今年，迪士尼推出了“从我们的家庭到你的家庭”圣诞广告三部曲的最后一部《THE GIFT（礼物）》，以支持长期合作的儿童慈善机构Make-A-Wish，帮助生命垂危的儿童达成心愿。“礼物”是一个关于兄弟姐妹亲情的故事，以连接过去、现在和未来的夜光米老鼠毛绒玩具为核心，通过最小的孩子艾拉的视角，展示她不断适应变化着的家庭状况。

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麦当劳2022圣诞短片

《愿望清单》

“圣诞快乐”为什么用“Merry”？

例句：

Merry Christmas, my best friend. 

祝我最好的朋友圣诞快乐！

“Happy Christmas”是不是错的？

铛！铛！铛！圣诞节到了！

你的圣诞树已经摆上了吗？

你的圣诞礼物已经准备好了吗？

作为外来节日，圣诞节虽然不是我们的重大节日，但有不少人都借由它来表达爱意、释放自我、彻夜狂欢。

然而，以“圣诞节”为代表的西方节日越热闹，人们就会越担心，认为这是一种文化入侵，会挤压中华传统文化的生存空间。

其实关于洋节入侵的担忧年年都有，每年这个时候都会有人站出来讨论中国人该不该过圣诞节。

对于中国人该不该过圣诞节，这个话题就像讨论中国人该不该学英语一样的道理。文化的传播与交融是无法避免的，我们要有自己的文化自信，大同世界就该兼容和包容。我们要记住的是，在过西方节日的同时，一定不能忘了自己国家的传统节日。

西方节日盛行的其中一个原因是有趣，如果我们深入挖掘传统节日的内在价值并传承传统的娱乐方式，相信有一天，我们的节日一定会比西方节日更有趣吧。

其实对于很多中国人来说，过圣诞节就是凑个热闹，无关信仰，仅仅就是为了娱乐，只是一种放松的方式。

对于很多商家来说，这只是一种促销的手段。

对于小孩子来说，这只是一个能收到礼物和见到圣诞老人的快乐日子。

对于英语学习者来说，这是我们了解西方文化、学习英语语言的机会。

圣诞节是最具代表性的西方节日，作为英语学习者，你对这个节日的了解有多少呢？你知道圣诞袜是怎么来的？圣诞节为什么要送礼物？圣诞老人又是谁的化身呢？现在就让我们来一探究竟吧：

文章来源：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVxGfOqIg8s

Do you know where the tradition of the Christmas tree comes from? Lights on the Christmas tree? Stockings? Even the ideas of gift-giving?

你知道圣诞树这个传统是怎么来的吗？还有圣诞树上的灯，圣诞袜，甚至是互赠礼物的想法都来自于哪？

Christmas n [U] & [C] 圣诞节（来自于Christ 基督 + mass仪式）

come from 来自；源自

stocking n [C] 圣诞袜（圣诞夜时小孩在睡觉前留在外边用来装圣诞礼物的长袜）

gift-giving n 互赠礼物

Now, let’s look into this holiday’s history, and see if we can uncover some of that richness and tradition. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas — well, at least, you’ll have a better appreciation of why so many people do.

现在，让我们来研究下这一节日的历史，同时看看能否揭开其中一些丰富传统的奥秘。如果你不过圣诞节，那么，至少你会对为什么有这么多人庆祝这个节日有个更好的理解。

look into 调查；研究

uncover vt 发现；揭露

at least 至少

Here’s what you should know:

以下是你需要知道的：

Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That, in itself, is a very big deal. Aside from its obvious religious significance, the first Christmas stands as the great divide for the recording of human history. Until now, history is divided between BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, which is Latin for “Year of Our Lord”), and the divide is Jesus’s birth.

圣诞节是基督徒庆祝耶稣基督诞生的日子，这本身就是一件大事。除了在宗教层面显而易见的重要性外，第一个圣诞节还是记录人类历史的分界线。直至今天，历史都被划分为公元前（基督降生前）和公元（Anno Domini，在拉丁语中是“我主降生之年”），分界线就是耶稣的诞生之日。

Christian n [C] 基督徒

aside from 除了……外

stand as 立为；作为

divide n [C] 分界线；分水岭

lord n [单数] 主；上帝

The idea of Christmas as a time of gift-giving also goes back to the earliest days of Christianity. The story is told that a third-century church bishop, Nicholas, would anonymously throw bags of gold coins into the windows of the poor. The coins supposedly landed in the shoes or stockings that were drying by the fireplace. Thus, the stocking stuffer was born. After Nicholas died and was declared a saint, his popularity and positive Christmas message spread across Europe. Each nation added its own distinct contribution.

圣诞节是一个互赠礼物的日子，这个想法可以追溯到基督教最开始的那些时日。据说，在三世纪的时候，有位名叫尼古拉斯的主教会隐姓埋名地将一袋袋金币投入到穷人家的窗户。据说那些金币会落在壁炉边烘干的鞋子或袜子里。于是，圣诞袜小礼物就诞生了。尼古拉斯死后被封为圣徒，他的受欢迎程度，以及他传达的有关圣诞节的积极寓意传遍了整个欧洲，每个民族都在这个传说上添上了自己独特的一笔。

go back to 追溯到；回溯到

Christianity n [U] 基督教

bishop n [C] 主教

anonymously adv 无名地；匿名地

supposedly adv 据说；据称

land vi 掉落

fireplace n [C] 壁炉

stocking stuffer n [C] 圣诞袜小礼物

message n [C] [熟词生义] 寓意；要旨

distinct adj 独特的；与其他不同的

The idea that Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) would judge whether you’ve been good or bad during the year stems from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, which depicts Christ returning to Earth at the end of the world, riding a white horse. In the Middle Ages, the legend sprang up that Saint Nicholas had been chosen as Christ’s advance guard. He wouldn’t come at the end of the world, but every year to check things out and give a report. When this notion arrived in Norway, it encountered a problem: there were no horses in Norway. But they did have plenty of reindeer. And, of course, Norway abuts the Arctic circle and the North Pole, so Saint Nicholas found himself with a new domicile.

圣尼古拉斯（也就是圣诞老人）会评判一个人在一年中是做了好事还是坏事，这一想法源于《圣经·新约》之《启示录》，它描述了基督会在世界末日骑着白马重返人间。在中世纪，突然流行起这样一个说法：圣诞老人已被选为基督的先行官，他不会到世界末日时才降临，而是每年都来看看情况，然后做个报告。当这种说法流传到挪威时，遇到了一个问题：当时的挪威并没有马，但他们有很多的驯鹿。并且，挪威紧邻北极圈和北极，所以圣诞老人有了一个新的住所。

stem from 起源于；根源是

revelation n [C] & [U]（上帝的）启示

the New Testament n [单数]《圣经·新约》（基督教的《圣经》由《旧约》和《新约》组成。《新约》是《圣经》的第二部分，指耶稣降生以后写成的《圣经》各卷。）

depict vt 描绘；描述

spring up 迅速出现；突然兴起

advance guard 先遣部队；先行官

check out 察看；调查

encounter vt 遭遇；遇到

plenty of 大量；许多

reindeer n [C] 驯鹿（复数形式为reindeer）

abut vt & vi 紧靠；邻接

domicile n [C] 住所

In Germany, the winter tradition of placing evergreens in their homes took on a new significance in the 16th century when Protestant reformer, Martine Luther, put candles in the branches. He told his children the lights were like the sky above Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth.

在德国，在家里摆放常青树的冬季传统在16世纪被赋予了新的意义，当时新教改革者马丁·路德把蜡烛放在枝桠间。他告诉自己的孩子们，那些烛光就像是基督诞生之夜伯利恒上方的那片星空。

evergreen n [C] 常青树

take on 开始具有

Protestant adj 新教的（新教是基督教的一派。是十六世纪宗教改革运动中脱离天主教而产生的各个新宗派的统称。与天主教、正教并称为基督教三大派别。）

reformer n [C] 改革者；革新者

Bethlehem n 伯利恒（耶稣降生地）

All these various European traditions came together in the great melting pot of America.

所有这些不同的欧洲传统都汇聚到了美利坚这个大熔炉里。

melting pot 熔炉（指多种民族、多种思想等融合混杂的地方或状况）

In New York, in 1823, a professor named Clement Moore wrote a poem for his children, “It was the night before Christmas. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there ...” The poem caught on and became a Christmas staple every school child could recite.

1823年，在纽约，一位名叫克莱门特·摩尔的教授为他的孩子们写了一首诗：“这是圣诞节的前夜，圣诞袜已被小心地挂在烟囱边，满心期待圣诞老人快点到来……”这首诗很快风靡，并成为了圣诞节的一个重要元素，以致每个学童都会吟诵。

with care 谨慎地；小心地

in hopes that / in the hope that 抱着……的希望

catch on 流行起来；受欢迎

staple n [C]  主要部分；重要内容

recite vt & vi 背诵；吟诵

The holiday got another push in 1843, when the great British writer, Charles Dickens, published his short novel A Christmas Carol, which perfectly captured what we now refer to as “the Christmas spirit”, the idea that the holiday brings out the best in all of us.

这个节日在1843年获得了再一次的助推。那一年，伟大的英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯出版了他的短篇小说《圣诞颂歌》，该书很好地刻画了我们现在所说的“圣诞精神”，即此节日能唤醒每个人内心中最美好的一面。

carol n [C]（圣诞）颂歌

capture vt（用文字或图片）描述；刻画

refer to 提到；谈到

bring out 使显现；使表现出

As the new century turned, Hollywood got into the act. Almost as soon as there were movies, there were movies celebrating Christmas. To this day, a year doesn’t go by without a new one.

当转眼到了新世纪，好莱坞也加入了这一行列。差不多在刚有电影时，就有了赞颂圣诞节的影片。直到今天，如果没有一部新的圣诞电影上映，这一年是过不去的。

turn v 到（某年龄或某个时间）

get into 参与；开始

act n [C] 行为；行动

as soon as 一……就……

go by 过去；流逝

Madison Avenue saw a big opportunity, too. In 1931, Coca-Cola hired a famous artist to create a Christmas ad of Saint Nicholas drinking Coke. The jolly white-beard old fellow in a bright red suit remains the personification of Old Saint Nicholas.

美国广告业也看到了一个巨大的商机。1931年，可口可乐委托一位著名的艺术家创作了一则圣诞广告，由喝着可口可乐的圣诞老人出演。那个留着白胡子的快乐老头，身着一袭红衣，是昔日的圣尼古拉斯的化身。

Madison Avenue 美国广告业（源自纽约市美国广告公司集中的麦迪逊大街街名）

jolly adj（令人）快乐的

fellow n [C] 男人；家伙

remain v 仍然是；保持不变

personification n [C] 化身

Many people complain today that the religious aspect of Christmas has been overwhelmed by commerce. Retail sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas are now 1 trillion dollars. This is not a new complaint. The Puritans refused to celebrate Christmas, because they thought it trivialized the holiday’s religious message.

如今许多人抱怨说，圣诞节在宗教方面的意义已经完全被商业因素盖过去了，从感恩节到圣诞节期间的零售额已达到一万亿美元。这种抱怨并不新鲜，清教徒们拒绝过圣诞节，因为他们觉得它庸俗化了这个节日所传达的宗教寓意。

overwhelm vt 压倒；漫过

retail n [U] 零售

trivialize vt 使显得平凡；贬低

But this remains the minority view. Most people love Christmas, and all the things — the lights, the trees, the songs, the movies, and yes, the gifts — that come with it. And who can deny that people tend to act a little nicer, a little happier as the special day draws near?

但这种观点依然只属于小众，大多数人热爱圣诞节和与之相关的所有事物——圣诞彩灯、圣诞树、圣诞歌曲、圣诞电影，以及，没错，圣诞礼物。而且，谁又能否认，当这一特殊节日越来越近时，人们往往会表现得更为友善、更为快乐一些呢？

minority n [C] 少数派；少数群体

tend to 往往会；常常就

draw near 接近；靠近

检测题

一、阅读理解

根据短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

1. What do we know about the first Christmas?

A. People used it for time division.

B. People hung stockings by the fireplace on that day.

C. People recorded it as the first big event in human history.

D. People celebrated it to spread positive Christmas messages.

2. Who is the original figure of Santa Claus?

A. Jesus Christ.   

B. Clement Moore.   

C. Nicholas.   

D. Martine Luther.

3. Where does the tradition of placing Christmas tree come from?

A. Norway.         

B. Germany.         

C. Bethlehem.  

D. America.

4. Why do many people complain about Christmas nowadays?

A. It has bad effects on commerce.

B. It costs a lot of money every year.

C. It has too many complex traditions.

D. It is losing its original religious significance.

二、语法填空

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Christmas is when Christians (基督徒) celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. The idea of Christmas as a time of gift-giving comes from a third-century church bishop (主教), Nicholas, who would throw _____1_____ (bag) of gold coins into the windows of the poor. The coins _____2_____ (supposed) landed in the shoes or stockings. Thus, the stocking stuffer was born. In Germany, the winter tradition of placing evergreens in their homes took on a new significance in the 16th century _____3_____ Protestant reformer, Martine Luther, put candles in the branches, _____4_____ (say) the lights were like the sky above Bethlehem _____5_____ the night of Christ’s birth. In New York, in 1823, a professor _____6_____ (name) Clement Moore wrote a Christmas poem for his children and it became very popular. The holiday _____7_____ (get) another push in 1843, when Charles Dickens’s short novel A Christmas Carol perfectly described “the Christmas spirit”, the idea that the holiday brings out _____8_____ best in all of us. In 1931, Coca-Cola hired a famous artist _____9_____ (create) a Christmas ad of Saint Nicholas drinking Coke. Many people complain today that the religious aspect of Christmas has been overwhelmed by commerce. But most people love Christmas and all the things that come with _____10_____.

三、完成句子

根据括号内所给的汉语提示完成句子。

1. The history of Teachers’ Day __________________ (追溯到) 1890.

2. __________________ (至少) ten people were killed in the accident.

3. They would never __________________ (提到) that matter again.

4. Why not __________________ (看一看) the new cafeteria at Market Street?

5. A working party has been set up to __________________ (调查) the problem.

6. I knew something was wrong __________________ (我一走进房间).

7. People __________________ (往往认为) that the problem will never affect them.

8. The Spring Festival is __________________ (越来越近). Have you got any plan for it?

9. __________________ (随着时间的流逝), we learn to respect one another’s differences.

10. The room was empty __________________ (除了……外) one man seated beside the fire.

11. New theatres and arts centres __________________ (突然出现) all over the country last year.

12. There should be __________________ (大把的时间) to go shopping before we leave New York.

13. He took his time answering, knowing that he must select his words __________________ (谨慎地).

14. Even if their software __________________ (受欢迎), commercial success may be difficult to achieve.

15. We will be analyzing all the things she has told us __________________ (抱着……的希望) we can locate the person responsible.

往期推荐




[双语视频] 英国女王2021年圣诞致辞！

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