Christmas
圣诞节
It all began
这一切大约是在两千年前开始的，一位天使向一位叫马利亚的犹太女孩显现，并且告诉她好消息：「你将怀孕生子，给他起名叫耶稣，就是救世主。」当马利亚的产期近了的时候，马利亚和的未婚夫约瑟因户口调查的缘故回到家乡伯利恒城。他们所找到唯一能够落脚的地方是一个动物住的地方。这位特别的婴孩就在那里出生。
Angels announced the joyful news to some shepherds. They left their sheep and hurried to see the baby. Some time later, wise men from the East saw an unusual star. They knew someone great had been born. The star led them to
天使对一些牧羊人报告这个大喜的讯息。他们便丢下自己的羊赶去看这位婴孩。不久之后，东方的博士看见一颗很不寻常的星星，他们知道某位伟人诞生了。这颗星将他们引导到伯利恒，当他们找到了孩童耶稣时，他们献上了适合国王身份的礼物。
The celebration of this special birth came to be called Christmas. Through the ages, people developed many Christmas traditions. The custom of decorating Christmas trees began centuries ago. People in many ancient cultures decorated homes with trees and greenery in winter. In the Middle Ages, Christians in
为这个特别诞生所做的庆祝被称为圣诞节。经过这些年，人们发展出了许多圣诞节的传统，装饰圣诞树的习俗在数百年前开始。在许多古老文化中，人们在冬天利用树和绿叶植物装饰自己的家。在中世纪，欧洲的基督徒在万年青上面加上灯光和宗教象征物成为圣诞树。圣诞老公公已经成了最有名的圣诞节人物之一，尤其是在美国。他的传说始自纪元前三百年左右，一个叫做圣尼古拉斯的仁慈主教，他以慷慨仁慈而出名。而在圣诞节送礼物的习惯则是始自那些由东方而来的博士将礼物送给耶稣。圣诞树顶上的星星象征着那颗引导博士找到耶稣的星星。
Sometimes Christmas can become just a ritual. Many Americans see Christmas as just a time for shopping for the perfect gift. Advertisers and businesses begin promoting Christmas earlier every year. Stores remind customers of how many shopping days are left until Christmas. It's almost a modern Christmas custom to spend too much money! Credit card debts often take months to pay off. Even children can become materialistic. They think only of what they will get from Santa Claus.
有时候，圣诞节变得非常形式化。许多美国人把圣诞节当成只是一个购买「最佳礼物」的时刻。广告公司和商人开始一年比一年提早为圣诞节打广告，商店也会提醒顾客在圣诞节之前还有几天可以购物，过量的花费几乎已成了现代的圣诞节习惯！用信用卡代付的金额通常要好几个月才能偿清。即使小孩也变得很物质主义，他们只想到自己会从圣诞老公公那里得到什么礼物。
Despite the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Rush, most Americans feel Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time of excitement, a time of joy, a time to show love in special ways. Best of all, Christmas is not just for Americans. Christmas is for everybody in the world. Christmas is the celebration of God's gift to the world-Jesus.
除了这些因圣诞节而来的忙忙碌碌，大部份的美国人仍然认为圣诞节是一年之中最美好的时间。它是一个兴奋、喜乐并且用特别的方式来表达爱的时候。最好的是，圣诞节不只是为美国人预备的，圣诞节是为了世界上的每一个人预备的，它是为了庆祝上帝给世人的礼物──耶稣。
相关单词：census
census解释：n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查
census例句：
A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。
相关单词：joyful
joyful解释：adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的
joyful例句：
She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。
相关单词：Christians
Christians解释：n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
Christians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
相关单词：evergreens
evergreens解释：n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 )
evergreens例句：
The leaves of evergreens are often shaped like needles. 常绿植物的叶常是针形的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
The pine, cedar and spruce are evergreens. 松树、雪松、云杉都是常绿的树。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：bishop
bishop解释：n.主教，（国际象棋）象
bishop例句：
He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
相关单词：generosity
generosity解释：n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为
generosity例句：
We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。
相关单词：symbolizes
symbolizes解释：v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )
symbolizes例句：
The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：materialistic
materialistic解释：a.唯物主义的，物质享乐主义的
materialistic例句：
She made him both soft and materialistic. 她把他变成女性化而又实际化。
Materialistic dialectics is an
相关单词：hustle
hustle解释：v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)
hustle例句：
It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。
相关单词：bustle
bustle解释：v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹
bustle例句：
The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。
