VOA慢速英语2017--A Desert Turns Green

 

On the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula¹, the desert turns green as clouds cover it like a blanket.

This is the country of Oman's monsoon² season.

The natural event, which lasts for three months, draws hundreds of thousands of tourists with cool weather and beautiful views. It began this year on June 21.

A 60-day festival, in Oman's Dhofar region³, draws about 50,000 people every night for dance competitions, musical performances, and exorcisms.

In the midst⁴ of the clouds, people celebrate Oman's cultural diversity of Arab, African, and Asian roots.

The festival

Officials in Dhofar region started the monsoon festival in 1998.

The monsoon festival now draws performers from 40 countries, said festival director Talal al-Masahli. He added that 60 percent of the visitors come from Oman, while the rest come from nearby countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Each night, a different Omani city takes the main stage.

The port of Sohar did a sea-themed show with cannons⁶ and a large wooden ship. The next night, a group from Bidbid chanted with swords while a musician blew into a ram's horn.

Salem Ashoor, leader of the local Ahmad al-Kabir Sufi order, said diverse⁷ groups use the festival to share their cultures. The Sufi order, for example, performed a musical exorcism in front of almost of 500 people.

More tourists come every year

Khalid al-Najar is a meteorologist. He explains that the mountains surrounding Salalah, Dhofar's capital city, trap moisture⁸ from the Indian Ocean monsoon. Air pressure pockets above Saudi Arabia and Tibet drive air currents to Oman.

These weather currents create a unique environment, which has heavy fogs and lush mountains and coasts.

"It's magical," said Muna al-Ajmi, an Omani chemical engineer visiting the region with two children.

Thomas Wagmann, on holiday from Dubai, noted⁹, "Compared to Dubai, this [Dhofar region] is just fantastic because you can be outdoors all the time."

He added, "You don't even have to worry about sunburn because there's no sun."

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

monsoon – n. a wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia that brings heavy rains in the summer

exorcism – n. to force (an evil¹⁰ spirit) to leave

cannon⁵ – n. a large gun that shoots heavy metal or stone balls and that was once a common military weapon

blow – v. to create a current of moving air by breathing

meteorologist – n. a scientist who studies the atmosphere and with weather

moisture – n. a small amount of a liquid (such as water) that makes something wet or moist

1 peninsula   

n.半岛

参考例句：

• Dalian is in the south of the Liaodong Peninsula.大连位于辽东半岛南部。
• Korean peninsula lies to the west of Japan.朝鲜半岛在日本以西。

2 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

3 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

4 midst   

n.中部，中间，当中

参考例句：

• The hut is in the midst of the forest.小屋在森林深处。
• There is a thief in our midst.我们当中有小偷。

5 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

6 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 diverse   

adj.不同的；相异的；多种多样的；形形色色的

参考例句：

• Spain is a composite of diverse traditions and people.西班牙是一个汇集了多种传统和民族的国家。
• Society is now much more diverse than ever before.当今社会较之以往任何时候都要丰富多彩得多。

8 moisture   

n.水分；降雨量；水气；湿气

参考例句：

• This tree drank up more moisture than that one.这棵树吸收的水分比那棵树多。
• The moisture in the air makes it humid today.今天空气中水气大，天气很潮湿。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。