1. Lo Fen, a Chinese agronomist1, is staying with the Helms family in Iowa. It's Christmas Eve.
Lo Fen: Your tree looks beautiful. Do you decorate it this way every year?
Mrs. Helms: Yes, it's a family tradition dating back to2 my childhood. We use the same lights and ornaments3, but of course we have a new tree each year.
(She hands her a delicate glass ball.)
Mrs. Helms: The children made some of these decorations. Here, you can hang this on one of those high branches.
(Lo stands on a ladder to reach the upper limbs.)
Mr. Helms: Well, everything seems to be just about ready. Now all we need is snow.
Lo Fen: Do you exchange the presents in the morning?
Mrs. Helms: Oh, yes. The kids are too excited to wait. After we clean up4 the mess--all the empty boxes and the wrapping paper5 -- we have a big breakfast. Then the kids have the whole day to play with their new toys.
Mr. Helms: And we'll have agreat turkey dinner at around four o'clock. My brother and his family will be joining us.
Lo Fen: I look forward to meeting them. Well, it's late, so I'll say good night. I'll see you early tomorrow, so I can share your Christmas morning.
Mr. Helms: Good night!
译文
——你们的树看起来好漂亮。你们每年都这么布置吗？
——是的。记得从我孩提时候开始这就是家里的传统了。我们用一样的灯泡和装饰品；当然，我们每年都用一棵新树。（她递给她一个精巧的玻璃球。）
——这些装饰中有一部分是孩子们弄的。给，你可以把这个吊在一根高枝上。（Lo站在梯子上，伸手去够高一点的大树枝。）
——似乎一切都准备就绪了。现在我们都希望的是下一场雪了。
——你们在早上交换礼物吗？
——是的。孩子们兴奋得迫不及待。我们把杂物打扫完——所有这些空盒子和包装纸之后，我们就会吃团圆早餐。然后，孩子们会有一整天的时间玩他们的新玩具。
——我们会在四点钟左右吃火鸡。我兄弟和他的家人也会来和我们***餐。
——我很希望见到他们。好了，太晚了，我要说再见了。明天我会一大早来看你们，那样我就可以和你们分享圣诞早晨了。
——晚安！
2. Christian’s Holiday.
Stewart: Merry Christmas!
Mary: Huh?
Stewart: I said Merry Christmas! Don't you know that Christmas is almost here?
Mary: It is? Oh, that's nice.
Stewart: Huh? Didn't you know? Aren't you excited?
Mary: Actually, I'd forgotten about it.
Stewart: Forgotten about it? How could you?
Mary: Because I'm not Christian6, I'm Jewish7.
Stewart: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know.
Mary: It's all right. There are so many Christians in America that everybody takes it for granted that I'm Christian.
Stewart: I guess so. So what do you do around this time of year?
Mary: Well, I'll celebrate Hanukah soon, but that's not as important to us as Christmas is to you. Mainly I'll just enjoy the holiday break.
Stewart: Well, would you be horribly offended8 if I invited you to a Christmas party at my house?
Mary: Not at all. A party is a party. I'll be happy to come.
Helpful Information：
Christmas is an adaptation of the Pagan feast of Yule. Originally celebrated by the Celtics of old Britain. Christianity borrowed the idea and changed it to represent the supposed birthday of Jesus. Few people actually know what the true origin of the holiday is. Most people wrongly assume that Christmas has a complete Christian origin when it actually originated as a Pagan Holiday.
圣诞节是按照非异教徒犹太人的盛宴改换过来的。最初是由古老英国的凯尔特人庆祝。基督教借用了这个想法，并把它改为象征耶稣的出生日。很少有人真正知道这个假日的真正由来。大部分人错误地认为圣诞节完完全全来自于基督教，而它实际上却起源于一个非异教徒的节日。
译文
——圣诞快乐！
—— 嗯？
——我说圣诞快乐！难道你不知道圣诞节快到了吗？
——是吗？哦，太好了。
——嗯？你难道不知道？难道你不兴奋？
——我真的忘记了。
——忘记了？你怎能忘记了？
——因为我不是基督教徒，我是犹太人。
——哦，对不起，我不知道。
——没关系。美国有这么多的基督教徒以致人人都认为我也是一个基督教徒。
——我想是这样。那么每年这个时候你都在做什么？
——唔，不久我要庆祝光明节，但是光明节对我们来说没有圣诞节对你们那样重要。我主要是好好享受这段假期。
——唔，如果我邀请你来我家参加圣诞聚会，你会很生气吗？
——一点也不。聚会是聚会。我会很高兴来参加。
3. Truth about Santa Claus.
Eddie: So how's everything going for Christmas?
Jill: I've got all the presents I need, and my family is working together to get all the food ready. That's easy; but I have another problem to deal with.
Eddie: What's that? Don't tell me you've still got Christmas cards to write; it usually takes my wife a month to write all of ours.
Jill: No, I did that a long time ago. It's about telling my son the truth about Santa Claus.
Eddie: He still doesn't know that Santa isn't real? How old is he, eight?
Jill: Yes. He's never said anything so I never told him. But now that he's getting older…
Eddie: You think it's better that he should be told?
Jill: Yes, he's too old to believe in that type of things. And I'd rather tell him before the kids at school do.
Eddie: That happened to my oldest girl. She became really upset when her classmates told her Santa wasn't real.
Jill: I can understand. I was lucky with my oldest; she figured it out by herself and didn't tell my son.
Eddie: Well, when you tell him, be gentle. It's hard for kids to findout something like that.
Helpful Information：
When American kids get into their teens, they begin to find out that Santa Claus doesn’t really exist. Some smarter kids even know that before then. They feel it’s nothing but a joke. Of course, some are devastated when they find it out. But most realize that the character “Santa Claus” is really a fictional character presented in a light-hearted way for the enjoyment of children. It doesn’t matter he’s real or not, the legend will remain.
当美国小孩子进入十几岁以后，他们开始得知圣诞老人并不是真正地存在。一些聪明一些的小孩甚至在这之前就知道了。他们觉得这只不过是个笑话。当然一些人当他们知道此事时很伤心。但是大部分人意识到圣诞老人这个人物确实是虚构的角色，一个以轻松自在的方式给孩子们带来乐趣的角色。他是真与否，都无关紧要，传说还是会流传下去。
译文
——圣诞节准备得怎么样了？
——要的礼物我都准备好了，而且我们全家正在一起准备食物。那很容易，但我还有一个难题要处理。
——什么事？不要告诉我你还有许多圣诞卡要写；我妻子通常花一个月的时间写好我们所有的圣诞卡。
——不是，圣诞卡我早就写完了。难题是怎样告诉我儿子有关圣诞老人的实情。
——他还不知道圣诞老人不是真的？他多大，八岁？
——是的，他从未说过什么，因此我也从未告诉过他。但现在他越来越大了……
——你认为他应该知道实情比较好吗？
——是的，他太大了，不应该相信那种事情。而且我宁愿在学校的孩子们告诉他以前告诉他。
—— 以前我的大女儿也是这样。当她的同学告诉她圣诞老人不是真的时候，她变得很伤心。
——我能理解。我幸运我的大女儿没有这种麻烦，她自己猜出圣诞老人是假的，但没有告诉我儿子。
——唔，那你告诉他时，温和一点。对小孩来说，得知那样的事是很难承受的。
4. Taking down the Christmas tree.
Gary: Ok, honey, time to take down the Christmas tree.
Martha: Do we have to?
Gary: Come on, it's losing needles all the time and the branches are sagging9.
Martha: It's not that bad; besides it really looks nice in that corner. It gives the room a good atmosphere10.
Gary: A good atmosphere? The tree is falling apart, and it's messing up the room.
Martha: But it makes the place feel so much like Christmas. I'd really hate to have to take it down.
Gary: But Christmas was two weeks ago! It's been there only because we've been too busy to get rid of it.
Martha: I know, but it seems like such a shame to have to take it away.
Gary: But it's falling apart, and the cat keeps playing with the lower branches.
Martha: I know, I know. But it reminds me of the great Christmas we just had. All of us were here -- my parents, your parents, the kids, and the cousins -- the food was good, and everybody got what they wanted.
Gary: Yeah, it was a good Christmas. It won't always be this good, but we can't make it last longer than it should.
Martha: Ok, fine. We need to take down the tree.
Gary: I'll make a deal with11 you. We'll leave it up until Sunday, and then we'll take it down after church.
Martha: Ok, good.
Additional Information：
Gifts are placed under the tree from the time the trees are put up until the gifts are opened on Christmas morning. Parents are always excited to see the cheerful faces of their children at the moment they open their gifts. It’s also an American custom to leave the tree up until after the New Year. Some people feel the saddest thing about Christmas is taking down the Christmas tree.
一旦圣诞树摆好，礼物就被放在树下面直到圣诞节早上礼物被拆开。父母亲总是很兴奋地看到他们的孩子拆开他们的礼物时欢快的表情。再者，将圣诞树一直摆到新年是美国的习俗。一些人觉得关于圣诞节最伤心的事是把圣诞树拆卸开来。
译文
——行了，亲爱的，该拿走圣诞树上的东西了。
——必须拿下吗？
——快点，它总是往下掉松针，而且树枝已下垂。
——没那么糟糕；况且放在那个角落里看上去确实很好。它使房间有个好气氛。
——好气氛？圣诞树都七零八落了，还使房间里乱糟糟的。
——但它使这里感觉像过圣诞节一样。我实在不愿拿下它。
——但是圣诞节已经过去两个星期了。它还留在那是因为我们一直太忙，没有时间清理它。
——我知道，但是拿走它似乎是个遗憾。
——但是它正变得七零八落，猫还总是玩弄下面的树枝。
——我知道，我知道。但它使我想起了我们刚刚度过的快乐的圣诞节。所有的人都在――我的父母，你的父母，孩子们和堂兄弟姐妹们――食物很好，并且每个人都得到了所想要的。
——是的，是一个愉快的圣诞节。它不会总是这样好，但我们不能使它持续太长的时间。
——是，行。我们需要拿走圣诞树。
——我向你说定了。我们将把它保留至星期天，做完礼拜后再拿下它。
——行，好吧。
4 Words and Expressions
1. agronomist 农(艺)学家
2. date back to 属于,始于某时期
3. ornament 装饰品
4. clean up 打扫;整理，清理
5. wrapping paper 包装纸
6. Christian 基督教的，基督教徒
7. Jewish 犹太人的，犹太教的
8. offend 冒犯;触怒;伤害...的感情
9. sag 松弛, 下陷, (物价)下跌, 漂流
10. atmosphere 大气，气氛
11. make a deal with 与...做生意, 和...妥协