英语听力：自然百科 圣城麦加

 Mecca sits in the western mountains of Saudi Arabia, in a sanctuary¹ roughly 100 mile square. Since long before Islam, it has been considered sacred territory where no one could hunt, cut trees or fight. At the heart of the city is a great mosque² called Masjid al-Haram(麦加圣寺) and at its center is the Kaaba（恺阿白清真寺）. Muslims don’t worship the Kaaba. They worship what it represents -- the One God.

 

Hajj(哈吉，即朝圣) takes place in and around Mecca. It is the series of rituals, performed between the 8th and 13th days of the last month of the Islamic calendar. While surfing(不确定) the Kaaba is the final act of the pilgrimage, it is also the top priority for pilgrims when they first get to Mecca.

 

For Muslims who’ve prayed in this direction every day for years, seeing the Kaaba for the first time is almost overwhelming.

 

Now to the valley of Mina, where the prophet Muhammad stopped and rested on his Hajj nearly 14 centuries ago. This is a town that grows from virtually zero to two million people overnight.

 

At dawn on the next day, the camps stir with anticipation³ for the greatest day of the Hajj. Two million people are off to the Plain of Arafat（阿拉法特平原）.

 

Some 50,000 vehicles crowd the roads. Arafat is eight miles east of Mina. It’s the place Muslims believe Adam and Eve found each other after exile from Eden. And it’s seen by many as a rehearsal⁴ for the Day of Judgment⁵.

 

“It’s Judgment Day. All the trappings of lives sort of fall away, and you see these people in front of God Almighty⁶. And that’s all there is.”

 

A strange choir⁷ descends⁸ in the afternoon as people turn inward. It’s called “the Standing⁹ at Arafat”. Only when the sun has set can pilgrims leave Arafat. Nearly two million people stand poised¹⁰ to move as soon as the sun dips below horizon.

 

The pilgrims move back toward the white tents of Mina where tomorrow they will engage in the symbolic¹¹ battle with the devil. Here Muslims believe God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, but the devil challenged him not to. One story says, Abraham pelted（砸向，掷向） the devil with stones, three separate times, chasing him away.

 

Three stone pillars marked the spots where Abraham stood his ground. At a place called Muzdalifah, on the way to the pillars, pilgrims pick up pebbles¹² to stone Satan themselves. The ritual is called the "Jamarat"(贾马拉大桥,投石驱魔仪式所在地).

 

With all other rights complete, pilgrims return to Mecca for a grand party visit. They have all earned an honorific title, Haji for the men, Hajjah for the women. Pilgrims arrive along amid a current of million strangers and go home riding a spiritual wave of rebirth.

1 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

2 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。

3 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

4 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

6 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

7 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

8 descends   

v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite. 这个节日起源于宗教仪式。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The path descends steeply to the village. 小路陡直而下直到村子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

11 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

12 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。