环球英语 — 270：Christmas Truce

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s spotlight¹ program. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In December 1914, World War One had just started. In France, British soldiers fought against German soldiers. It was a cold and dangerous time.
Voice 2
The fighting in World War One was trench² warfare³. Men from both sides sat in long holes in the ground - trenches⁴. They defended their territory by shooting and fighting from these holes. They would gain and lose a little bit of ground at a time. These trenches were wet and cold. There was no good place to store waste. Sometimes, the soldiers could not even bury the dead bodies. So the bodies became part of the trenches too. And there were many rats living in this waste. But in this horrible time of war, something special happened. Today’s Spotlight is on the Christmas Truce⁵ of 1914.
Voice 1
When World War One started, Germany invaded⁶ France. Armies marched into the country. But French and British soldiers stopped them. Both armies dug deep trenches to settle in. Between these trenches was an area called “no man’s land.” No man’s land was an area of land covered in sharp barbed wire fences. This was a dangerous area.
Voice 2
For months, the armies sat in the trenches. They shot at each other across no man’s land. And as autumn changed into winter, conditions in the trenches got worse. Winter rains flooded the trenches. The dirt was wet and sticky⁷. It was difficult to move in the trenches. The soldiers had to be careful. They could not raise their heads too high out of the trench. They risked getting shot.
Voice 1
As time went on, the soldiers on both sides began to think about the men they were fighting. These men were experiencing the same horrible conditions. The soldiers also wanted to see the enemy close up. They wanted to know if the enemy was truly as bad as the newspapers and government officials said.
Voice 2
In an area of trenches, British soldiers would sometimes shout to German soldiers across no man’s land. The Germans would also shout. And sometimes all the soldiers would agree to stop fighting for a short period of time. This let both sides to get water and other supplies without being killed. But these peace times only lasted for a short time.
Voice 1
Sometimes the soldiers from each side traded things with each other - things like smoking tobacco. Or they sang songs for each other from the trenches. But usually, the commanding officers did not approve of this behaviour. They ordered the soldiers to stop being friendly to the enemy.
Voice 2
The war was just beginning, but many people already wanted fighting to stop. On December seven, the Catholic⁸ Pope⁹ asked for a truce, a time of peace, around Christmas. This was a shared holiday - all of the countries that were fighting celebrated¹⁰ it. And for many people, Christmas is a holiday that celebrates hope and peace. The German army agreed to the truce, but no other armies did.
Voice 1
On Christmas Eve, British soldiers reported seeing Christmas trees and lights on top of the German trenches. They heard singing and celebration coming from the enemy.
Voice 2
In one area, the German and British soldiers took turns singing Christmas songs. The Germans sang a song in German, and then the British sang a song in English. When the British started singing one song in English, the Germans joined them with the Latin¹¹ version¹² of the song.
In another area, men from each army met between the trenches in no man’s land. One British soldier wrote of his experience:
Voice 3
“We shook hands, we wished each other 'Merry Christmas'. Soon we were talking as if we had known each other for years. Soon, most of our company joined us. Small groups of Germans and British stretched out over the land. Out of the darkness we could hear laughter. Where the men did not share language, they used signs and everyone got along nicely. Here we were laughing and talking to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill.”
Voice 1
Another British soldier also wrote a letter to his family. He described the events as “the most memorable¹³ Christmas I have ever spent”.
Voice 2
Some of the soldiers even played games of football with each other in no man’s land. Kurt Sehmisch, a German soldier, wrote about it:
Voice 4
“The English brought a foot ball from the trenches. Soon an exciting game started. How wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. So Christmas, the celebration of love, managed to bring enemies together as friends for a time.”
Voice 1
Some parts of the army decided¹⁴ to declare a truce for only Christmas day. This was a time of no fighting. Other groups declared a truce until New Years Day. Both sides used this time to bury dead soldiers. Sometimes bodies would sit in no man’s land for months. In a few areas, German and British soldiers held funeral services together.
Voice 2
At the end of the day, things began to change. The games and happiness slowed and the soldiers went back to their trenches. A British officer tells of how the war began again after the truce:
Voice 5
“I fired three shots into the air and put up a flag with “Merry Christmas” on it, and I climbed on the edge of the trench. The Germans put up a sheet with “thank you” on it and the German officer appeared. We both bowed, saluted¹⁵, and got down into the trenches. And he fired two shots into the air and the War was on again.”
Voice 1
World War One continued for almost four more years after that Christmas. But the soldiers remembered the events of the Christmas truce for the rest of their lives. They had put down their guns to have a time of peace and celebration.
Voice 2
The Christmas truce has touched many people’s lives even today. Today, wars are happening all over the world. This story gives us a look into what we all desire - peace. We desire respect and friendship instead of argument and fighting. It gives us hope that somewhere in the middle of all the trouble in the world, deep down, people want peace. And for the soldiers in 1914, the best gift they could have received for Christmas was the gift of peace.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

3 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

4 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

5 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

6 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 sticky   

adj.粘的，闷热的，困难的，令人不满意的

参考例句：

• This paste is not sticky enough.这糨糊不黏。
• Here is a sticky business!这事真难办！

8 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

9 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

11 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

12 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

13 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

14 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。

15 saluted   

v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• The sergeant stood to attention and saluted. 中士立正敬礼。
• He saluted his friends with a wave of the hand. 他挥手向他的朋友致意。 来自《简明英汉词典》