中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Bob Olding, president of Damilic Corp., demonstrates June 13 the features of the older model Autopen Model 80 in Rockville, Md.(Agencies) |
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It's the open secret that nobody in government wants to talk about: That cherished presidential signature that's tucked away in a scrapbook or framed for all to see might never have passed under the president's hand. For decades, presidents of both parties have let an autopen do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to scrawling their signatures. The machine was recently put to use signing a bill into law, apparently a first. Overseas and out of reach when lawmakers passed an extension of certain provisions of the Patriot Act, President Barack Obama employed the autopen to sign it, a step the White House has been mum about ever since. "I always heard the autopen was the second most guarded thing in the White House after the president," says Jack Shock, who had permission to wield former President Bill Clinton's autopen as his director of presidential letters and messages. Jim Cicconi, who oversaw the use of autopens for President George H.W. Bush, recalls that the plastic signature templates for the machines — yes, there was more than one autopen — would wear out from repeated use. Ronald Reagan had 22 different signature templates, including "Ron," "Dutch" and other iterations, to boost the aura of authenticity surrounding his fake signatures, says Stephen Koschal, an autograph authenticator who two years ago published a guide to presidential autopen signatures. It's not just ordinary Americans who get the autopen treatment. Koschal says he once visited Vice President Dan Quayle's office in the Capitol and spotted a signed photograph from the first President Bush that he said had clearly been autopenned. Obama took the presidential autopen out of the closet and into a new realm. While traveling in Europe last month, Obama directed his staff in Washington to use an autopen to sign into law an extension of certain Patriot Act powers to fight terrorism. The legislation had been approved by Congress at the last minute, and there was no time to fly it to France for Obama's signature before the anti-terrorism powers expired. It was believed to be the first time a president has used an autopen to sign legislation. Autopen signatures generally are reserved for more personalized correspondence that doesn't score a real signature, say officials from administrations past. (Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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這是美國政府內部一個“公開的秘密”，但沒有人愿意談及：很多人收藏在剪貼簿，或者裝裱起來供眾人欣賞的總統簽名可能是自動簽名機代勞的。 幾十年以來，兩黨各總統在需要完成繁重的簽名任務時，自動簽名機就派上了用場。不久前，自動簽名機還被用于簽署一項法案，這在美國歷史上還屬首次。 美國國會近日通過一項法案，涉及擴大部分《愛國者法》所設權力。但奧巴馬當時身處海外，于是下令用自動簽名機替他簽署法案。白宮對此事一直閉口不談。 曾經替前總統克林頓“執(zhí)掌”自動簽名機的總統信件信息主管杰克?肖克說：“自動簽名機在白宮內受保護程度排在第二位，僅次于總統?！?/p> 據前總統老布什的自動簽名機使用負責人吉姆?西科尼回憶，自動簽名機不止一臺，由于重復使用，機器的塑料簽字模板很容易損耗。 筆跡鑒定者史蒂芬?柯什爾兩年前出版了一本關于總統使用自動簽名機簽名的指南。他稱前總統羅納德?里根有22個不同的簽名模版，包括包括“Ron”，“Dutch”，以及其它類似的簽名等等，以增加“假簽名”的真實感。 獲贈自動簽名機簽名的不僅僅是普通美國人。 柯什爾還說，他拜訪前副總統丹?奎爾位于國會大廈的辦公室時，發(fā)現了一張老布什總統贈出的簽名照，簽名明顯是自動簽名機寫的。 奧巴馬使總統使用自動簽名機的“秘密”公開了，而且引入了新的使用領域。 上個月，奧巴馬在歐洲訪問期間，下令華盛頓的工作人員用自動簽名機為他簽署《愛國者法案》某些條款的延長決定。因為這些條款在最后時刻才在國會通過，總統如不立即簽署生效就會作廢。由于奧巴馬遠在法國，只能求助于自動簽名機。 據稱，總統借用自動簽名機簽署法案，這在歷史上首開先例。美國政府官員曾透露，自動簽名機通常用于更加私人化的普通信件，因為它們無需親筆簽名。 相關閱讀 （中國日報網英語點津 實習生史莉萍 編輯：Julie） |
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Vocabulary: open secret: 公開的秘密 tuck away: to store, esp in a place difficult to find（收藏起來） autopen: a machine that can automatically reproduce or imitate an autograph or personal Signature with any type of pen, pencil, or marker.（自動簽名機，自動簽名機） heavy lifting: hard work（困難或吃力的工作） mum about: 保持沉默，閉口不談 aura: a subtly pervasive quality or atmosphere seen as emanating from a person, place, or thing.（氣氛；氛圍；氣質） (come)out of the closet: 公開承認秘密（尤指因恥辱或尷尬而一直保守著的秘密） |
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