VOA标准英语2009年-Israel Marks Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
18 September 2009

 
Israeli women receive food aid for Jewish new year holiday in Jerusalem, 17 Sep 2009
The High Holy Days have begun in Israel.

Israel is marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, beginning 10 days of repentance². The Days of Awe³, as they are called, culminate⁴ with the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.

Rosh Hashanah is a time of prayer and reflection in the synagogue, but at home there are festive⁵ meals. One tradition is to dip apples in honey for a sweet new year.

"I want to wish to all the citizens of Israel, a year of peace, and prosperity, a year of security for us and each and every one of you," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israelis may pray for peace, but many are not optimistic about it. Peace talks with the Palestinians have been deadlocked⁶ since December, and gaps are wide on thorny⁷ issues like the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and Jewish settlements.

Relations with the United States have also been strained over Israel's refusal to halt settlement activity, something the Obama administration has been urging the Israeli's to do.

Jerusalem resident Martha Stern says the peace process is like a broken record. "You can give many concessions⁸ to the Palestinians, and no matter how many you give, they decide they want more," she said.

Security for Rosh Hashanah is tight. Fearing that militants⁹ could try to mar¹ the holiday with attacks, Israel has sealed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip, barring Palestinians from entering the country.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 repentance   

n.懊悔

参考例句：

• He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
• Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。

3 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

4 culminate   

v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮

参考例句：

• The celebration of the centenary will culminate with a dinner.百年庆典活动将以宴会作为高潮。
• Everyone feared that the boundary dispute between these two countries would culminate in a war.人人都担心,这两国间的边境争端将以一场战争到达顶点。

5 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

6 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

7 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

8 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

9 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。