VOA标准英语2009年-Clinton Sets First High-Level Talks, Travel as

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to meet with her British and German counterparts on Tuesday in her first meetings with senior foreign officials in her new post. Plans are also being made for her first overseas trip as Secretary - to Japan, South Korea and China.

Clinton's separate meetings with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday reflect an accelerating pace for the secretary as she moves into her second full week on the job.

Officials say the talks with the two key U.S. allies are likely to be dominated by discussion of the conflict in Afghanistan and how to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

Senior diplomats¹ of the five permanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany are to convene² in Wiesbaden, Germany on Wednesday to discuss strategy in the long-running talks aimed at persuading Tehran to end its uranium-enrichment program, which is believed weapons-related.

In a departure from his predecessor³, President Barack Obama has said his administration intends to directly engage Tehran.

No decisions on how that approach might be made have been announced, although the State Department said Monday that a U.S. women's badminton team is taking part in a tournament in Iran this week, continuing a series of people-to-people contacts.
　
From left: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsey Clinton and Vice⁴ President Joe Biden at the State Department in Washington, 02 Feb 2009

Although she was sworn into office privately⁵ just after her Senate confirmation⁶ January 21, Clinton repeated her oath at a State Department event on Monday. The formal ceremony was attended by Congressional leaders, four former Secretaries of State, and her husband - former President Bill Clinton.

Vice President Joe Biden, who officiated at the event, said Clinton - a former Senator and Presidential candidate - has given the U.S. diplomatic corps⁷ a long-overdue morale⁸ boost.

"That sense of enthusiasm as you walk in and through this building - it is contagious," said Vice President Biden. "And that's a statement about your ability to inspire, Madame Secretary, as well as to lead."

For her part, Clinton reiterated⁹ her commitment to the use of "smart power" - a blend of diplomacy¹⁰, developmental aid and military strength to advance U.S. interests. She said that while current world problems are daunting¹¹, they are not insurmountable.

"We have in the leadership of President Obama someone who wants us to reach out to the world, to do so without illusions - understanding the difficulties we face will not be wished away, but meeting them forthrightly¹² and smartly, and that we want to seize the opportunities that exist as well," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

State Department officials say plans are being finalized¹³ for Clinton's first overseas trip as Secretary of State - a visit to Japan, South Korea and China and possibly other stops in the region - that could begin as early as the end of next week.

The trip would be aimed at reaffirming close ties with key U.S. regional allies Japan and South Korea, and at dealing¹⁴ with problems in the complex relationship with China. The issue of North Korea's nuclear program is expected to be a key agenda item in all three stops.

North Korea suspended its nuclear activity and has partially¹⁵ disabled its atomic reactor¹⁶ complex in Chinese-sponsored six-party negotiations¹⁷ with Pyongyang. But the process has stalled over North Korea's refusal to accept a verification plan for the declaration of its nuclear holdings it made last June.

1 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》

2 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

3 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

4 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。

5 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

6 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

10 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。

11 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

12 forthrightly   

ad.言行坦诚地，直率地

参考例句：

• Didn't prevaricate but answered forthrightly and honestly. 毫不欺骗而是坦言相告。
• However in the economic production function that how knowledge contains a level forthrightly? 然而知识如何直接地包含到标准的经济生产函数中？

13 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。

15 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

16 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

17 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。