白宫国宴邀请函因奥朗德与瓦莱丽分手而报废

时间：2014-02-16 05:54:45

（单词翻译:单击）

The White House has discreetly¹ destroyed hundreds of embossed invitations to a state dinner honouring François Hollande because they included a reference to his now former partner.

法国总统奥朗德1月底宣布与“第一女友”瓦莱丽分手，而白宫在此前就为他本月的访美之行印发了提及瓦莱丽的国宴邀请函。白宫为了跟上奥朗德私生活步伐，不得不报废了数百份国宴邀请函。

French President Francois Hollande and former First Lady Valerie Trierweiler

President Barack Obama's aides have struggled to keep up with the French leader's chaotic² personal life after he was caught having an affair with an actress and broke up with long-time girlfriend Valérie Trierweiler.

After scrapping³ the first 300 invites, the Americans were left wondering whether to include the name of Mr Hollande's new mistress, according to The New York Times.

It was eventually settled that the French leader would be travelling solo to Washington, ending the nerve-racking uncertainty⁴ for the White House's protocol⁵ officers.

The decision will spare Michelle Obama from a day of tea and local visits, which is usually how she entertains foreign leader's spouses⁶ while her husband holds bilateral⁷ talks.

Instead, Mr Obama and Mr Hollande will today go to Monticello, the Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson, who was one of America's first ambassadors to Paris before being elected president.

The two presidents will hold a joint⁸ press conference tomorrow [TUES], where Mr Hollande may face the indignity⁹ of being questioned about his affair while standing¹⁰ next to the world's most powerful man.

During a London press conference with David Cameron, Mr Hollande was has asked by a British reporter whether his "private life has made France an international joke". He declined to answer.

It is not the first time that a French leader's personal life has caught the White House off guard. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy abruptly¹¹ announced he was divorcing his second wife, Cécilia Attias, just weeks before a visit to Washington.

Among the guests at Tuesday's state dinner will be Christine Lagarde, the French head of the International Monetary¹² Fund, and actor Bradley Cooper, who speaks fluent French.

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1 discreetly
ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地
参考例句：
He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇，一个很会讲排场的法国女人。 Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么，有意避开了。

2 chaotic
adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的
参考例句：
Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。 The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

3 scrapping
刮，切除坯体余泥
参考例句：
He was always scrapping at school. 他在学校总打架。 These two dogs are always scrapping. 这两条狗总是打架。

4 uncertainty
n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物
参考例句：
Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。 After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 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。

6 spouses
n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。来自辞典例句 An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。来自辞典例句

7 bilateral
adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的
参考例句：
They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。 There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 joint
adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合
参考例句：
I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。 We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 indignity
n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑
参考例句：
For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。 She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。

10 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

12 monetary
adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的
参考例句：
The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。 Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。