U.S. Senate approves John Kerry as next secretary of state

 　　WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved Democratic Senator John Kerry as the next secretary of state, who is set to replace Hillary Clinton.

　　The Senate confirmed Kerry's nomination¹ in a 94-3 vote, hours after the chamber²'s Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination. Kerry has chaired the committee himself for the past four years.

　　"Senator Kerry will need no introduction to the world's political and military leaders and will begin Day One fully⁴ conversant⁵ not only with the intricacies of U.S. foreign policy, but able to act on a multitude of international stages," said Democratic Senator Bob Menendez at the Senate, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

　　Senator Bob Corker, the top Republican on the same committee, praised Kerry's testimony⁶ on Thursday and called him "a realist" in dealing⁷ with world affairs.

　　At the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee earlier the day, Kerry appreciated the praises from his colleagues.

　　"I'm honored beyond words," he said. "What a privilege to work with you and now to work with you in a different way. I thank you very, very much."Kerry is expected to be sworn in this week, as Clinton will leave her job on Friday.

　　A senator from the state of Massachusetts, Kerry was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama on Dec. 21 as the next chief diplomat⁸ of the United States.

　　Kerry offered support to Obama's re-elections, and acted in preparation for his debate with Mitt³ Romney, the president's Republican rival.

　　In the nomination ceremony at the White House, Obama highly valued Kerry's rich experience in foreign policy, saying "few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly as John Kerry" and calling him the "perfect choice" to guide American diplomacy⁹ in the years ahead.

　　Kerry, 69, won a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. After returning home, he became an anti-war hero.

　　First elected to the Senate as a representative of Massachusetts in 1984, Kerry is serving his fifth term in the chamber. He was elected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2008 after chairman Biden was elected vice¹⁰ president.

　　Kerry launched a bid for the White House in 2004 but lost to then incumbent¹¹ George W. Bush by a margin¹² of 34 electoral votes.

　　As a reliable emissary of the administration, Kerry also went to talk Afghan President Hamid Karzai into agreeing to a run-off presidential election in 2009.

　　And in 2011, he secured the release by Pakistan of a CIA contractor¹³ accused of killing¹⁴ two Pakistanis as well as the return of parts of a U.S. stealth helicopter which crashed in an operation inside the South Asian nation in which al-Qaida leader Osama bin¹⁵ Laden¹⁶ was killed.

　　Kerry was Obama's favorite for the job as secretary of state in 2008 before the president selected Hillary Clinton, his rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nominee¹⁷.

　　The nomination of Kerry had become certain after Susan Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations and Obama's top choice for secretary of state, withdrew over her controversial statements about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate¹⁸ in Benghazi, Libya last year, in which four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed.

　　Some Republican senators have vowed¹⁹ to block Rice's nomination over her initial description of the attack as one arising from a spontaneous protest over an American-made anti-Islam film, accusing her of trying to mislead the American people. The Obama administration later acknowledged that there was no protest and the assault was a terrorist attack.

　　Kerry is not seen as part of Obama's inner circle, a fact that casts doubt about how much influence he can wield²⁰ over foreign policy making in the administration.

　　Kerry insiders reportedly said that as top American diplomat, Kerry would like to play a big role in shaping policies for the Middle East and promoting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

　　He will head a department beset²¹ by limited funds and rising security costs overseas, and also an agency of which the image has been tarnished²² for failing to provide adequate security to its diplomatic post in Benghazi.

1 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。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 conversant   

adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的

参考例句：

• Mr.Taylor is thoroughly conversant with modern music.泰勒先生对现代音乐很精通。
• We become the most conversant stranger in the world.我们变成了世界上最熟悉的陌生人。

6 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

7 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。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

12 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

13 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

14 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

15 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

16 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

17 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

18 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

19 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

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 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

22 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。