2006年VOA标准英语-Gates Expected to Make Changes at Pentagon
时间：2019-02-03 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（十一月)
By Greg Flakus
Houston
09 November 2006
President Bush has chosen a former CIA director Robert Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense 1. Among his numerous previous functions, Gates served on a congressional panel set up to review the conduct of the Iraq war. VOA's Greg Flakus has this report on Robert Gates and what he may bring to the job.
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From left: Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush and Robert Gates
Appearing with President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld Wednesday, shortly after his appointment had been announced, Robert Gates said this was not a job he had sought.
"I had not anticipated returning to government service and have never enjoyed any position more than being president of Texas A&M University," he said. "However, the United States is at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are fighting against terrorism worldwide and we face other serious challenges to peace and our security."
Robert Gates served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993 after serving more than 20 years in the spy agency in various positions in which he worked with six presidents. He has served as president of Texas A&M University, the nation's seventh largest university, for the past four years. The university is only a two-hour drive from President Bush's ranch 2 near Crawford, Texas, where they met over the weekend, according to the president.
"I had a good talk with him Sunday, in Crawford," he said. "I found him to be of like mind. He understands we are in a global war against these terrorists. He understands that defeat is not an option in Iraq."
Robert Gates at the White House, Nov. 8, 2006
Gates is one of the key figures from the first Bush administration, and he recently served on the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel established by Congress earlier this year and headed by former Secretary of State James Baker 3.
Some analysts 4 believe Robert Gates will represent the views of some of the former president Bush's advisers 6, many of whom have been critical of current U.S. policy in Iraq. There is also the possibility that he will work to implement 7 some of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group.
Georgetown University professor Paul Pillar, a former senior career intelligence officer, says Gates is also a shrewd political player with a knack 8 for handling bureaucracies.
"I think it is a mistake to think of Mr. Gates primarily in terms of his intelligence background, although he did come initially 9 out of the intelligence community and out of CIA, he did not rise through the ranks, but was kind of catapulted over most of the ranks and made his mark more as a high-level bureaucratic 10 operator, not just in the intelligence community, but also as deputy national security adviser 5 in the first Bush administration," he said.
Pillar says Gates will likely initiate 11 many changes in the Defense Department in addition to providing a fresh approach to the war in Iraq.
"He likes to think of himself as someone who shakes things up," he said. "I am sure, if he is confirmed as secretary of defense, over the first several weeks and months of his tenure 12, there will be news stories coming out about [that] he has appointed 50 different task forces to look at new ways of doing things and then issuing various directives to the department to change this and change that."
Gates will not assume office until he has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate. That, says the current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John Warner of Virginia, could happen "in the coming weeks."
Donald Rumsfeld
Democrats 13, who made large gains in Tuesday's midterm
election, are not likely to hold up his approval, since leading Democrats have been calling for Secretary Rumsfeld to be replaced for some time and, as President Bush made clear in his introduction of Robert Gates Wednesday, Donald Rumsfeld will remain in place as secretary of defense until the Senate approves Gates for the job.
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
- The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。
- The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
- The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
- 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。
- a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
- She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。
- Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
- The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。
- He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
- Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。
- The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
- Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。
- The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
- In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。
- A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
- They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。
- 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。