英语听力精选进阶版 6148

Christmas Every Day 天天是圣诞

'Christmas comes but once a year' is a familiar phrase, and indeed for many people the 25th of December is the highlight of the calendar.

But for one British man once a year is not enough. Andy Park, who is better known by his nickname Mr Christmas, has celebrated¹ Christmas every single day for the last 14 years.

The 44-year-old electrician claims to have eaten a full roast dinner every day for the last decade and a half, munching² his way through over 5,000 turkeys, 117,000 Brussels sprouts³, and around 30,000 roast potatoes in the process.

He also sends himself a Christmas card every day and looks forward to unwrapping a present he has bought himself each evening, while watching the Queen's Speech.

Mr Park estimates his festive⁴ fetish costs him ￡150 (1,570 yuan) a week. This year, however, the divorcee says he is feeling the pinch due to the global financial crisis, and is scaling back his celebrations.

His Christmas habit is putting a strain on more than just his wallet. Mr Park was previously⁵ warned by his doctor that his Christmas addiction⁶ could kill him. His daily over-indulgence has caused his weight to skyrocket to 19 stone (121 kg).

So how did Andy Park's obsession⁷ with Christmas begin?

"I'll never forget the day it started," said Mr Park, "the sun was shining, but I was just feeling fed up and bored, so I went home and put the decorations up. Suddenly I was happy. I thought, this is fun. So I did it again the next day, and the day after that."

And Mr Park has not been content to keep his Christmas cheer to himself. In 2005 he released a song, aptly titled It's Christmas Every Day, but has yet to find chart success.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

highlight 亮点

electrician 电工

full roast dinner 烤肉大餐

munching 用力咀嚼

Brussels sprouts 抱子甘蓝（俗称小洋白菜）

unwrapping 拆

festive fetish 节日癖好

divorcee 离了婚的人

feeling the pinch 手头拮据

scaling back 缩减 

habit 习惯

putting a strain 拉紧钱包带

addiction 沉溺，上瘾

over-indulgence 过于放纵 

skyrocket 飞涨

fed up 厌倦

decorations 装饰物

Christmas cheer 圣诞节的激动心情

aptly 恰当的

chart success 榜上有名

1 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。

2 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

3 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

7 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。