英式圣诞节

 　　In Britain, Christmas Day is normally spent at home, with the family, and it is regarded as a celebration of the family and its continuity. Preparations start well in advance, with the sending of Christmas cards and installation of a decorated Christmas tree in a prominent place in the home. Although it is now a firmly established tradition, the Christmas tree was first popularised by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who introduced the custom from his native Germany in 1840.

　　在英国，圣诞节往往在家和家人一起过，且被视为对家庭和睦的一种庆祝。准备工作很早就开始了，大家寄贺卡且在家最显眼的地方装饰圣诞树。尽管这已经成为了根深蒂固的传统，圣诞树最早是由维多利亚女王的丈夫，阿尔伯特王子在1840年从德国引入这一风俗，且开始流行起来。

　　Some houses are decorated with evergreens¹ (plants which do not lose their leaves in winter); a wreath of holly² on the front door and garlands of holly, ivy³ and fir indoors. Bunches of mistletoe are often hung above doorways⁴ - any couple passing underneath⁵ must exchange kisses! Traditional food is prepared: sweet mince⁶ pies, a rich Christmas cake and the Christmas pudding. Everyone has their own favourite recipe, but they’re all packed full of spices, nuts, dried fruit and brandy.

　　Presents are bought and wrapped, and traditionally placed under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Christmas is both a secular⁷ and a religious holiday, and many families like to attend a midnight service at church on Christmas Eve, or celebrate Christmas in church on Christmas morning.

　　一些房子用常青植物(冬天不会掉叶子的植物)装点;前门挂圣洁的花圈，屋内用圣洁的花冠，常春藤和皮毛装饰。一捆捆的槲寄生经常放在门口上方――任何从下走过的情侣都必须互吻!要准备的传统食物：甜馅的派，一个花式的圣诞蛋糕和圣诞布丁。人人都有自己喜爱的食谱，但都用足了香料，坚果，干果和白兰地。礼物是买来包好的，通常都是在圣诞夜摆放在圣诞树下的。圣诞节也是世俗的宗教节日，许多家庭喜欢在圣诞夜去教堂参加午夜活动，或者在圣诞节早上去教堂庆祝圣诞。

　　The excitement begins for children on Christmas Eve, when they hang up their stockings (an old sock or, more ambitiously, pillow cases) around the fireplace or at the foot of the bed for Father Christmas to fill with presents. The English Father Christmas or Santa Claus is first recorded in his traditional red and white outfit⁸ in a woodcut of 1653, but the story of Santa arriving in his reindeer-drawn sleigh and descending⁹ down the chimney to fill children’s stockings with presents derives¹⁰ from the USA.

　　圣诞节最兴奋的要属孩子了，他们在壁炉边或者床角挂起袜子(一只旧袜子，或者贪心点，一个枕头)，来装圣诞老人的礼物。英国的圣诞老人或者叫Santa Claus最先在1653年被木刻下来，穿着传统的红白服饰，但是关于圣诞老人坐驯鹿拉的雪撬来，并且下到烟囱里给孩子送礼物的故事却是来源于美国的。

　　Practically everyone sits down to a Christmas dinner in the early afternoon of Christmas Day, traditionally roast turkey, but some families prefer goose or roast beef. The turkey is followed by the Christmas pudding, brought to the table flaming hot. Brandy is poured over the pudding, then lit. After dinner, everyone relaxes by going for a walk, playing games, enjoying their presents or watching television.

　　实际上，人人都在圣诞节那天下午早早地坐下吃圣诞晚餐，烤火鸡是传统食物，但有些家庭更喜欢鹅或者烤牛肉。在圣诞布丁之后上的菜就是热气腾腾的火鸡。白兰地斟在布丁上，然后点燃。晚饭后，所有人都去散散步放松一下，玩玩游戏，赏玩他们的礼物或者看看电视。

1 evergreens   

n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The leaves of evergreens are often shaped like needles. 常绿植物的叶常是针形的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pine, cedar and spruce are evergreens. 松树、雪松、云杉都是常绿的树。 来自辞典例句

2 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

3 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

4 doorways   

n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群，从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
• He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句

5 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

6 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

7 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

8 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

9 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

10 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》