VOA标准英语2010年-Arab World Gears Up for Holy Month of
时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2010年(八)月
An Egyptian vendor 1 prepares the display of traditional lanterns for sale at his shop in Cairo, Egypt, in preparation for the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, 3 Aug 2010
According to Islam's lunar-based calendar, the holy month of Ramadan is set to start on Wednesday in large parts of the Middle East, predicts a Saudi cleric. Clerics also have issued a fatwa - or religious edict - prohibiting price increases, a common practice during Ramadan.
Merchants across Cairo are stocking their shelves with dates, nuts, figs 2, and apricot paste for the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Many also are stringing lights and lanterns to decorate for the event amid intense summer heat.
Ramadan starts with the first sighting of the crescent moon. Cloud cover and geography mean that some countries begin a day or two earlier than others. One Saudi cleric predicts that Ramadan will start next Wednesday in his country, as well as Egypt. He says that the crescent moon will probably be sighted on Tuesday night in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and if there are witnesses and their sightings are corroborated 3 by the religious court, then Ramadan will begin on Wednesday.
During Ramadan, people fast from sunrise to sunset across the Islamic world, abstaining 4 from food and drink. Since Ramadan this year starts during the summer, the heat will force many to curtail 5 their activities. Egypt will even set clocks back an hour to help people to cope.
After sunset and the sound of the Ramadan cannon 6, people eat their first meal, or iftar, which is often a copious 7, multiple course banquet.
Dates are traditionally an important part of the Ramadan celebration and markets here in Cairo sell dozens of varieties. The finest dates are named after well-loved celebrities 8, and the more mediocre 9 after familiar villains 10. A food critic from the Gulf 11 explains that dates are important, a well-known product of the Arabian desert and well-loved by Arabs. He stresses that they are mentioned in the Koran and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed. He also notes that they go through five stages, all of which have many nutritional 12 values.
Egyptians complain that prices of many foodstuffs 13 are rising dramatically as Ramadan nears, making it hard for families to prepare meals. The daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that a fatwa has been issued to forbid merchants from raising prices during Ramadan.
The dean of Cairo's venerable Al Azhar University, it adds, is calling the practice "unlawful" and contrary to Islamic sharia law. Egypt's Ministry 14 of Religious Affairs also is planning a small revolution, set to start with the onset 15 of Ramadan, by creating one, official broadcast call to prayer.
The cacophony 16 of poorly coordinated 17 prayer calls across Cairo has long irritated many residents. Though the project has met opposition 18 from some clerics, the government has finally decided 19 to implement 20 the unified 21 prayer call, which it has long considered.
Arab satellite television channels also are starting to advertise for this year's crop of Ramadan soap operas and mini-series, which are a popular staple 22 during evening gatherings 23 of family and friends. Many stay up during the night to talk and watch TV, sleeping instead during the day.
- She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
- He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。
- The effect of ring dyeing is shown in Figs 10 and 11. 环形染色的影响如图10和图11所示。
- The results in Figs. 4 and 5 show the excellent agreement between simulation and experiment. 图4和图5的结果都表明模拟和实验是相当吻合的。
- The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
- Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Abstaining from killing, from taking what is not given, & from illicIt'sex. 诸比丘!远离杀生,远离不与取,于爱欲远离邪行。
- Abstaining from arguments was also linked to an unusual daily cortisol pattern. 压抑争吵也造成每日异常的皮质醇波动。
- The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
- The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。
- The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
- The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
- She supports her theory with copious evidences.她以大量的例证来充实自己的理论。
- Every star is a copious source of neutrinos.每颗恒星都是丰富的中微子源。
- He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
- a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
- The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦,但学业平庸。
- Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。
- The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
- There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
- A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
- The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。
- Imports of foodstuffs accounted for a small proportion of total imports. 食物进口仅占总进口额的一小部份。
- Many basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, are tax-free. 许多基本食物如牛奶和面包是免税的。
- They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
- We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
- The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
- Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。
- All around was bubbling a cacophony of voices.周围人声嘈杂。
- The drivers behind him honked,and the cacophony grew louder.后面的司机还在按喇叭,且那刺耳的声音越来越大。
- The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
- The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划,除非你能完成这项计划。
- The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。
- The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
- The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。
- Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
- Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。
- His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
- During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。