VOA慢速英语2014 无论是否基督徒,大部分美国人都过圣诞节

 

AS IT IS 2014-12-25 Christian¹ or Not, Most Americans Celebrate Christmas 无论是否基督徒,大部分美国人都过圣诞节

Christmas is the most widely celebrated² religious holiday in the United States. In Christianity, the day honors the birth of Jesus.

Many Christians³ go to church on Christmas Eve -- the night before the holiday -- or on Christmas Day. Christian ministers speak about the need for peace and understanding in the world. 

Peace and harmony is the spiritual message of Christmas. But many Americans celebrate Christmas as an important, but non-religious, holiday.

Americans buy presents for family members and friends. They decorate their homes with evergreen⁴ trees and bright, colored lights. They go to parties and prepare traditional Christmas foods -- especially sweets. 

Another Christmas tradition is to go caroling.  A group of people walks along the street. At each house, they stop and sing a Christmas song, called a carol.  Student groups also sing carols at schools and shopping centers. 

Christmas is probably the most special day of the year for children. One thing that makes it special is the popular tradition of Santa Claus.

Young children believe that Santa Claus is a fat, kindly⁵ old man in a red suit with white fur. They believe that -- on the night before Christmas -- he travels through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer⁶. He enters each house from the top by sliding down the hole in the fireplace⁷. He leaves gifts for the children under the Christmas tree. 

Some people object to how much money Americans spend on Christmas. They say buying things is not the real meaning of the holiday.

So, they celebrate in other ways. For example, they make Christmas presents instead of buying them. Or they volunteer to help serve meals to people who have no homes. Or they give money to organizations that help people in the United States and around the world.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

5 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

6 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

7 fireplace   

n.壁炉，炉灶

参考例句：

• The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
• I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。