VOA常速英语2007年-New Australian Leader Names Cabinet

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
29 November 2007

Australia's Prime Minister-designate, Kevin Rudd, has named a woman as the country's deputy leader for the first time, and a former rock singer has been appointed environment minister.  From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports on Mr. Rudd's new cabinet.

Australians voted for change last Saturday after 11 years under Prime Minister John Howard, and the cabinet unveiled Thursday by Mr. Howard's successor, Kevin Rudd, promises just that.

There will be increased emphasis on the environment and the hot issue of climate change under the new Labor¹ Party government.  Peter Garrett, a singer with the popular Australian band "Midnight Oil" before entering politics, has been appointed environment minister.

Penny Wong, an ethnic² Chinese immigrant from Malaysia, has been given the brand new portfolio³ of Minister for Climate Change and Water.  One of her first jobs will be to negotiate Australia's signing of the Kyoto Protocol⁴ on climate change, which Mr. Howard had refused to sign.

Ms. Wong is one of seven women in the cabinet.  Julia Gillard has been appointed deputy Prime Minister - the first woman to achieve that position in Australia.

Mr. Rudd says the women have all been selected on merit alone.

"I'm proud of the fact that these women are in these positions, because they have worked their guts⁵ out, they are strong, talented individuals,"  he said.

If the country now has a celebrity⁶ for an environment minister, the man who will be representing Australia to the world still has to make a name for himself.

The new foreign minister is Stephen Smith, a lawyer from Western Australia, who like many top members of the incoming government is virtually unknown outside the country - and not terribly well known inside it, either.

Mr. Howard was a strong backer of U.S. President George Bush's war on terror, and sent troops to both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Mr. Rudd promised to pull Australian troops out of Iraq. His new defense⁷ minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, will have the job of implementing⁸ that policy, while keeping military ties with the United States strong.

The defeated Liberal Party announced its own changes Thursday.  The man who succeeds John Howard is former Defense Minister Brendan Nelson, who promises to keep pressure on the Rudd government.

"I say to the average Australian that I will be working very hard to be a very effective alternative government for Australia, and I am very confident that…we will have ourselves in a position to make sure we are in a winning position three years from now," he said.

Labor is expected to have a majority of more than 20 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives when the few remaining postal⁹ votes are counted. Mr. Rudd's team is due to be sworn into office on Monday.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

4 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

5 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• 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。

8 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

9 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。