2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesians Prepare For Ramadan

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
12 September 2007

The new moon is here, and across the sprawling¹ archipelago of Indonesia, Islam's most holy month, Ramadan, is officially about to begin. Members of the world's largest Muslim population will begin the annual ritual of abstinence from dawn until dusk - and some will try to impose Islamic morality on non-Muslims. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from Jakarta.

Residents of Potro Bangsan hold a ceremony to welcome the holy month of Ramadan in Magelang, Indonesia, 12 Sep 2007

Indonesian officials, Muslim clerics, and astronomers² fanned out across this nation of 235 million people this week looking for the new moon, which signals the start of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan.

All agreed the new moon would appear by Wednesday, and it was declared that Ramadan would begin in Indonesia - a secular³, democratic nation with the world's largest number of Muslims - on Thursday.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and traditionally the month in which the Muslim holy book, the Koran, was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad.

The Koran says Muslims must fast and abstain⁴ from sex between dawn and sunset during this month.

Pak Nardo is a Muslim who prays five times a day as the Koran dictates⁵. He works as a security guard in Jakarta, and says he always observes Ramadan because it is an obligation for all Muslims.

He says the biggest challenge during the fasting month is the hunger and the ability to overcome it. But he thinks Ramadan is good because, it teaches people to be disciplined and to practice patience.

A small minority of Indonesians belong to other faiths besides Islam. Gideon is a Christian⁶ and an office worker in Jakarta, and he says the hardest part of Ramadan for him is the lack of available food to buy during lunch hour.

"[It is] a little bit hard because, you know, like this food - they do not do anything in the afternoon so - if you work in the office, then we have to find it," said Gideon.

Several thousand militant⁷ Muslims demonstrated in Jakarta during the weekend, urging the government to crack down on "immorality⁸" during Ramadan. Bars, nightclubs, and other entertainment places traditionally close, or at least limit their hours of operation during the month.

But during the past several years, militant Islamic groups have attacked those places of entertainment that choose to stay open during Ramadan.

Traditionally, Indonesians practice a tolerant and open form of the Islamic faith, but in recent years a small but vocal⁹ group of hard-liners has pushed for the implementation¹⁰ of Sharia, Islamic law.

1 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

2 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

4 abstain   

v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免

参考例句：

• His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
• Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。

5 dictates   

n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

8 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

10 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。