Defense Secretary in wartime.  In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson replaced Robert MacNamara with Clark Clifford, to help him deal with the Vietnam War.

"I think it's not an uncommon¹³ thing,” says Professor Nelson, “for the President to seek out someone they can trust, someone whose loyalty¹⁴ they can be assured of, and who will in fact, help change direction."

Gates may be in a position to help the president change direction.  He has been serving on the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel headed by former Secretary of State James Baker¹⁵, and has publicly disagreed with President Bush on his policies in Iran.

Gates' nomination must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Confirmation¹⁶ hearings are scheduled to begin December 4th.

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 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 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 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。

6 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

9 pugnacious   

adj.好斗的

参考例句：

• He is a pugnacious fighter.他是个好斗的战士。
• When he was a child,he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.他小时候很好斗，跟每个人都打过架。

10 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

11 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

12 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

13 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

14 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

15 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

16 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。