An English Christmas

Christmas Day, December 25th, celebrates the birth of Christ, and is thus the greatest of Christian festivals. However, many people feel that the religious meaning of Christmas is diminished by the commercialization of it.

As Christmas draws near, the big shops stay open long after dark, and get more and more crowded. Everyone is buying Christmas presents for friends and relations.

The home is decorated with colourful paper chains, leaves of holly and mistletoe, and attractive greeting cards received through the post from friends. In the comer there may be a Christmas tree with its branches decorated with shining ornaments such as coloured lights and glass balls, and sometimes hung with gifts.

On Christmas Eve, it is said, Father Christmas, also called Santa Claus, brings presents but only to good children. He knows just what every child wants, and he brings it all in a great sack. On Christmas Eve, when the children are asleep, he comes silently down the chimney and leaves the presents near their beds. Christmas Eve comes at last. When the children go to bed they often hang up a large stocking or a pillow-case to receive the presents. "Now go off to sleep quickly," says the mother, "because he won't come until you're asleep!" But they are too excited to sleep and are not even drowsy. So they just pretend to sleep, hoping to catch a glimpse of Father Christmas. Meanwhile, unknown to them, mother and father are busy filling stockings and pillow-cases with presents in the next room. When they are sure the children are really asleep, the parents creep like robbers into their bedroom and leave the presents near their beds.

The next morning it is Christmas. The children wake up with shouts of "He's come!" and immediately start opening all their parcels. The grownups, less excitable, save their own presents till breakfast time. After breakfast, many people go to church; but the children will be playing with their new toys, and the mother will probably be preparing the Christmas dinner. This includes poultry for the main course, salads, breads, and vegetables, and features a variety of desserts, for example, pies, puddings, and ice-cream.

In the afternoon many families listen to the Queen broadcasting to the Commonwealth. In the evening, after a huge tea, often including a big Christmas cake covered with a frosting as sweet as candy and as smooth as pudding, the family will probably sit round the fire eating nuts, sweets and fruit, talking or watching television, or playing party games.

Everybody likes to be happy and full of goodwill at Christmas time. The great writer Charles Dickens loved Christmas, and described its merriness and warm-heartedness in books like A Christmas Carol, with drawing-room scenes of blazing log fires, while the December snow outside made all the country white. This is why people today talk of a "good, old-fashioned Christmas", and why many hope it will be a "white" one but it seldom is, for snow is a rarity in December.

The theatre plays its part during the Christmas season by putting on special shows for children. The circus is another thing that parents may very well take their children to see as a Christmas treat. Lions and tigers have been patiently trained to leap through the air and even the more docile beasts like elephants and horses do astonishing tricks.

So the children usually count the weeks, then the days, to Christmas. And almost everyone enjoys the happiness of Christmas.

英国的圣诞节

12月25日圣诞节是纪念耶稣诞生的日子，因此是基督教最重要的节日。然而，很多人感到，圣诞节的商业化削弱了它的宗教意味。

随着圣诞节的临近，各大商店在天黑后仍长时间开门营业，店堂里变得越来越拥挤，人人都在选购馈赠亲友的圣诞礼物。

人们用彩色纸带、冬青树叶和槲寄生树叶，还有亲友们寄来的漂亮贺卡，将家里装饰一番。屋角处还会有棵圣诞树，树枝上点缀着彩灯、玻璃球之类闪闪发亮的装饰物，有时还挂着各色礼物。

据说，圣诞老人——也叫“圣塔·克劳斯”——在圣诞夜要来送礼物，不过只送给听话的孩子。哪个孩子想要什么样的礼物，他都知道得一清二楚；他把所有礼物全装在一个大袋子里。圣诞之夜，趁孩子们睡着的时候，他顺着烟囱悄悄下来，把礼物留在他们的床边。圣诞夜终于到来了。孩子们临睡之前常常挂只大长统袜，或是挂只枕套，以便接受礼物。“现在马上去睡觉，”母亲说，“你们不睡着他是不会来的。”可是孩子们兴奋得很，根本睡不着，甚至没有一点睡意。他们只好装睡，希望看一眼圣诞老人。殊不知在此同时，父母正在隔壁房间里，忙着把各种礼物塞在袜子或枕套里，等确信孩子们都真的睡着了，便像小偷那样蹑手蹑脚地溜进他们的卧室，把礼物放在床边。

第二天早上就是圣诞节。孩子醒来便高声欢呼:“他来过了！”随后便迫不及待地打开所有的礼物包。大人们就没有那么兴奋，要把自己的礼物留到早餐时才打开。早餐后，许多人去教堂；但是孩子们要玩他们的新玩具，做母亲的可能要忙着准备圣诞大餐。这顿大餐包括作为主菜的家禽（如鸡、鸭、鹅、火鸡等），以及色拉、面包、蔬菜；最具特色的是各色甜点，如水果馅饼、布丁和冰淇淋。

午餐后，不少家庭收听女王对英联邦国家的广播演说。晚上，是一顿丰盛的茶点，茶点中常有一只圣诞大蛋糕，蛋糕上的糖霜甜如糖果，滑爽似布丁；用过茶点，全家人可能会围坐在壁炉旁一边吃干果、糖果和水果，一边聊天或看电视，或玩集体游戏。

人人都希望在圣诞节快快活活，充满良好的祝愿。大作家查尔斯·狄更斯很喜欢圣诞节，他在《圣诞颂歌》等书中描述了圣诞节的欢乐与温馨：客厅内干柴燃起熊熊炉火时的一幅幅场景，而屋外12月的白雪给整个大地披上一层素装。这就是为什么今日人们常要念叨“美好的传统圣诞节”，为什么好多人期盼着过个“白色”圣诞节。可惜很少有此佳景，因为在12月难得下雪。

圣诞节期间，戏院发挥其作用，为儿童上演专场节目。马戏团也是父母们可能领孩子们光顾的去处，以此作为节日的特别余兴。经过耐心训练的狮子、老虎会作高空腾越，就连大象、马这类性情比较温顺的动物也能露一手惊人的绝招。

因此，孩子们往往计算着离圣诞节还有多少星期，还有多少时日。而且几乎所有的人都爱享受圣诞节的欢乐。

Key Words:

chimney ['tʃimni]  

n. 烟囱

pretend  [pri'tend]

v. 假装，装作

adj. 假装的

diminished     [di'miniʃt]      

adj. 减退了的；减弱的 v. 减少；削弱（dimin

attractive        [ə'træktiv]     

adj. 有吸引力的，引起注意的

unknown ['ʌn'nəun]     

adj. 未知的，不出名的

variety    [və'raiəti]

n. 多样，种类，杂耍

candy     ['kændi] 

n. 糖果

vt. 用糖煮，使结晶为砂糖

smooth   [smu:ð]  

adj. 平稳的，流畅的，安祥的，圆滑的，搅拌均匀的，可

excitable [ik'saitəbl]      

adj. 易激动的，易兴奋的，[生]应激的

goodwill ['gud'wil]

n. 善意，亲切，友好; 商誉，信誉。

astonishing    [əs'tɔniʃiŋ]     

adj. 惊人的 动词astonish的现在分词

docile     ['dəusail]

adj. 容易教的，温顺的

rarity      ['rɛərəti]  

n. 稀薄，稀有，珍品

参考资料：

2. 大学英语精读(第三版) 第一册:Unit08B An English Christmas(2)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语