美国国家公共电台 NPR A Christmas Tree Ornament Is Worth A Thousand Words

 

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SILVER BELLS")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Bum¹ bum bum, bum bum bum bum (ph).

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: 

Time now to talk Christmas tree decorations. Earlier this month, I spoke² with Bonnie Mackay, who wrote a memoir³ told through Christmas ornaments⁵. And we asked you to tell us the stories behind your favorite ornaments.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: 

Joan Bowen of Wichita, Kan. told us about an ornament⁴ that reminds her of her younger brother Jim, who died 26 years ago. He made it when he was a kid.

JOAN BOWEN: It is one of the ugliest ornaments imaginable.

SIEGEL: He took the kind of clay that you use in elementary school and formed it into a blobby pancake, painted it completely black...

BOWEN: And then stuck his either kindergarten or first grade school picture on the ornament. And the picture is the only part of the ornament that is not ugly (laughter). And every year - he was so proud of this ornament - he would hang it in the front of our family Christmas tree.

SHAPIRO: And so began an annual battle between Joan Bowen and her brother. She would come home, see the ornament on the front of the tree, move it to the back.

SIEGEL: Then Jim would walk in and move it back to the front. Joan Bowen says they were always teasing each other.

BOWEN: And he could annoy like no other (laughter). He was a great kid.

SHAPIRO: After Jim died, Joan got to keep that ornament.

BOWEN: My mom gave it to me and told me that I could have it on the condition that it would be hung every year in the front of my tree.

SHAPIRO: And every year, Joan Bowen has kept that promise.

SIEGEL: Sara Black of Hurricane, Utah got her favorite ornament through illicit⁶ means. She told us about it over Skype.

SARA BLACK: I totally stole a little Christmas ornament from my older sister. So it's a little baby Jesus nativity scene. It says joy to the world across the top.

SIEGEL: Sara told us she snagged it right off the Christmas tree one year, and now it's on her Christmas tree. And she feels a little guilty about it.

BLACK: My husband makes fun of me 'cause he says that it's really wrong to have a stolen baby Jesus on the Christmas tree. But I think it's really cute. And it has a lot of sentimental⁷ value at this point.

SHAPIRO: Sara says her sister Andrea still doesn't know about the theft, or at least she didn't until now. And she has a message for her.

BLACK: I love you, Andi. I adore you. But I also really like your Christmas ornament and I don't want to give it back, so don't make me.

SHAPIRO: And in her email to us, Sara added, I also stole her eyebrow⁸ tweezers⁹ in college. They're really good tweezers.

SIEGEL: One more ornament story from Jeffrey Keith in Denver. Before his family put ornaments on their tree, his mother followed a ritual meant to prevent decorating accidents. Each year, she'd pick up a cheap glass ball and then...

JEFFREY KEITH: She would swing it into the fireplace. It would smash everywhere. And then she would announce triumphantly¹⁰ that now we've broken one ball. We don't have to break anymore.

SIEGEL: And Jeffrey Keith told us it usually worked.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE")

BRENDA LEE: (Singing) Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop¹¹. Mistletoe hung where you...

1 bum   

n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨

参考例句：

• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
• The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

4 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

5 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

7 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

8 eyebrow   

n.眉毛，眉

参考例句：

• Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
• With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬，似乎既感到吃惊，又觉有趣。

9 tweezers   

n.镊子

参考例句：

• We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
• Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。

10 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

11 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？