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!
譯文
——妳們的樹看起來好漂亮。妳們每年都這麽布置嗎？
——是的。記得從我孩提時候開始這就是家裏的傳統了。我們用壹樣的燈泡和裝飾品；當然，我們每年都用壹棵新樹。（她遞給她壹個精巧的玻璃球。）
——這些裝飾中有壹部分是孩子們弄的。給，妳可以把這個吊在壹根高枝上。（Lo站在梯子上，伸手去夠高壹點的大樹枝。）
——似乎壹切都準備就緒了。現在我們都希望的是下壹場雪了。
——妳們在早上交換禮物嗎？
——是的。孩子們興奮得迫不及待。我們把雜物打掃完——所有這些空盒子和包裝紙之後，我們就會吃團圓早餐。然後，孩子們會有壹整天的時間玩他們的新玩具。
——我們會在四點鐘左右吃火雞。我兄弟和他的家人也會來和我們***餐。
——我很希望見到他們。好了，太晚了，我要說再見了。明天我會壹大早來看妳們，那樣我就可以和妳們分享聖誕早晨了。
——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.
聖誕節是按照非異教徒猶太人的盛宴改換過來的。最初是由古老英國的凱爾特人慶祝。基督教借用了這個想法，並把它改為象征耶穌的出生日。很少有人真正知道這個假日的真正由來。大部分人錯誤地認為聖誕節完完全全來自於基督教，而它實際上卻起源於壹個非異教徒的節日。
譯文
——聖誕快樂！
—— 嗯？
——我說聖誕快樂！難道妳不知道聖誕節快到了嗎？
——是嗎？哦，太好了。
——嗯？妳難道不知道？難道妳不興奮？
——我真的忘記了。
——忘記了？妳怎能忘記了？
——因為我不是基督教徒，我是猶太人。
——哦，對不起，我不知道。
——沒關系。美國有這麽多的基督教徒以致人人都認為我也是壹個基督教徒。
——我想是這樣。那麽每年這個時候妳都在做什麽？
——唔，不久我要慶祝光明節，但是光明節對我們來說沒有聖誕節對妳們那樣重要。我主要是好好享受這段假期。
——唔，如果我邀請妳來我家參加聖誕聚會，妳會很生氣嗎？
——壹點也不。聚會是聚會。我會很高興來參加。
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.
當美國小孩子進入十幾歲以後，他們開始得知聖誕老人並不是真正地存在。壹些聰明壹些的小孩甚至在這之前就知道了。他們覺得這只不過是個笑話。當然壹些人當他們知道此事時很傷心。但是大部分人意識到聖誕老人這個人物確實是虛構的角色，壹個以輕松自在的方式給孩子們帶來樂趣的角色。他是真與否，都無關緊要，傳說還是會流傳下去。
譯文
——聖誕節準備得怎麽樣了？
——要的禮物我都準備好了，而且我們全家正在壹起準備食物。那很容易，但我還有壹個難題要處理。
——什麽事？不要告訴我妳還有許多聖誕卡要寫；我妻子通常花壹個月的時間寫好我們所有的聖誕卡。
——不是，聖誕卡我早就寫完了。難題是怎樣告訴我兒子有關聖誕老人的實情。
——他還不知道聖誕老人不是真的？他多大，八歲？
——是的，他從未說過什麽，因此我也從未告訴過他。但現在他越來越大了……
——妳認為他應該知道實情比較好嗎？
——是的，他太大了，不應該相信那種事情。而且我寧願在學校的孩子們告訴他以前告訴他。
—— 以前我的大女兒也是這樣。當她的同學告訴她聖誕老人不是真的時候，她變得很傷心。
——我能理解。我幸運我的大女兒沒有這種麻煩，她自己猜出聖誕老人是假的，但沒有告訴我兒子。
——唔，那妳告訴他時，溫和壹點。對小孩來說，得知那樣的事是很難承受的。
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.
壹旦聖誕樹擺好，禮物就被放在樹下面直到聖誕節早上禮物被拆開。父母親總是很興奮地看到他們的孩子拆開他們的禮物時歡快的表情。再者，將聖誕樹壹直擺到新年是美國的習俗。壹些人覺得關於聖誕節最傷心的事是把聖誕樹拆卸開來。
譯文
——行了，親愛的，該拿走聖誕樹上的東西了。
——必須拿下嗎？
——快點，它總是往下掉松針，而且樹枝已下垂。
——沒那麽糟糕；況且放在那個角落裏看上去確實很好。它使房間有個好氣氛。
——好氣氛？聖誕樹都七零八落了，還使房間裏亂糟糟的。
——但它使這裏感覺像過聖誕節壹樣。我實在不願拿下它。
——但是聖誕節已經過去兩個星期了。它還留在那是因為我們壹直太忙，沒有時間清理它。
——我知道，但是拿走它似乎是個遺憾。
——但是它正變得七零八落，貓還總是玩弄下面的樹枝。
——我知道，我知道。但它使我想起了我們剛剛度過的快樂的聖誕節。所有的人都在――我的父母，妳的父母，孩子們和堂兄弟姐妹們――食物很好，並且每個人都得到了所想要的。
——是的，是壹個愉快的聖誕節。它不會總是這樣好，但我們不能使它持續太長的時間。
——是，行。我們需要拿走聖誕樹。
——我向妳說定了。我們將把它保留至星期天，做完禮拜後再拿下它。
——行，好吧。
4 Words and Expressions
1. agronomist 農(藝)學家
2. date back to 屬於,始於某時期
3. ornament 裝飾品
4. clean up 打掃;整理，清理
5. wrapping paper 包裝紙
6. Christian 基督教的，基督教徒
7. Jewish 猶太人的，猶太教的
8. offend 冒犯;觸怒;傷害...的感情
9. sag 松弛, 下陷, (物價)下跌, 漂流
10. atmosphere 大氣，氣氛
11. make a deal with 與...做生意, 和...妥協