英语四级考试贯通词汇文章(第6篇)_第2页

　　We understand that Macy’s Department Store in New York City introduced the annual Christmas or Santa Claus Parade during the 1880’s. Today, in late November, or early December, a Christmas Parade is held in almost every city and town in Europe and America.　　Early on the night before Christmas (Christmas Eve), children are encouraged to go to bed early if they expect Santa to come. They lay their heads on their pillows with visions of what the next day will bring. Santa is invisible to children since no one has actually seen him, his sleigh, or reindeer on Christmas Eve.　　On Christmas Day, families usually get together for a roast goose or turkey(火鸡) dinner served with mashed(压碎的) potatoes, gravy(肉汁), cranberry sauce, and pie or pudding(一种甜点心) for dessert. Grown-ups will pour a glass or two of wine or other spirits(烈酒). Together, families will openly exchange gifts and gratitude. Children, including cousins, nieces and nephews, often kneel on the floor in front of the tree, excitedly trying to find presents with their names on them. On that day, warm receptions are extended to everyone, friend or stranger.　　For many merchants, Christmas has become the economic boom season of the year. It is estimated that a major percentage of the annual yield of revenue from sales is generated during the month or more of intense Christmas shopping before Christmas. As a matter of fact, there has been some debate for years that Christmas has become too commercialized and that the true meaning of Christmas is gradually disappearing. An escalating(逐步上升的) tendency has been to buy more and more expensive gifts each year. Some people go into debt, sometimes owing more than they can easily pay back. Some people are personally beginning to rethink(反思) this commercial approach to Christmas. However, toy manufacturers and their contemporaries in advertising make a killing during this period. Christmas shopping hits a peak(最高点,顶峰) on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, when stores offer great discounts to unload the unsold Christmas merchandise(商品). This is usually the busiest shopping day of the year.　　Christmas has spread far and wide across the globe. My wife and I lived in Beijing last year. During the Christmas season, we saw many Christmas decorations and heard a lot of western Christmas music in department stores. It seemed little different from Toronto, Canada. We celebrated Christmas much as we would have in Canada, except that we weren’t with our families in our homes during that very special family-oriented holiday season. We have great memories of Christmases of the past and look forward to many more great Christmas memories in the future.

　　圣诞节的历史　　圣诞节是号称有大约18亿教徒里的基督教世界里最愉快、最神圣的节日。尽管这个节日的起因纯粹是宗教性的，但它已演变成了每年的非常世俗化的庆祝活动。不守，纯粹宗教性的部分每年还是在以各种方式进行着。二者在现代重商主义中，很自然地融合在一起。　　圣诞节时值每年的12月25日，是耶稣基督的诞生庆典，他是两千多年前的一个木匠的儿子。基督教，这场追随基督教义的运动，在接下来的几个世纪里影响了全世界。据说，圣诞节的第一次庆祝活动是在公元336年的古罗马举行的。好像没有人能肯定12月25日就是基督的实际诞生日，而更有可能的是，古罗马的基督教领导人想要以此取代几乎同时举行的异教徒的宗教节日。　　圣诞节的很多世俗象征已经出现好几个世纪了。现在这种形象的圣诞老人，可以说是最近才出现的。然而，他的起源却可以部分追溯到古罗马时代。　　圣·尼古拉斯是公元4世纪时利西亚海港的帕塔拉(在现今的土耳其)的一个早期的基督教主教。迫害基督教徒的罗马皇帝戴克里以非法宣扬基督教的罪名把他关进了监狱。后来，罗马的第一位信仰基督教的皇帝康士坦丁释放了他。尼古拉斯的慷慨、仁慈和圣迹为他赢得了广泛的声誉，最终被尊为圣徒。据说，他恢复了被他们那屠夫父亲砍成碎片的孩子们的生命。还说他在三个可怜女孩挂起来用火烘烤的长袜子里放了一些金币，希望这些女孩能用这些钱结婚，以免沦为妓女，而在那个时代，这种女孩的命运大多就是这样。在圣诞节，把特大号的空长袜挂在壁炉上面让圣诞老人放一些小礼物的传统，就来自这个故事。根据这些传说，现代的圣诞老人的形象似乎显现出来。　　在一些欧洲国家，圣诞老人的形象更多的是与圣·尼古拉斯联系在一起，而不是与Santa Claus联系在一起。圣诞老人穿的红白相间的服装，据说是来自早期基督教主教的长袍的传统颜色。在驯鹿拉的雪橇上飞翔、从烟囱里下来的圣诞老人，源自19世纪20年代克莱门特·摩尔写的一首美国诗“圣诞节的前夜”。19世纪60年代，另一个美国人制作了一幅版画，叫做“圣诞老人的作坊”，上面的圣诞老人被描绘成在美丽的落日余晖下，挠着下巴，读着信，检查一份清单(每年在圣诞节以音乐和故事的形式反复告诉孩子们的各种活动都列在这份清单上)。每年，孩子们在圣诞节之前给圣诞老人写信，请他带来他们最喜欢的玩具。　　根据传说，圣诞老人在12月24日深夜，在寒冷的夜空飞翔，不用使用指南针或者地图来计划他的路线。他坐在由九头驯鹿拉着的雪橇上，在通常很滑的斜屋顶上降落。他笨拙地扛着一个装满玩具的大口袋，从烟囱里跳下来，把玩具倒在圣诞树下。礼品中常常有送给小女孩的一个洋娃娃，或送给小男孩的一辆小火车。他无声无息地做着这一切，然后垂直向上从烟囱里爬回去，不留一点痕迹，飞走时大声地说着那句人们熟知的话：“祝大家圣诞快乐，晚安”。在圣诞节清晨破晓之前，他回到在北极的家里。在全世界快速飞奔了一夜，很疲倦却非常愉快。打了一个大呵欠后，圣诞老人就睡着了。