By Hugh Schofield, BBC

China will soon consume over one billion bottles of wine a year

Background: 法国最著名之一的葡萄酒酿造商将在中国开辟种植葡萄园。这是法国葡萄酒制造业和中国巨大市场之间联系日益增长的又一迹象。

Questions: 请在听下面录音的时候试着回答这些问题。这是一个用来帮助你提高听力技能的练习。

1. Why was Penglai chosen as the location of the new Chinese vineyard?

2. How do we know that Christophe Salin feels pressure to produce a top quality wine?

3. On estimate, how many bottles of wine will be annually consumed in China by 2011?

4. Do Chinese people currently drink more Chinese wine or more imported wine?

Click here for answers

French Wine in China 法国酒在中国

Listen to Hugh Schofield's report 点击此处下载录音材料

Last year it was a Chinese business group that bought up 收购 Chateau la Tour le Grande, a leading Bordeaux vintage 佳酿/美酒。

Now the interest is in the other direction, but Domaines Barons de Rothschild, the company which owns the elite 优秀的 Chateau Lafite premier cru, has invested in 投资 land near Penglai in the Shandon peninsula, an area with climatic conditions 气候条件 similar to those in Bordeaux.

Over the years it hopes to develop a world-class 顶级/世界级 top-quality Chinese wine. Christophe Salin is a director at the Domaines Barons de Rothschild:

"I think we have isolated a very nice part in the region of Penglai where we can first of all plant a small vineyard 葡萄园, twenty-five hectares 公顷, where we think we can achieve a great wine. But I mean we will be judged by generations."

The reason behind the move is simple. As a nation, China is now among the world's leading consumers 消费者 of wine. By 2011 it's reckoned that the Chinese will be drinking more than one billion bottles a year.

The vast 巨大的 majority of what they consume is home-grown 国产, but they have a weakness for the great French vintages.

For Chateau Lafite it's an obvious business opportunity 商业机会: to be a great French name in China.

GLOSSARY 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

bought up 收购

vintage 佳酿/美酒

invested in 投资于

elite 精英/最优秀的

climatic conditions 气候条件

world-class 世界级/顶级

vineyard 葡萄园

hectares 公顷

consumers 消费者

vast 巨大的

home-grown 国产的

business opportunity 商业机会

Answers

1. Why was Penglai chosen as the location of the new Chinese vineyard?
Penglai has climatic conditions similar to those in Bordeaux.

2. How do we know that Christophe Salin feels pressure to produce a top quality wine?
He says that the new wine will be judged by generations of people.

3. On estimate, how many bottles of wine will be annually consumed in China by 2011?
It is estimated that more than one billion bottles of wine will be drunk each year.

4. Do Chinese people currently drink more Chinese wine or more imported wine?
At the moment, Chinese people mostly drink home-grown wine.

Back to top