[ti:Nuts and Bolts] [ar:Warren Scheer] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Now, the VOA Special English program, [00:14.71]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:18.05]Every machine is held together [00:22.96]by its nuts and bolts. [00:25.06]Without them, [00:26.46]the machine would fall apart. [00:29.21]That is also true of an organization. [00:33.27]Its nuts and bolts are its basic, [00:37.01]necessary elements. [00:38.97]They are the parts that [00:41.20]make the organization work. [00:43.09]In government, industry, diplomacy [00:47.19]-- in most anything [00:48.89]-- those who understand the nuts [00:52.13]and bolts are the most important. [00:55.14]Success depends more on them [00:58.57]than on almost anyone else. [01:02.02]In government, the president [01:05.71]or prime minister may plan [01:08.55]and shape programs and policies. [01:12.04]But, it takes much more work [01:15.30]to get them approved and [01:17.56]to make them successful. [01:19.62]There is a mass of detailed work [01:23.32]to be done.The nuts and bolts. [01:26.36]This is often put into [01:29.41]the hands of specialists. [01:31.38]The top leaders are always well-known, [01:35.44]but not those who work [01:38.19]with the nuts and bolts. [01:40.19]This is equally true [01:43.49]in the day-to-day operation of Congress. [01:47.64]The majority leader of the Senate [01:50.89]and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, [01:55.44]together with the chairmen of committees, [01:58.43]keep the business of Congress moving. [02:01.23]Behind every Senator and Congressman, [02:05.74]however, are assistants. [02:08.27]These people do all the detailed work [02:12.47]to prepare congressmen [02:13.91]to vote wisely on each issue. [02:17.21]In diplomacy, the chief ministers [02:21.64]are unquestionably important in negotiations. [02:25.78]But there are lesser officials [02:28.17]who do the basic work and preparations [02:32.07]on the different issues to be negotiated. [02:36.32]此处一段无文本 [03:09.57]In a military operation, [03:12.02]strategy decisions are important. [03:14.61]But much more time is spent [03:17.61]on the nuts and bolts [03:19.76]-- generally called logistics [03:22.01]-- of how to transport and supply an army. [03:26.20]It has been said that Napoleon [03:29.38]was successful because he knew [03:32.48]the field position of every one of his guns. [03:36.87]He gave careful attention [03:39.57]to the nuts and bolts of his operations. [03:43.10]The extreme importance of nuts [03:46.75]and bolts was expressed [03:49.25]by the Elizabethan poet, [03:50.94]George Herbert. He wrote: [03:53.31]For want of a nail, the shoe is lost [03:58.21]For want of a shoe, the horse is lost [04:02.64]For want of a horse, the rider is lost. [04:06.77]Benjamin franklin carried [04:10.49]these lines even further. He wrote: [04:13.80]For want of a rider, the battle was lost [04:18.69]For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost [04:22.54]And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. [04:26.69](MUSIC) [04:36.33]This VOA Special Englsih program, [04:40.02]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, [04:42.92]was written by Marilyn Christiano. [04:46.11]The narrator was Maurice Joyce. [04:48.91]I'm Warren Scheer.