Unit 2 The Spirit of Christmas

Dear Xia Yu夏宇,
Do you know that there are two special days for parents in America? One is Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May and the other is Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June. On these two days, American children often give gifts to their parents or take them out for lunch or dinner. Common gifts are flowers and cards for mothers and shirts or ties for fathers. I heard that it is becoming more and more popular to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in China. I wonder if children over there also give similar gifts to their parents. I believe that there are many ways to show our love. Actually, we don’t have to spend a lot of money. It is also a good idea to help parents to do something instead.
June
亲爱的夏雨，
你知道在美国有两个为父母设定的特殊日子吗？一个是母亲节在五月的第二个星期天，另一个是父亲节在六月的第三个星期天。在这两天，美国的小孩通常会送礼物给他们的父母或者带他们出去吃午餐或者晚餐。普遍的礼物是送花和卡片给妈妈，送衬衫或领带给爸爸。我听说在中国庆祝母亲节和父亲节已经变得越来越流行。我想知道是否这些孩子也提供类似的礼物给他们的父母。我相信有很多的方法可以表达我们的爱。事实上，我们不需要花太多的钱。帮助父母做些事代替礼物也是一个很好的方法。

很多人同意这种观点:当我们想到圣诞节时，我们可能想到礼物、圣诞树和圣诞老人。但隐藏在这一切背后的是(lie存在)圣诞节的真谛:分享与给予我们周围的人爱与欢乐的重要性。《圣诞欢歌》的故事或许是这一点最好的例子。

The Spirit of Christmas 

Many would agree that when we think of Christmas, we probably think of gifts Christmas trees and Santa Claus. But behind all these things lies the true meaning of Christmas. The importance of sharing and giving love and joy to people around us. The story in A Christmas Carol is perhaps the best example of this. 《圣诞欢歌》的故事或许是这一点最好的例子。

圣诞欢歌》是查尔斯·狄更斯写的著名短篇小说。这篇小说讲述的是一位叫斯克鲁奇的从来不笑的老人的事。他吝啬自私，从不与人为善。他只关心能否挣到更多的钱，并且厌恶圣诞节。一个圣诞前夕，斯克鲁奇看到了他死去的生意伙伴雅各布·马利的鬼魂。马利过去曾经就像斯克鲁奇一样，所以在他死后受到了惩罚。他告诫斯克鲁奇，如果他不想最终像他一样，就要改变他的癖性。他还告诉斯克鲁奇将有三个(圣诞)精灵年拜访他。

 

A Christmas Carol is a famous novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old man named Scrooge who never laughs or smiles. He is mean and only thinks about himself, and doesn't treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can make more money. And he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley, his dead business partner. Marley used to be just like Scrooge So he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him. 

那天夜里，三个鬼魂拜访了斯克鲁奇。首先，“圣诞节的过去之灵”带他回到了他的童年时代，使斯克鲁奇回想起孩提时代的欢乐时光。

然后，第二个精灵“圣诞节的现在之灵”，带他去看其他人是如何度过今年的圣诞节的。每个人，甚至穷人都很幸福。最后一个，“圣诞节的未来之灵”带他去了未来。斯克鲁奇看到他死了，但没人在意他。他惊恐万分地在他的床上醒来，发现正是第二天早晨圣诞节了。

 

That night, three ghosts visit Scrooge. First, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy even poor people. The last one, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes him to the future. He sees that he is dead but nobody cares. Scrooge is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is already the next morning on Christmas Day! He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth, spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!

 

圣诞精神

 很多人同意这种观点:当我们想到圣诞节时，我们可能想到礼物、圣诞树和圣诞老人。但隐藏在这一切背后的是(lie存在)圣诞节的真谛:分享与给予我们周围的人爱与欢乐的重要性。《圣诞欢歌》的故事或许是这一点最好的例子。

 

圣诞欢歌》是查尔斯·狄更斯写的著名短篇小说。这篇小说讲述的是一位叫斯克鲁奇的从来不笑的老人的事。他吝啬自私，从不与人为善。他只关心能否挣到更多的钱，并且厌恶圣诞节。一个圣诞前夕，斯克鲁奇看到了他死去的生意伙伴雅各布·马利的鬼魂。马利过去曾经就像斯克鲁奇一样，所以在他死后受到了惩罚。他告诫斯克鲁奇，如果他不想最终像他一样，就要改变他的癖性。他还告诉斯克鲁奇将有三个(圣诞)精灵年拜访他。

那天夜里，三个鬼魂拜访了斯克鲁奇。首先，“圣诞节的过去之灵”带他回到了他的童年时代，使斯克鲁奇回想起孩提时代的欢乐时光。

然后，第二个精灵“圣诞节的现在之灵”，带他去看其他人是如何度过今年的圣诞节的。每个人，甚至穷人都很幸福。最后一个，“圣诞节的未来之灵”带他去了未来。斯克鲁奇看到他死了，但没人在意他。他惊恐万分地在他的床上醒来，发现正是第二天早晨圣诞节了。

 

他决定改变他的生活，承诺做个更好的人。他开心地同亲戚们一起庆祝圣诞节。他还送给需要帮助的人礼物。现在无论走到哪里，他都用善良与热情待人，传播着爱与欢乐。那就是真正的圣诞精神!

 

《圣诞欢歌》这本书真的很好看，可以去看看哦~