VOA标准英语2010年-Report Says Jordan River Baptism Site

Members of the international Friends of the Earth group hold Israeli and Jordanian flags as they row kayaks in the Jordan River near Kibbutz Gesher (file photo)

The Israeli government and environmentalists are sparring over one of the most important biblical sites in the Holy Land.

 

An environmental group says the traditional site where Jesus was baptized on the Jordan River is not safe for pilgrims because of untreated sewage pumped in from Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. 

"The state of the river at the moment is really dire¹.  It is very polluted," said Mira Edelstein, an Israeli representative of Friends of the Earth-Middle East.

The Israeli government denies the finding.  It says it conducted tests at the site and the water is perfectly² safe for baptismal ceremonies.

But the site of Jesus' baptism is just the tip of the iceberg³.  Edelstein says the Jordan River is drying up because its waters have been diverted for domestic use and agriculture.

"We have recently conducted a study that we undertook in a regional fashion, with Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian experts, and found that 98 percent of the river's waters have been diverted, only two percent of the river is left," she said.

The situation poses a dilemma⁴ for Israel which profits enormously from Christian⁵ tourism.  About 100,000 pilgrims visit the site of Jesus' baptism each year.

Environmentalists say the only thing that can save the Jordan River is allowing more water to flow into it.  But with a growing population, an arid⁶ Middle Eastern climate, and a chronic⁷ water shortage, that is easier said than done.

 

1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

4 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

5 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。

6 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。