VOA标准英语2010年-Lebanon's Qadisha Valley Threatened by

The Qadisha Valley in northern Lebanon is an area of early Christian¹ monastic settlement where Maronite Christians² have been coming to live and pray since the late 7th century. The deep gorge³ carved by the Qadisha River was deemed a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1998. Now its status may be in danger.

This valley is as rich historically as it is visually.  It's home to some of the most ancient Christian monasteries⁴, and its natural caves or 'hermitages,' were used as shelters and burial grounds going back more than 10,000 years.  Historians say the 10-kilometer-long valley contains at least six houses of worship, including churches, monasteries and convents.

The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1998 - a designation for places of special physical or cultural value.  Now UNESCO is warning the Lebanese government to clean up Qadisha or it could be removed from the World Heritage list.

Riad Keirouz is head of the "Committee for Safeguarding the Qadisha Valley." The group is working to preserve the valley's integrity.

 "The Maronites have never had, and will never have, any site like the Qadisha Valley, in the future, to present the Maronitism as a culture and as a civilized⁵ community ... so it's really our pride," said Keirouz.

Maronite Christians are the dominant⁶ religious group in the area.  Over the years, the valley has served as a refuge for those in search of solitude⁷, not just Christians, but Sufi Muslims, too.  For tourists, the serenity⁸ is palpable.

"It's a place full of prayer, you are in nature, and you can let yourself go, forget all the traffic, pollution, honking⁹, people in bad moods, so you come here just for …. ZEN," said one tourist

UNESCO requires that World Heritage Sites maintain their original character, but Qadisha is changing.  New construction is worrisome, said UNESCO's Abdel Moneim Osman.  "We are concerned about two aspects of the character, whether it is the material character, that is, you build or you construct something, or the spiritual character."

Osman says other concerns include sewage, unregulated restaurants, and the use of all-terrain vehicles for recreation. 
UNESCO has sent a warning letter to Lebanon's Minister of Culture.  But if violations¹⁰ continue, an official warning could follow, and eventually a recommendation to declassify¹¹ the site.

Preservationists have been working to retain the site's status by promoting awareness¹² among Lebanese and reaching out to the media.  They recently circulated a petition to help save the valley as a World Heritage Site.  They got more than 5,000 signatures, including Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman.

 

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 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。

3 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

4 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

5 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

6 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

7 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

8 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

9 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 declassify   

v.撤销保密

参考例句：

• These reports were only declassified last year.这些报告去年才被撤销了密级。
• Does the president have the power to declassify information?总统有权利解密相关信息吗？

12 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。