Madeleine Albright left a rich legacy for other women in public service to follow

Madeleine Albright left a rich legacy¹ for other women in public service to follow

　　Transcript²

　　Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as secretary of state and was a role model for generations of girls and women. She died on Wednesday at age 84.

　　STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

　　The first woman to become U.S. secretary of state has died of cancer. Madeleine Albright was 84. She was a refugee who became the nation's top diplomat³, and she left a legacy for other women in public service. Here's NPR's Barbara Sprunt.

　　BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE⁴: This is the moment that changed the face of American diplomacy⁵.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　BILL CLINTON: It says something about our country, and about our new secretary of state designate, that a young girl raised in the shadow of Nazi⁶ aggression⁷ in Czechoslovakia can rise to the highest diplomatic office in America.

　　SPRUNT: It was 1996, and President Bill Clinton had just announced his pick for the next secretary of state. Albright, at 4 feet, 10 inches tall, stood out in her cherry suit and pearls in the all-male group. She thanked her predecessor⁸, Warren Christopher.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: I can only hope that my heels can fill your shoes.

　　SPRUNT: Diplomacy was in her blood. Born in 1937, in what was then Czechoslovakia, her father was a diplomat. Her family was forced to leave their home twice - once during Nazi occupation and again when communists seized power. At 11 years old, Albright arrived at Ellis Island. She went on to raise three daughters while earning her Ph.D. She served as a counselor⁹ to President Jimmy Carter and foreign policy adviser¹⁰ to various presidential candidates. And in 1993, Clinton named her ambassador to the U.N. Here she is during that confirmation¹¹ hearing.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: At this time of turmoil¹² and hope, this assignment is a major challenge.

　　SPRUNT: Melanne Verveer worked for First Lady Hillary Clinton in the '90s. She saw Albright shift the way women diplomats¹³ were viewed at the U.N.

　　MELANNE VERVEER: One male diplomat came to her complaining one day. He said, you know, I watch you, and you spend all this time with those women diplomats. When can I have the kind of time that you give to some of these women? Madeleine said to him, when your government names a woman to head the delegation¹⁴, I will spend considerable time with her, as well.

　　SPRUNT: Albright proved adept¹⁵ at making complicated foreign policy accessible to the public. One of her more famous quips came after Cuban military pilots shot down civilian¹⁶ aircraft, boasting that it took a certain kind of fortitude¹⁷.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: Frankly¹⁸, this is not cojones. This is cowardice¹⁹.

　　SPRUNT: Clinton called it one of the most effective one-liners in his administration's foreign policy. Current Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was a counselor to Albright in the '90s.

　　WENDY SHERMAN: Women often are afraid of the use of power. She was not. She was happy to wield²⁰ it in her own way.

　　SPRUNT: Albright used jewelry²¹ as a diplomatic tool. Here she is on NPR after she released a book about it. It was called "Read My Pins."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

　　ALBRIGHT: This all started when I was ambassador at the United Nations. Saddam Hussein called me a serpent. And I had this wonderful antique snake pin. And so when we were dealing²² with Iraq, I wore the snake pin.

　　SPRUNT: Sherman credited Albright with making the State Department a more inclusive place, describing how she was the first to put Ramadan on the department's calendar.

　　SHERMAN: She turned to me, as counselor, and said, could you organize the State Department to talk about Islam? For many years, talking about religion was something you weren't supposed to do. But obviously, it was a force in the world and one we had to better understand.

　　SPRUNT: Albright's tenure²³, however, wasn't without controversy²⁴. In 1996, she defended U.N. sanctions against Iraq on "60 Minutes."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "60 MINUTES")

　　ALBRIGHT: We have heard that a half a million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died when - in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? I think this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it.

　　SPRUNT: Albright later wrote her reply had been a terrible mistake and she had said some things she didn't mean. Later that year, Clinton announced she would become the highest ranking woman in government. Clinton had said he wanted his Cabinet to look like America and was slammed with questions about whether Albright deserved the job.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　CLINTON: I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to appoint the first woman secretary of state in the history of America. I'm proud of that, but it had nothing to do with her getting the job.

　　SPRUNT: The Senate went on to unanimously confirm Albright. Not long after, a personal discovery - that her parents, then deceased, had converted from Judaism and three of her grandparents had died in the Holocaust²⁵. The emotional news was met with political cynicism and antisemitism. Albright recalled the pressure on C-SPAN years later.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: I had been asked to represent my country in a marathon, the first time a woman ever had been, and given a very heavy package to unwrap as I ran.

　　SPRUNT: As chief diplomat in the late '90s, Albright confronted the deadly targeting of ethnic²⁶ Albanians in Kosovo. Time magazine dubbed²⁷ it Madeleine's War. Airstrikes in 1999 eventually led to the withdrawal²⁸ of Yugoslav forces. Albright also helped to bring Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic into NATO. Here she is at the signing ceremony.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: To quote an old Central European expression, hallelujah.

　　SPRUNT: At home, Albright enjoyed giving out naturalization certificates and recalled this exchange during a 2019 speech at Westminster College.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: And I heard this man saying, all of a sudden, can you believe it? I'm a refugee, and I just got my naturalization certificate from the secretary of state. So I went up to him and I said, can you believe that a refugee is secretary of state?

　　SPRUNT: After government service, Albright founded a consulting firm in D.C. In 2012, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Albright stayed active in politics, supporting Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: Just remember, there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.

　　SPRUNT: She took some flak for that, especially from supporters of Clinton's primary rival, Bernie Sanders. It was a phrase she had used countless²⁹ times, but still she apologized for turning it political. Albright remained an active professor at Georgetown, training the next generation of diplomats, including Sophia Muhlenberg, who served as her teaching assistant and is now a foreign service officer.

　　SOPHIA MUHLENBERG: The lessons about hard work and perseverance³⁰ and truly loving the craft are ones that she exemplified every day. I can't state enough how important that was for me.

　　SPRUNT: In her lifetime, Albright saw two more women become secretary of state - Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. She reflected in a 2012 C-SPAN interview that for a lot of young women, that was becoming the norm.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　ALBRIGHT: My youngest granddaughter, when she turned 7, said to her mother, so what's the big deal about Grandma Maddie being secretary of state? Only girls are secretary of state.

　　SPRUNT: Barbara Sprunt, NPR News.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ROBERT ASHFORD'S "FATHER RONDO (PIANO)")

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

7 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

8 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

10 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。

11 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。

12 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

13 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

15 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

16 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

17 fortitude   

n.坚忍不拔；刚毅

参考例句：

• His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
• He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。

18 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

19 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

20 wield   

vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等)

参考例句：

• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。
• People may wield the power in a democracy.在民主国家里，人民可以行使权力。

21 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

22 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

23 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。

24 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

25 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

26 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

27 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

29 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

30 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。