voa标准英语2008年-Rice Pledges Full Support for Obama Staff Trans

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday said she will do all she can assure a smooth transition for the incoming Obama administration. Detailed¹ preparations for the handover at the nation's foreign affairs agency are already underway. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
　

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks about President-elect Barack Obama at a briefing in Washington, 5 Nov. 2008

Rice, the Bush administration's highest-ranking African American official, is hailing the election of the United States' first African-American President, and is pledging to do all she can to make the State Department transition as smooth as possible.

In comments to reporters, Rice called President-elect Obama inspirational and Republican candidate John McCain gracious in defeat. She said Tuesday's election was an exercise in democracy in which all Americans can be justifiably² proud, especially those of African descent.

"As African American, I'm especially proud because this is a country that has been through a long journey in terms of overcoming wounds and making race not the factor in our lives. That work is not done, but yesterday was obviously an extraordinary step forward," said Rice.

Earlier Wednesday, State Department officials made a final walk-through inspection³ of a large suite⁴ of offices here that will accommodate the Obama administration's foreign policy transition team within a matter of days.

Extensive briefing books will await the Obama team, covering everything from the status of key foreign policy issues to the management of the vast department, which has more than 20,000 employees -- half of them overseas.

The Obama State Department transition team has more than 200 members, including several key foreign policy figures from past Democratic administrations.

The President-elect is expected to announce his choice for Secretary of State early in the transition period.

Although Mr. Obama has been non-committal, press speculation⁵ has focused on Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator Richard Lugar -- both colleagues of the President-elect on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
　

Richard Holbrooke, left, chats with Hungarian opposition6 leader Viktor Orban in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 Oct. 2008

Former Clinton administration diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke, a key figure in 1990's Balkans peace efforts, is also a reported contender for Secretary of State.

The current Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, is running the transition effort, with 24 State Department employees at work expediting security clearances⁷ and employment paperwork for incoming Obama transition members.

1 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

2 justifiably   

adv.无可非议地

参考例句：

• There General Walters would come aboard to greet me, justifiably beaming with pride at his arrangement. 在那儿沃尔特斯将军会登上飞机来接我，理所当然为他们的安排感到洋洋得意。 来自辞典例句
• The Chinese seemed justifiably proud of their economic achievements. 中国人似乎为他们的经济成就感到自豪，这是无可非议的。 来自互联网

3 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

4 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

5 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 clearances   

清除( clearance的名词复数 )； 许可； （录用或准许接触机密以前的）审查许可； 净空

参考例句：

• But I can't get to him without clearances. 但是没有证明我就没法见到他。
• The bridge and the top of the bus was only ten clearances. 桥与公共汽车车顶之间的间隙只有十厘米。