VOA标准英语10月-Three-Day Muslim Holiday Begins Across Most of Ar

Today marks the start of the annual three-day Eid al Fitr holiday which follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 9 Arab states across the Middle East. It is a time when the pious¹ pray, doting² parents give gifts, and children light firecrackers, as Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Beirut.
　

Thousands of Muslims circle the Kabaa inside and outside the Grand Mosque3, during Eid al-Fitr morning prayers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 30 Sep 2008

Tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the Grand Mosque in Islam's holy city of Mecca to hear the prayer leader exhort⁴ them to become better Muslims and to follow God, on the first day of the Eid al Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan.

Al Arabiya TV showed Saudi King Abdallah praying amidst a throng⁵ of worshippers, while the Arab daily Asharqalawsat reported that the King was appealing for "Muslim unity⁶" across the world.

The three-day Eid al Fitr holiday begins Tuesday in nine Arab states, with the exception of Egypt and Syria, after Muslim scholars sighted the crescent moon, overnight, bringing an end to the month of Ramadan, according to Islam's lunar calendar.

Eid al Fitr is a time of joy for Muslims, filled with family visits, gift-giving and sumptuous⁷ meals. Ibrahim, 11, explains what the holiday means to him.

He says its a time to have fun and play and he says its a beautiful holiday when everyone celebrates together. He says he and his friends go to the pinball arcade⁸.

On Beirut's tree-lined Hamra Street, parents stroll leisurely⁹ past store-windows filled with gifts, children in tow.

A young man in a Mickey Mouse costume dances with children in front of the El Dorado super store, as parents shop inside for toys, new clothes and sweets.

Bustle¹⁰ and festivities aside, Abu Ziyad, a professor, explains what the Eid al Fitr holiday means to him.

"It's mandatory¹¹ to have a little feast, the family around, praying to God that they (sic) have saved them, helped them, allowed them to carry on with this great month….this is the whole idea of the al Fitr," Abu Ziyad explained.

Meanwhile, pops, bangs, whistles and booms pierce the air, as adolescents annoy their elders by lighting¹² firecrackers.

Firecrackers are illegal in some Arab countries, especially in the Gulf¹³, but they are generally tolerated during Eid al Fitr. They are often sold on the street and carry whimsical names like Osama bin¹⁴ Laden¹⁵ and the B-52 bomber¹⁶.

Giving color to the scene, beggars, young and old, work the crowds to profit from a friendly holiday spirit of generosity¹⁷.

1 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 doting   

adj.溺爱的，宠爱的

参考例句：

• His doting parents bought him his first racing bike at 13.宠爱他的父母在他13岁时就给他买了第一辆竞速自行车。
• The doting husband catered to his wife's every wish.这位宠爱妻子的丈夫总是高度满足太太的各项要求。

3 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

4 exhort   

v.规劝，告诫

参考例句：

• The opposition can only question and exhort.反对党只能提出质问和告诫。
• This is why people exhort each other not to step into stock market.这就是为什么许多人互相告诫，不要涉足股市的原因。

5 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 sumptuous   

adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的

参考例句：

• The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns.客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。
• We were ushered into a sumptuous dining hall.我们被领进一个豪华的餐厅。

8 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

9 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

10 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

11 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

12 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• 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。

14 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

15 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

16 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

17 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。