2006年VOA标准英语-Israel-Lebanon War Has Effects on Both Countrie

By Ernest Leong
Washington, DC
27 September 2006
 
watch Israel Lebanon Winery

War and wine -- a bizarre combination.  But in parts of Israel and Lebanon, living with both has been the norm for generations. 

 
Fall harvest of grapes
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in mid-August should be a verdant¹ oasis², as migrant workers pick grapes for the fall harvest. 

Instead, parts of it were reduced to rubble³ during the 34-day war with Israel.

The ceasefire in late August saved much of the wine crop, but David Schenker, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, says Lebanese wineries have lost significant revenue from related businesses. "They do have a tourism industry that is based on nature, and the skiing and beaches, and then on the 'Wine Road' because there are three, four major vineyards in Lebanon.  People go and they tour them all."

 
Once a resort, now bombed
Once-beautiful beach resorts are now polluted with oil, after Israel bombed petroleum⁴ tanks on the coast.  Many of Lebanon's roads are impassable -- all of which means the tourism business will continue to suffer.

Lebanon is already heavily in debt from its 1975 civil war and the Israeli invasion in 1982.

 
David Schenker
Schenker says Lebanon's economy relies heavily on external investors⁵.  The country's award-winning wine industry, which reached almost $10.50 million in wine exports last year, is one way of "selling" Lebanon to potential investors. "Its [Wine is] really a major industry in terms of exporting Lebanon to the world."

Lebanese-born Jad Chamas is the beverage⁶ manager at a Washington, D.C. restaurant serving many Lebanese customers.  He says, although Islam bans the drinking of alcohol, there is a growing demand for wine among his countrymen in Lebanon.

 
Jad Chamas
"We have a 60-40.  More like a 60-40.  Sixty percent Muslims, and 40 Christians⁷.  Muslims do not drink, but for Christians, wine is very important."  Despite the restrictions⁸ of their religion, Chamas says some Lebanese Muslims enjoy drinking wine too.

Only 50 miles away from the Bekaa Valley, vineyards in northern Israel were hit by Hezbollah missiles, placing their wine crop in jeopardy⁹ as well.

For Moshe Haviv, manager of the Dalton Winery, the ceasefire came just in time. "For us the ceasefire was a miracle because at the same time of the ceasefire we started the harvest.  It was just that day."

Wine has long been an important part of Jewish culture.  Paul Scham is an Adjunct Scholar with the Middle East Institute. "Wine has been grown in the Middle East for thousands of years, and certainly it's something that was a part of Jewish culture because of their connection with wine back in Biblical times."

Like their Lebanese counterparts, some Israelis frown on social drinking.  Scham says that perception is changing. "Among more sophisticated Israelis who are interested in behaving, in many ways, like Europeans and upper class Americans, you'll find it [wines]."

Israel's wine industry, like Lebanon's, is growing.  In 2005, the industry generated $175 million in sales.

In the vineyards of Lebanon and Israel, disaster, for this year, has been averted¹⁰, as growers and workers continue the centuries-old struggle to balance war and business.

1 verdant   

adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的

参考例句：

• Children are playing on the verdant lawn.孩子们在绿茵茵的草坪上嬉戏玩耍。
• The verdant mountain forest turns red gradually in the autumn wind.苍翠的山林在秋风中渐渐变红了。

2 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

3 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

4 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

7 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

10 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。