VOA慢速英语2016 前伊拉克库尔德士兵成酿酒师

AS IT IS 2016-08-01 Former Iraqi Kurd Fighter Turns to Wine Making 前伊拉克库尔德士兵成酿酒师

Nabaz carefully poured red wine into a glass, then another glass. He set the bottle down and looked at the small group of people he had never met.

纳巴兹小心翼翼地将红酒一杯杯倒入玻璃杯中。他放下酒瓶，看着这一群从未见过的人。

Then, he offered them his wine.

随后，他为他们端上了自己的酒。

This was the first time that Nabaz himself had offered his homemade alcohol to others.

这还是纳巴兹第一次给别人品尝自己制的酒。

“I was a little anxious to see the reaction,” he said later.

“我急着想知道大家的反应，”他之后说。

“Obviously this to me is a work of art, and all art depends on how people see it and evaluate it.”

“显然，酒对我来说就是件艺术品，而所有艺术都取决于人们如何看待它，怎么评价它。”

For Nabaz, the small gathering¹ has special meaning. The wine tasting event was, in some ways, a triumph.

对于纳巴兹来说，这种小型的聚会有着特殊的含义。从某种程度上来说，品酒会本身就是胜利。

“I felt this was extending a hand of friendship, of offering something unique from Kurdistan, and offering something for the very first time by Iraqi Kurdistan to the outside world,” he said.

“我认为品酒会实际上是伸出友谊之手，展示库尔德斯坦独特的东西，首次带给全世界伊拉克库尔德斯坦的东西，”他说。

The Iran-Iraq War lasted from 1980 to 1988. During that period, some Kurdish militants² in Iraq sided with Iran. Then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to take steps to punish the Kurds.

伊朗和伊拉克之间的战争从1980年持续到1988年。战争期间，一些伊拉克的库尔德激进分子支持伊朗。随后伊拉克领导人萨达姆命令军队采取措施严惩库尔德人。

In a seven-month offensive, between 50,000 to 100,000 Kurdish villagers died or disappeared.

长达7个月的攻击致库尔德村民死亡或失踪人数达五万到十万人。

Nabaz had studied civil engineering while in school. Yet he decided³ to leave engineering behind and fight against Saddam Hussein’ forces. He joined the Kurdish fighters in the mountains for eight years.

纳巴兹在学校学习了土木工程。然而，他决定放弃土木工程，与萨达姆武装势力作斗争。他成为了库尔德战士，在山间作战八年。

“It was the most meaningful period of my life,” he said.

他说，“这是我生命中最有意义的一段时间。”

It was during the time in the mountains that Nabaz noticed Kurdistan’s grape crops. Most of the grapes were used to make juice or raisins⁴.

就是在山间的这段时间让纳巴兹注意到了库尔德的葡萄作物。大部分葡萄都用来制果汁儿或葡萄干。

Nabaz loved wine, and decided to explore different ways to produce it. For the past six years, he has experimented with different grapes and different wine-making processes.

纳巴兹喜欢酒，于是决定探索生产酒的不同方法。过去的六年里，他用不同的葡萄品种试验不同的制酒过程。

Now he has his own wine, which he calls “21 Rays”. The name comes from the rays of light on the Kurdish flag -- and the strong sunlight that shines on the area.

现在，他有了自己的酒，叫做“21光线”。名字起源于库尔德旗帜上的光线以及照在这片区域上的强烈阳光。

Nabaz says wine lovers in London have praised his product. But in Kurdistan, “21 Rays” remains⁵ a secret. Stores do not sell his wine. The grape growers do not know that Nabaz uses their fruit for wine.Only Nabaz’s close family know about his wine making.

纳巴兹表示，伦敦葡萄酒爱好者称赞了他的产品。但是在库尔德斯坦，“21光线”依旧是个秘密。商店并没有销售他的酒。葡萄种植者也不知道纳巴兹用他们的葡萄制酒。只有纳巴兹的亲人才知道他在制酒。

Wine is sold in Kurdistan, but usually only in Christian⁶ neighborhoods.

库尔德斯坦也卖酒，但通常仅仅卖给一些基督徒邻居。

Nabaz’s family is Muslim.Observant Muslims do not make, sell, or drink wine.If members of Nabaz’s extended family knew that he made wine, they would not approve.

纳巴兹的家人都是穆斯林教徒。严苛的穆斯林教徒不会制造、销售或喝葡萄酒。若纳巴兹家族的成员知道他制作葡萄酒，他们是不会同意的。

Respect for Islam keeps Nabaz from selling his wine, but fear also plays a role in his decision.

出于对伊斯兰的尊敬，纳巴兹不会卖他的酒，但其实恐惧也是他做这个决定的原因。

“Daesh is only a few tens of kilometers away,” Nabaz said.“One has to be discreet⁷.”Daesh is the local name for Islamic State fighters.

纳巴兹说，“达伊沙就在数万公里的地方”。“我必须非常谨慎。”达伊沙是伊斯兰国战士的本地名。

Nabaz plans to produce a few hundred bottles of wine after the upcoming harvest. He does not use machines; instead, his close family members take the grapes and crush them. For now, “21 Rays” will remain a secret in Kurdistan, known only to a few.

纳巴兹计划在即将到来的收获期后，制作几百瓶葡萄酒。他不用机器，他的亲人会帮助他将葡萄压碎。目前，“21光线”将会是库尔德斯坦的秘密，这个秘密只有几个人知道。

Words in This Story

evaluate – v. to judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a careful and thoughtful way

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

grape – n. a green, dark red, or purplish-black berry that is used to make wine or is eaten as a fruit

role – n. a part that someone or something has in a particular activity or situation

triumph – n. a victory or success

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。