VOA标准英语2010年-Former US Secretary of State Haig Dead

Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig pauses in thought prior to a panel discussion with other former Secreatries of State entitled The Annual Report of the Secretaries of State at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, Sept. 8, 1995.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, an adviser¹ to three presidents, has died at the age of 85.  General Haig was known for his successful military career, his diplomatic skills, and one controversial comment.

Alexander Haig served a series of Republican presidents as a trusted advisor³ and an accomplished⁴ diplomat², as he rose to the rank of four-star general in the U.S. Army.

 

As an assistant to national security adviser Henry Kissinger, Haig had a key role in the talks that led to the Paris Peace Agreements on ending the Vietnam War.  Haig also helped arrange President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China.

Haig served as Mr. Nixon's chief of staff and was said to have a hand in the negotiations⁵ leading to the president's resignation in 1974 and to Vice⁶ President Gerald Ford⁷ assuming the presidency⁸.

Haig returned to the military as commander in chief of U.S. forces in Europe and supreme⁹ allied¹⁰ commander of NATO forces.  He stepped down during the administration of President Jimmy Carter over the handling of the Iran hostage crisis.

After a short time in private industry, the retired¹¹ general went back to public service as President Ronald Reagan's secretary of state. 

Haig's 17 months as the top U.S. diplomat were marked by his tough stance toward the Soviet¹² Union, and by his battles with other top administration officials.

Professional diplomats¹³ praised Haig for his efforts toward a stable relationship with the Soviet Union.  He also conducted shuttle diplomacy¹⁴ between the British and Argentine governments, as he tried in vain to prevent a war over the Falkland Islands.

Haig may be best known, however, for a comment he made after the unsuccessful 1981 assassination¹⁵ attempt on President Reagan.

Speaking with reporters on national television, hours after the shooting, the secretary of state tried to reassure¹⁶ Americans that the government was functioning.

"Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order.  And should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so.  As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending¹⁷ return of the Vice President and am in close touch with him, and if something came up I would check with him," he said.

Some criticized the remark as an inappropriate attempt by Haig to exceed his authority, with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush flying back to Washington from Texas.  Haig later wrote that he had been guilty of a poor choice of words.

In 1988, Haig ran unsuccessfully for the Republican Party nomination¹⁸ for president.  The former secretary of state then worked in private business and was active as a speaker on foreign policy issues.

Alexander Haig died Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, of complications from an infection.  He leaves behind his wife of 60 years, as well as three children and eight grandchildren. 

A statement from U.S. President Barack Obama says Haig exemplified our finest warrior-diplomat tradition.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Haig earned honor on the battlefield, the confidence of presidents and prime ministers, and the thanks of a grateful nation. 

And George Shultz, who succeeded Haig as secretary of state, calls him a patriot¹⁹'s patriot.

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

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 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。

15 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

16 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

17 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

18 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。

19 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。