在线英语听力室_免费在线英语听力学习网站

美国任命第一位女性海军上将

For the first time in its 236-year history, the U.S. Navy has a woman as its second-highest ranking officer. Michelle Howard was promoted Tuesday to a four-star admiral and assumed her new duties as Vice¹ Chief of Naval² Operations (VCNO).

美国海军236年历史上，第一次把第二把交椅交给了一位妇女。星期二，米歇尔·霍华德被提升为四星上将，担任海军作战部副部长。霍华德在她的军事生涯中多次创下历史。

Howard received her fourth star at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery³ with her family and fellow servicemen looking on.

米歇尔·霍华德在阿灵顿国家公墓出席上将授衔典礼，出席典礼的还有她的家人和战友。

"If you don't believe today was the first - when I called to order, a four-star shoulder board for women - they didn't exist. [A] special contract was let and you folks are seeing the first set in the history of the United States Navy," said Howard.

霍华德说：“很难相信，四星肩章今天第一次落到了妇女肩上--如果不是我打电话去定制，这个东西根本不存在，我签了一个特别订单，大家才看到美国海军历史上第一对为妇女制做的四星肩章。”

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the promoting officer.

海军部长雷·麦伯斯是霍华德的提拔者。

"The Navy picked the best officer to be the VCNO. That's the only thing that happened here today," said Mabus.

他说：“海军选择了最优秀的军官来担任作战部副部长，没有别的考虑。”

Since 1982, when she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Howard has achieved many historic "firsts" in her career. She was the first African-American woman to achieve three-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as being the first woman to achieve the rank of admiral in the Navy. She also was the first African-American woman to command a naval ship.

自从霍华德1982年从美国海军学院毕业以来，她的生涯中出现了很多历史第一，她是第美国军队中第一位提升到中将军衔的非洲裔妇女，也是海军中的第一位女上将，她还是美国海军的第一位非洲裔女舰长。

Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert said the honors mean extra obligations.

美国海军作战部长乔纳森·格林纳特说，这个荣誉意味着更多的责任。

“She will bear the burden of a role model, and she is ready to bear that very well, and I am very excited about that because we need lots more women in the Navy,” said Greenert.

他说：“她将起到榜样的作用，她已经具备这样的条件，我为此而兴奋，因为海军需要更多的妇女。”

Howard was in the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, and in 2009 participated in the naval task force dispatched to rescue the U.S.-flagged merchant vessel⁴ Maersk Alabama and its captain Richard Phillips, who had been kidnapped by Somali pirates.

2001年，霍华德在五角大楼经历了911恐怖袭击。2009年，她参加了营救被索马里海盗劫持的悬挂美国国旗的阿拉巴马号商船及其船长理查德·菲利普斯的行动。

"I was just three days in the job when we got word that Captain Philips had been kidnapped," recalled Howard.

霍华德说：“我上任才3天，就听说菲利普斯船长被绑架的消息。”

American women serving in the military have broken many barriers in recent years, and can compete for positions that were once were closed to them. Howard said her promotion⁵ can serve as further encouragement.

近年来，美国女军人打破重重阻碍，得以竞争以前不对妇女开放的职位。霍华德说，她的晋升是对妇女的进一步鼓励。

"My rank today lets them know that they can go from junior enlisted⁶ to MCPON (master chief petty officer) in the Navy or from ensign to admiral," said Howard.

她说：“我今天的军衔让大家知道，在海军中，她们可以从列兵上升到主军士长，从少尉升到上将。”

Howard is the third woman in the U.S. military to reach a four-star rank. One is in the Army and the other in the Air Force.

霍华德是第三位荣获四星军衔的美国妇女，另外两位分别在陆军和空军。

“We, as a Navy and as a nation, have just got to quit wasting the talent and the ability based on race or gender⁷ or anything else," said Mabus.

麦伯斯说：“我们海军，我们国家，绝不能再因为种族、性别或任何其他因素而埋没人才。”

Officials from all military service branches have announced plans to open combat positions to women who meet physical or performance standards by 2016.

美国各军种都已经宣布，计划在2016年以前对符合体质标准的妇女开放作战职位。