2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Names New Treasury Secretary

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
30 May 2006

 
President Bush, left, listens as Henry M. Paulson Jr. speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House Tuesday, May 30, 2006
  
President Bush has named a new treasury¹ secretary, choosing Wall Street executive Henry Paulson to replace John Snow. 

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There had been speculation² for about a year that Treasury Secretary John Snow would step down. On Tuesday morning, the speculation became fact.

President Bush moved quickly to name a replacement³.

"I am pleased to announce that I will nominate Henry Paulson to be the secretary of the treasury," he announced.

For the past eight years, Paulson has been chairman of Goldman Sachs, one of the leading financial firms on Wall Street. The company has sent a number of its top executives to Washington.

President Bush said Paulson is leaving one of the most rewarding jobs on Wall Street to serve the American people, and he urged the Senate to confirm the appointment as quickly as possible.

"He has a lifetime of business experience; he has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and the ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. He has earned a reputation for candor⁴ and integrity. And when he is confirmed by the Senate, he will be a superb addition to my cabinet," added Mr. Bush.

The president went on to thank John Snow for his service, noting economic gains made during his tenure⁵. But Snow had limited success selling the administration's economic policies, and his departure is part of a White House shake-up designed to revive the president's sagging⁶ approval rating with the public, which is at just more than 30 percent.

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 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。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 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。

5 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。

6 sagging   

下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is continuously sagging. 敌军的士气不断低落。
• We are sagging south. 我们的船正离开航线向南漂流。