论文部分内容阅读
The Story of Cognac
All Cognac is Brandy but not all Brandy is Cognac.
这是一篇说明文，但文字并不枯燥。文章用不同的方式表达相同的意思，如for the first time、as early as等；文中还适当使用插入语调整文章的节奏，如among other places、as it’s known等。同时，句子结构富于变化，长句与短句交替出现，使文章显得轻松活泼。总的来说，这是一篇说明文的佳作，读者可在阅读时多加留意，学习优秀的写法。
In the Department of Charente， in southwest France， is a city which once had an important salt trade， switched to wine 1）distilling and became the centre of a region producing a world-famous drink. A drink as noble as it is 2）enshrouded in myth. A drink that bears its name， Cognac.
The term “Cognac” as a drink came to be used for the first time in a purchase contract drawn up by a merchant in La Rochelles in 1617. But there’s evidence that Cognac was being distilled as early as 1549. By the mid-1600s the growth in trade led to the establishment of the first merchants， and the first taxes were levied on the beverage.
By the early 18th century， 3）eau de vie was being distilled across the region around Cognac， and was growing in popularity in， among other places， England. And it was from England specifically that many fortunefinders came to try their hand at Cognac production. Some of the biggest and best-known examples are Martel， who came here from 4）Jersey in 1715， Hennessy， from Ireland in 1765， and Hine from Dorset， England， in 1792.
Champagne isn’t just a drink. The word， in winegrowing circles， also 5）denotes 6）chalky soil. This type of soil is excellent for growing the grape varieties used for making sparkling wines as well as still wines for distillation into spirits.
The grapes are harvested relatively early， from midSeptember to mid-October， this to retain a high acidity level.
Immediately after harvesting， the grapes are pressed then left to 7）ferment naturally for between 10 to 21 days before they’re ready for distillation. Only alcohol distilled in the district in a traditional Alambique Charentais still may call itself Cognac. The copper-pot still， as it’s known， mustn’t contain more than 3，000 litres at the second distillation stage， and has to be heated by bare flames. The wine reaches an alcohol content of about 25 to 30% volume at the first stage of distillation， and it reaches a maximum of 72% volume at the second stage. After the second stage， only the best， the heart of the distillation， is kept. The distiller separates the heart from the heads and the tails through a process called 8）gutting. The heads and the tails are mixed with the next batch of wine to be redistilled. Thus， only the heart， a clear spirit or eau de vie， is kept for aging to become Cognac. Regulations 9）stipulate that the alcohol is stored in oak 10）casks in the district for at least two years. However， three years is the usual age at which a young Cognac is bottled and dispatched from the producer. Distillation has to take place between the 1st of October in the year the grapes have been harvested and the 31st of March. The next Cognac year then 11）commences on the 1st of April. That’s the point at which the countdown for the next batch starts and the Cognac that’s already casked becomes a year older.
法国西南部的夏朗德省有一个昔日的食盐贸易重镇，该镇后来转为酿制蒸馏酒，并成为一种世界名酒的中心产地。这是一种有如神话般高贵的酒，一种以其产地命名的酒——干邑白兰地。
“干邑”作为酒名首次出现在1617年，那是一份由拉罗谢尔市商人拟定的购买合同。但有证据显示，早在1549年人们就会用蒸馏法制作干邑白兰地了。到了17世纪中叶，白兰地贸易的增长催生了首批酒商，当地第一次对白兰地征税。
到了18世纪初，干邑镇周边的地区都在酿造白兰地酒，这里出产的酒在英格兰等地声名鹊起。于是很多英格兰“掘金者”专程到此，想在干邑白兰地生产上一试身手。其中最成功、名声最大的包括泽西岛的马爹利、爱尔兰的轩尼诗和英格兰多塞特郡的御鹿，他们分别于1715年、1765年和1792年到达此地。
香槟不仅仅是指一种酒。在葡萄种植的圈子里，这个词也表示白垩土。这种土质非常适宜种植不同品种的酿酒葡萄，这些葡萄可用于酿造起泡葡萄酒和无气葡萄酒，而后者又可以蒸馏酿成高浓度烈酒。
葡萄的采摘季节相对较早，从九月中旬开始到十月中旬结束，这样做可以让葡萄保存较高的酸度。
葡萄在采摘之后要立刻压榨，然后自然发酵10到21天才能进行蒸馏。只有使用该地区传统的夏朗德立式蒸馏釜酿造出来的酒才能称为干邑白兰地。众所周知，这种蒸馏釜是铜制的，在蒸馏的第二阶段，它盛的酒液不能超过三千升，并且必须用明火加热。在蒸馏的第一阶段，酒液的酒精浓度大约为25%至30%（体积百分比），在第二阶段浓度最高会达到72%。复蒸完成后，馏出液只保留最好的部分，即酒心。蒸馏器可以通过 “萃取”这个步骤，将酒头、酒脚与酒心分离。分离出来的酒头及酒脚与下一批酒液混合后重新蒸馏。因此，只有蒸馏后抽取的酒心部分——清亮透明的精华（亦叫白兰地），才被贮藏陈酿，最后成为干邑白兰地。
酿酒条例规定，蒸馏制成的酒要用产于该地区的橡木桶贮存至少两年，不过，生产商通常都会贮存上三年，才将这些新酿的干邑白兰地装瓶发货。蒸馏必须在葡萄采摘当年的10月1日到次年的3月31日之间进行。下一个干邑白兰地酿制年则从4月1日开始，这是下一批酒计时的起点，而已装桶的干邑白兰地此时已有了一年的酿藏历史。
小资料
酒类词汇
beer 啤酒
brandy 白兰地
champagne 香槟酒
cocktail 鸡尾酒
draft beer 生啤酒
drink 酒
gin 杜松子酒
liquor 烈酒
red wine 红葡萄酒
spirits 烈酒
stout beer 黑啤酒
tequila 龙舌兰
vodka 伏特加
whiskey 威士忌
white wine 白葡萄酒
wine 葡萄酒，水果酒
All Cognac is Brandy but not all Brandy is Cognac.
这是一篇说明文，但文字并不枯燥。文章用不同的方式表达相同的意思，如for the first time、as early as等；文中还适当使用插入语调整文章的节奏，如among other places、as it’s known等。同时，句子结构富于变化，长句与短句交替出现，使文章显得轻松活泼。总的来说，这是一篇说明文的佳作，读者可在阅读时多加留意，学习优秀的写法。
In the Department of Charente， in southwest France， is a city which once had an important salt trade， switched to wine 1）distilling and became the centre of a region producing a world-famous drink. A drink as noble as it is 2）enshrouded in myth. A drink that bears its name， Cognac.
The term “Cognac” as a drink came to be used for the first time in a purchase contract drawn up by a merchant in La Rochelles in 1617. But there’s evidence that Cognac was being distilled as early as 1549. By the mid-1600s the growth in trade led to the establishment of the first merchants， and the first taxes were levied on the beverage.
By the early 18th century， 3）eau de vie was being distilled across the region around Cognac， and was growing in popularity in， among other places， England. And it was from England specifically that many fortunefinders came to try their hand at Cognac production. Some of the biggest and best-known examples are Martel， who came here from 4）Jersey in 1715， Hennessy， from Ireland in 1765， and Hine from Dorset， England， in 1792.
Champagne isn’t just a drink. The word， in winegrowing circles， also 5）denotes 6）chalky soil. This type of soil is excellent for growing the grape varieties used for making sparkling wines as well as still wines for distillation into spirits.
The grapes are harvested relatively early， from midSeptember to mid-October， this to retain a high acidity level.
Immediately after harvesting， the grapes are pressed then left to 7）ferment naturally for between 10 to 21 days before they’re ready for distillation. Only alcohol distilled in the district in a traditional Alambique Charentais still may call itself Cognac. The copper-pot still， as it’s known， mustn’t contain more than 3，000 litres at the second distillation stage， and has to be heated by bare flames. The wine reaches an alcohol content of about 25 to 30% volume at the first stage of distillation， and it reaches a maximum of 72% volume at the second stage. After the second stage， only the best， the heart of the distillation， is kept. The distiller separates the heart from the heads and the tails through a process called 8）gutting. The heads and the tails are mixed with the next batch of wine to be redistilled. Thus， only the heart， a clear spirit or eau de vie， is kept for aging to become Cognac. Regulations 9）stipulate that the alcohol is stored in oak 10）casks in the district for at least two years. However， three years is the usual age at which a young Cognac is bottled and dispatched from the producer. Distillation has to take place between the 1st of October in the year the grapes have been harvested and the 31st of March. The next Cognac year then 11）commences on the 1st of April. That’s the point at which the countdown for the next batch starts and the Cognac that’s already casked becomes a year older.
法国西南部的夏朗德省有一个昔日的食盐贸易重镇，该镇后来转为酿制蒸馏酒，并成为一种世界名酒的中心产地。这是一种有如神话般高贵的酒，一种以其产地命名的酒——干邑白兰地。
“干邑”作为酒名首次出现在1617年，那是一份由拉罗谢尔市商人拟定的购买合同。但有证据显示，早在1549年人们就会用蒸馏法制作干邑白兰地了。到了17世纪中叶，白兰地贸易的增长催生了首批酒商，当地第一次对白兰地征税。
到了18世纪初，干邑镇周边的地区都在酿造白兰地酒，这里出产的酒在英格兰等地声名鹊起。于是很多英格兰“掘金者”专程到此，想在干邑白兰地生产上一试身手。其中最成功、名声最大的包括泽西岛的马爹利、爱尔兰的轩尼诗和英格兰多塞特郡的御鹿，他们分别于1715年、1765年和1792年到达此地。
香槟不仅仅是指一种酒。在葡萄种植的圈子里，这个词也表示白垩土。这种土质非常适宜种植不同品种的酿酒葡萄，这些葡萄可用于酿造起泡葡萄酒和无气葡萄酒，而后者又可以蒸馏酿成高浓度烈酒。
葡萄的采摘季节相对较早，从九月中旬开始到十月中旬结束，这样做可以让葡萄保存较高的酸度。
葡萄在采摘之后要立刻压榨，然后自然发酵10到21天才能进行蒸馏。只有使用该地区传统的夏朗德立式蒸馏釜酿造出来的酒才能称为干邑白兰地。众所周知，这种蒸馏釜是铜制的，在蒸馏的第二阶段，它盛的酒液不能超过三千升，并且必须用明火加热。在蒸馏的第一阶段，酒液的酒精浓度大约为25%至30%（体积百分比），在第二阶段浓度最高会达到72%。复蒸完成后，馏出液只保留最好的部分，即酒心。蒸馏器可以通过 “萃取”这个步骤，将酒头、酒脚与酒心分离。分离出来的酒头及酒脚与下一批酒液混合后重新蒸馏。因此，只有蒸馏后抽取的酒心部分——清亮透明的精华（亦叫白兰地），才被贮藏陈酿，最后成为干邑白兰地。
酿酒条例规定，蒸馏制成的酒要用产于该地区的橡木桶贮存至少两年，不过，生产商通常都会贮存上三年，才将这些新酿的干邑白兰地装瓶发货。蒸馏必须在葡萄采摘当年的10月1日到次年的3月31日之间进行。下一个干邑白兰地酿制年则从4月1日开始，这是下一批酒计时的起点，而已装桶的干邑白兰地此时已有了一年的酿藏历史。
小资料
酒类词汇
beer 啤酒
brandy 白兰地
champagne 香槟酒
cocktail 鸡尾酒
draft beer 生啤酒
drink 酒
gin 杜松子酒
liquor 烈酒
red wine 红葡萄酒
spirits 烈酒
stout beer 黑啤酒
tequila 龙舌兰
vodka 伏特加
whiskey 威士忌
white wine 白葡萄酒
wine 葡萄酒，水果酒