新奇事件簿 粉红圣诞树遭封杀

A maths teacher at a high school in Maine, USA has been allowed to keep her pink Hello Kitty Christmas tree in her classroom. The tree was made from pink plastic and was adorned¹ with Hello Kitty ornaments². The teacher, Catherine Gordon, had earlier been ordered by the school principal Paul Butler to remove it after he decided³ it was an "inappropriate" Christmas decoration. Mr Butler explained to ABC News that he initially⁴ believed the tree did not fit with the way the school celebrated⁵ the different religious events happening at this time of the year. He said: "A concern was shared with me regarding an inconsistency with our balanced approach to holiday observances."

在美国缅因州，高中数学老师准许在教室摆放Hello Kitty粉红圣诞树。圣诞树由粉色塑料制成，挂有Hello Kitty装饰物。但稍早时，因圣诞装饰“不适宜”，校长保罗·布特勒勒令凯瑟琳·戈登移除圣诞树。布特勒在接受美国广播公司采访时称，他起初认为这棵圣诞树与学校庆祝其它宗教方式不符。他认为；“在奉行宗教节日方面，此做法并不事宜。”

Ms Gordon said: "I didn’t think a pink Hello Kitty tree was offensive. It's a tree that's been up in my classroom for years." She posted her story on Facebook and it quickly went viral. She wrote: "The tree had no religious symbols on it whatsoever⁶. No crosses or angels, just pink Hello Kitties and my students really enjoyed it." She added that society was becoming too worried about upsetting different people. She said: "I feel that this is definitely a turning point in our society when everything offends everyone all the time. It just sucks the joy out of everything." She told the local newspaper that: "It just seems that in our quest to be tolerant of everything, we've become intolerant to everything."

戈登认为：“我不认为Hello Kitty粉红圣诞树是大不敬。这棵树已经在教室里摆放多年。”她将经历发到“脸书”，并迅速走红。她写到：“这棵树没有任何宗教含义。没有十字架，没有天使，只是粉色的Hello Kitty。我的学生很喜欢。”她还补充道，整个社会担惊害怕，生怕会刺激一些人。她认为：“当我们总是对任何事情感到不安时，这正是社会的转折点。这只会让所有事情了无生趣。”她在接受当地媒体报道时称：“当我们希望包容一切时，我们反而对所有事情都无法包容。”

1 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

2 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》

3 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。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 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。

6 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。