六級美文閱讀材料：圣誕老人

　　Yet there can be little doubt that for many it is Santa Claus - not Jesus - who is the human face ofChristmas. In fact, it is fair to say that in much of the world, Santa is better known than the Christ who gave his name to the holiday.

　　然而，可能有許多人會有點疑惑，為什么圣誕節的代表人物是圣誕老人，而不是耶穌呢?事實上，這樣說也不為過：在世界上許多地方，圣誕老人要比以其名字來命名該節日的基督還要出名。

　　But how did the fat man in the Coca-Cola red-and-white suit become the symbol of Christmas? The truth is that like the Christmas story itself, the story of Saint Nicholas is a composite of history, myth, and legend.

　　但是，那個穿著一套可口可樂紅白顏色衣服的胖子是怎么成為圣誕節的象征的呢?事實上，跟圣誕節本身的故事一樣，圣人尼古拉的故事，也是集歷史、神話和傳說于一身。

　　According to tradition, he was born in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in about A.D. 270. When young, he traveled to Palestine and Egypt. Not long afterward, he became a bishop.

　　按照傳統的說法，公元270年，尼古拉出生于小亞細亞(現在的土耳其)。年輕時，他曾經到巴勒斯坦和埃及旅行。不久以后他成為了一名主教。

　　During the Roman emperor Diocletian's bloody persecution of Christians in 303, Nicholas was imprisoned. Howeve r, when Constantine the Great became emperor in 306, he legalized Christianity and made it the officalreligion of the Roman Empire. Nicholas was freed

　　公元3 03年，在羅馬皇帝戴克里血腥迫害_期間，尼古拉被捕入獄。然而，公元306年君士坦丁大帝登基稱帝，他使基督教合法化，并

　　使之成為羅馬帝國的國教，尼古拉也獲釋放。

　　The scribes tell us that Nicholas's prayers and leadership during the great tribulation led many to become Christians, Nicholas continued to serve as bishop for many years. On December 6, 343, Nicholas the man died, and Saint Nicholas the legend was born.

　　據史書記載，尼古拉在受難期間的祈禱和領導讓很多人皈依成為基督教徒，(出獄后)尼古拉繼續擔任主教多年。公元343年12月6日，真人尼古拉去世，然而圣人尼古拉的傳說誕生了。

　　During his lifetime, Nicholas's reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to stories of miracles he performed for the poor, the weak and children. After his death, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe. His feast day was celebrated on December 6, but his reputation as a gift-giver later became attached to the celebration of Christmas on December 25.

　　尼古拉在世時慷慨仁慈的名聲衍生出他為窮人、弱者和孩子創造奇跡的許多故事。尼古拉死后，人們對他的摯愛延伸到歐洲各地。節日儀式定在12月6日舉行，但是他作為“贈禮者”的聲望，后來卻與12月25日圣誕節的慶典扯上了關系。

　　After the Reformation in the 16th century, Nicholas's cult disappeared in most Protestant countries of Europe. But his legend was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents. In England, he became known as FatherChristmas. But in Holland, Saint Nicholas' name and reputation persisted as "sinterklaas".

　　16世紀宗教改革運動以后，對尼古拉的膜拜便在多數歐洲新教國家銷聲匿跡了o但是有關他的傳說卻跟一個北歐民間故事結合了起來，故事中有位魔術師，他愛懲罰頑皮的孩子，并送禮物獎勵好孩子。在英格蘭，尼古拉成為家喻戶曉的圣誕節之父。而在荷蘭，圣人尼古拉的名聲依舊以“Sinterklaas”的名字流傳。

　　In the 17th century , Dutch colorusts took this tradition with them to America. Later, Sinterklaas was adopted by the English-speaking majority as¨Santa Claus". The resulting image of a "jolly old elf' driving a sleigh with "eight tiny reindeef' crystallized in the 19th century . That was when Clement Moore wrote the now-famous poem "A Visit From Saint Nick. And the red-and-white suit? That was created by a Coca-Cola adman in the 1930s.

　　17世紀，荷蘭的殖民者將這個傳統帶到美洲。后來.“Sinterklaas”為多數說英語的人民所采用，并改成了“Santa Claus”，他最后的形象——“快樂的老矮”駕著“八只小馴鹿”拉的雪橇—是在19世紀開始變得明確具體起來的。摩爾(Clement Moore)就在那時寫了《圣人尼克的來訪》這首聞名至今的詩。還有那件紅白套裝呢?那是在20世紀30年代，可口可樂公司的廣告商創造出來的。

　　Although greatly commercialized, the modern Santa Claus still embodies Saint Nicholas' generosity and love for children. And for some, he still points to the Nativity of the babe in the manger, and reminds us of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

　　盡管現代的圣誕老人已經被高度商業化，但他仍舊表現了圣人尼古拉的寬大胸懷和對孩子們的愛。對某些人來說，他仍然象征著馬槽里圣嬰的誕生，并讓我們想起慶祝圣誕節的緣由。

　　六級美文閱讀材料：酒吧

　　Going to pubs is a very popular leisure-time activity . In a recent survey seven out often adults said they went to pubs, one third of them once a week or more often.

　　去酒吧是一項非常流行的休閑活動。最近的一項調查顯示7/10的成年人表示他們會去酒吧，1/3的人每周去一次或者更多。

　　Everywhere there are plenty of pubs, in which people play darts, talk and drink, usually while standing up. Every pub has its name, its sign and its "regulars", its customers who turn up night after night. A few old pubs have real character but many are dull and ugly. It seems that the English think it rather indecent for people to drink alcoholic drinks in any place where they can be seen from outside. So pubs usually not only have no tables outside, but are so built that it is impossible for people outside to see in,or for those who are inside to see out. There are exceptions to this, but not many.

　　酒吧在英國隨處可見。人們在那里站著玩飛鏢、聊天或者喝酒。每個酒店都有自己的名字、自己的招牌和“?？椭?即那些每個晚上都會光顧的客人)。一些老店很有特色，但多數卻是既無聊又丑陋。英國人似乎認為，在任何一個從外面看得見的地方喝酒都是件不體面的事。所以，這里的酒吧不僅外面不設桌子，而且它的建筑結構使你既不能從外面看到里面，也不能從里面看到外面。當然，這也有一些例外，但不多。

　　Types of pubs vary considerably from quiet, rural establishments with traditional games, such as skittles and dominoes, to city pubs where different sorts of entertainment such live music can often be found. The opening hours of pubs, which were previously strictly controlled, have been relaxed and many pubs now serve food as well as drink.

　　有些酒吧比較安靜，它們座落在鄉下，客人在里面可以玩傳統的游戲，例如九柱游戲和骨牌。城市的酒吧提供不同的娛樂，通常可以看現場音樂表演。酒吧的營業時間以前是嚴格控制的，現在則放寬多了’許多酒吧除了提供酒水外還供應食物。

　　The traditional pub was a place for the men only. But things have changed, and more and more pubs are now places where men and women sit at tables, and they often provide good lunches. Most of them have a public bar, where drinks are slightly cheaper, and a saloon bar, which middle-class people usually prefer because it is more comfortable and less crowded. Some

　　pubs have become more welcoming to families with younger children than in the past, although children under fourteen are still not allowed in the bar.

　　傳統上的酒吧是男人的世界，但今天情況已發生了變化，在越來越多的酒吧里，你可以看見男人和女人同桌共飲，這些酒吧常常能提供很好的午餐。而且，大多數酒吧都設有一個公共酒吧區，那里的酒水相對而言比較便宜，此外，它們還設有一個沙龍酒吧區，那是中產階級人士常常光顧的地方，那里不僅比較舒服，人也比較少，某些酒吧比過去更受到有小孩的家庭的歡迎，盡管14歲以下的小孩還是不能進酒吧的。

　　British drinking habits have changed with larger and continental beers now more popular thantraditional fonns of British beer. In cities,wine bars have appeared in competition with pubs. Although, in general,people in Britain now drink more than they used to, new typesof drinks such as alcohol-free beer and wine have appeared and there has been a general move to educate people more about the dangers of drinking too much.

　　英國人的喝酒習慣已經改變了很多，更大瓶的啤酒和大陸式啤酒現在比傳統英國啤酒更受歡迎。在城市中，葡萄酒酒吧與酒館互相競爭。雖然從總體上來說，英國人現在喝酒比以前多，但是已經出現新的沒有酒精的酒類，并且人們越來越明白酒精以及酗酒的害處了.