英语听力—环球英语 981 The Christmas Saint

 　　Voice 1

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.

　　Voice 2

　　And I'm Ryan Geertsma. 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

　　"It was the night before Christmas,

　　When all through the house

　　No creature was moving, not even a mouse.

　　The stockings³ were hung by the chimney⁴ with care,

　　In hopes that Saint⁵ Nicholas soon would be there."

　　Voice 2

　　That is the beginning of a famous Christmas poem called A Visit from Saint Nicholas. Most people say the writer of this poem is Clement⁶ C. Moore. The poem describes a house on the night before Christmas. Nothing is moving, not even a small brown mouse. The family has hung socks, or stockings by the fire. Usually, they wear these stockings on their feet. But tonight, they hope that Saint Nicholas will come. They hope he will fill their stockings with sweet treats and gifts. The poem tells a story about a father who sees Saint Nicholas bring these gifts to his house during the night.

　　Voice 1

　　Many countries around the world have stories about Saint Nicholas. They are shared by many generations of people. These stories are legends⁷. The stories are based on a real man named Saint Nicholas. Over time the details of the stories continue to change. The stories often explain Christmas traditions. But they are no longer real stories from history. Today's Spotlight is on the Christmas legends and stories about the real Saint Nicholas.

　　Voice 2

　　Saint Nicholas was born during the third century in a village near Myra, which is now in Turkey. His parents were very devoted⁸ to God. And they raised their son to be devoted to God too. When Nicholas was young, his parents died from disease⁹. But he remembered the values his parents taught him.

　　Voice 1

　　Caring for the poor and sick is one particular teaching¹⁰ Nicholas remembered. In the Christian¹¹ Bible¹², Jesus tells his followers¹³ to "sell your things and give to the poor." Nicholas felt strongly about these words. So he devoted his life to God. He gave away lots of his money to the poor. And he helped people who were sick or suffering. There are many stories about his secret giving. It is not clear if these stories are true. But they do demonstrate¹⁴ how much he cared for the poor. Spotlight producer Courtney Schutt shares one of those stories.

　　Voice 3

　　"A man had three daughters. At that time, there was a particular custom for marriage – a dowry. A father offered a gift to the man who wanted to marry his daughter. Without this gift, it was not likely for a woman to find a good husband. But the man was very poor. He did not have enough money for this custom. So he planned to sell one of his daughters. He thought if he did this he would be able to care for his other daughters.

　　Nicholas heard about the poor man's problem. He went to the poor man's house the night before the daughter was going to be sold. Nicholas threw a small bag of gold into the man's house. Then he left. In the morning, the man discovered the gold. With this gift he did not need to sell his daughter. Instead he was able to find a husband for his daughter. In a year, it was time for his next daughter to be married. But the man was still poor. Once again, Nicholas came during the night. And again, he threw a bag of gold into the house.

　　Finally, when it was time for his third daughter to get married, the man waited. He wanted to know who was providing for his family. For a final time, a bag of gold came through his window in the middle of the night. This time, the man was ready. He ran out of the house to see who had brought the gold. The person he saw was Nicholas. But Nicholas demanded that the man keep this knowledge a secret."

　　Voice 2

　　Over time, Nicholas became well known¹⁵ for his kind, generous¹⁶ giving. He was also known for his strong faith. So when the bishop¹⁷ of Myra died, the religious¹⁸ leaders made Nicholas the new bishop. As the new religious leader of the city, Nicholas continued to serve the poor, sick, and suffering people in Myra. Nicholas faithfully served as bishop until his death. In later years, religious people wanted to honor¹⁹ him for devoting²⁰ his life to God and caring for people. So they named him a saint.

　　Voice 1

　　Many countries have created legends and customs²¹ about the secret gift giver. Often they have to do with children. Saint Nicholas considers how the children have behaved all year. Then, he gives them good gifts for good behaviour and bad gifts for bad behaviour. Often these stories explain some Christmas traditions. For example, in many European countries, children leave their shoes out for Saint Nicholas. They hope he will fill their shoes with good treats like the stories say. In countries that celebrate Saint Nicholas' Day, this usually happens on December 6. In other countries, this happens on Christmas day.

　　Voice 2

　　There are also other legends about Saint Nicholas. In Greece, he is not a secret gift giver. Instead, he is the saint who protects sailors. These stories are not as common. The details of the stories are not similar either. But it is said that in bad weather, sailors would pray to Saint Nicholas. Then he would appear to them like a dream. He guided them to safety. In some stories, the dangerous storms even went away.

　　Voice 1

　　It is not clear exactly when Saint Nicholas died. But it is believed that he died in the year 343 A.D. He was then buried in the city of Myra. Because of his goodness²², many religious people travelled to the place he was buried. But during the 11th century, there was war in the area of Myra. A group of sailors used the war as chance to steal the bones of Saint Nicholas. They brought them to Bari in Italy. That is where Saint Nicholas is buried today.

　　Voice 2

　　If you believe the stories, then this religious man is the Christmas saint. He is the person that many other Christmas traditions are based on. In many European countries, he is only known as Saint Nicholas. In Italy he is San Nicola. In the Netherlands they celebrate Sinterklaas, a gift giver much like Saint Nicholas. In the United²³ States, he is Santa Claus. And in Britain, he is Father Christmas. He has many names, but the idea of the person is the same. He is a gift-giver who brings good cheer at Christmas time.

　　Voice 1

　　But Saint Nicholas believed in a very different kind of Christmas gift. He believed that Christmas was a time to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ²'s birth. Christians²⁴ believe that Jesus is God. They believe that he came to earth as a baby to live as a person. They believe that he knows the pain and hurt, the joys and happiness that all people experience. In this way, Jesus' birth brings hope to a broken world. For Saint Nicholas, Jesus Christ was the true gift of Christmas.

　　Voice 2

　　Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, what stories does your family tell around Christmas time? What Christmas traditions do you have? You can write to us on our website at http://www.radio.English.net Or, .find Spotlight on Facebook. Just search for Spotlight Radio.

　　Voice 1

　　The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States. The poem and story in this program were adapted by Spotlight. This program is called "The Christmas Saint." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

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 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

3 stockings   

n.长袜( stocking的名词复数 )；靺；袜子

参考例句：

• a pair of silk stockings 一双长筒丝袜
• She wears a pair of sheer stockings. 她穿着一双透明的丝袜。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 chimney   

n.烟囱，烟筒；玻璃罩

参考例句：

• The chimney blew out a cloud of black smoke.烟囱里喷出一团黑烟。
• His father is a chimney sweeper.他的父亲是一位扫烟囱的工人。

5 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

6 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

7 legends   

n.传说( legend的名词复数 )；民间传说；（地图或书中图表的）图例；传奇人物

参考例句：

• They drew the material of their plays chiefly from myths and legends. 他们主要从神话传说中提取剧本的素材。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Both men were legends in their own time. 这两个人在他们各自的时代都是传奇式人物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

10 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

13 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

14 demonstrate   

vt.论证，证明；示范；显示；vi.示威游行

参考例句：

• Let me demonstrate to you how this machine works.我给你演示一下这台机器的运转情况。
• How can I demonstrate to you that my story is true?我怎样才能向你证明我的话是真实的呢？

15 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

16 generous   

adj.慷慨的，大方的，慷慨给予的

参考例句：

• She was kind and generous.她心地善良，宽容大量。
• She was generous with her money.她很乐于仗义疏财。

17 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

18 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

19 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

20 devoting   

v.把…奉献（给），把…专用（于）( devote的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He has been devoting his whole life to benefiting mankind. 他把自己的一生贡献给了造福人类的事业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was devoting himself to the stew. 他一心一意地吃着炖肉。 来自辞典例句

21 customs   

n.海关，关税

参考例句：

• The customs officials turned the man over to the French police.海关官员把那个人移交给了法国警察。
• They are collecting customs.他们正在收缴关税。

22 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

23 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

24 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。