Report 2 圣诞老人故乡探源
Word Tips
sleigh n.雪橇 v.乘雪橇 chimney n.烟囱
SantaClause圣诞老人 pilgrim n.朝圣者 v.去朝圣
venerate v.崇敬 humility n.谦卑
canonize v.使加入圣徒之列 dowry n.嫁妆
bar v.禁止 enchanted adj.被施魔法的
illustrationn.插画 advocate v.提倡
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-3.
1）A.People all know that Santa Clause lives at the South Pole.
B.Santa Clause is actually from Turkey.
C.Santa Clause saved the life of a poor merchant’s daughter.
D.Santa Clause was buried at the North Pole.
2）A.The legends were introduced to America by Dutch people and Nicolas was depicted as a gift giver through illustrations and poetry.
B.Nicolas’ humility and kindness became known and he was known as Santa Clause soon after his death.
C.Nicolas helped a poor girl by putting some gold in the girl’s stocking and later he was known as Santa Clause.
D.Nicolas was a businessman and he did his business under the name of Santa Clause.
3）A.justice B.peace C.humility D.kindness
听力原文
Tonight is the night when children in much of the western world will be waiting for a portly man in red and white to pass by on his sleigh and climb down the chimney to deliver the Christmas presents.Santa Clause or Father Christmas has，of course，become a much-loved institution.And while we all know，he lives at the North Pole；you might not realize he’s actually from Turkey.“For a country that doesn’t officially celebrate Christmas，they are putting on quite a Santa show at this Istanbul shopping center，festive musicians and Santa hats.We all know who he is，but do we know who he was？”Crowds of pilgrims come here to venerate Saint Nicolas.He was bishop of the town in the 4th century.Nicolas’ humility and kindness became known and he was canonized soon after his death.So loved was he that his bones were stolen from his church in 1087，taken to Italy by those fearing the invading Turks.
Everyone dreams for the coming of Santa Clause to bring him something.Stories about him spread throughout the centuries including one in which he helped a poor merchant who couldn’t afford dowry for his daughters.In the dead of night，Nicolas came to throw gold into his house.But the windows were barred so he set to have hauled it down the chimney landing，yes，you guessed it，in the girls’ stocking hung up to dry.The tourists here are enchanted.
“I guess，I thought，Santa Clause was just a commercial business.But I learned here today that he was a real man that did great things.And he is a legend continued.”
“I’m proud because he was a saint.He helped all the people .He helped us.And now he helped me every day .”Very few people know this fact.So how did the good Bishop Nicolas transform into the much-loved man in red？ Well，the legends were taken by the Europeans known to be the Dutch to the new world .Through illustrations and poetry，his modern image was born，the name changed，Saint Nicolas to Santa Clause .“They are looking for ways to create their own traditions and they turned to Nicolas，reintroducing him no longer as a bishop，but now as a gift giver.”
“Do you think it’s sad that so few people around the world know where the magical man who climbs down the chimney once a year actually originates from？”
“The figure of Santa Clause has become a sort of a vapid commercialized character for so many people.Nicolas advocated justice，stood up for his fellow citizens.So I think there are a lot of stories that are missing.”
Questions：
1.What do we learn about Santa Clause from the report？
2.How did the good Bishop Nicolas transform into the much-loved Santa Clause？
3.What did Nicolas advocate？
参考译文
今晚是许多西方儿童都期待的夜晚，他们盼望身着红白衣服的胖老人乘雪橇路过，爬下烟囱，分发圣诞礼物。圣诞老人，或圣诞老爹，俨然已成为受人爱戴的形象。我们都知道他住在北极，然而你可能不知道，他其实来自土耳其。在这样一个不正式庆祝圣诞节的国家，人们正在伊斯坦布尔购物中心举办大型圣诞老人展，到处都是喜庆的乐手和圣诞帽。我们都知道他是谁，但是我们知道他的身世吗？众多游客来这里拜访圣·尼古拉斯。尼古拉斯是4世纪时这个城镇的主教。他的谦逊和善良为人所知，去世后不久便被尊崇为圣人。他是如此受人爱戴，以至于1087年，担心土耳其入侵的人将尼古拉斯的遗骨从教堂偷出，带到了意大利。
所有人都梦想着圣诞老人能够带着礼物降临。他的故事千古流传，其中一个讲的是他帮助一个穷商人为女儿置办嫁妆。夜深人静之时，尼古拉斯来到商人家准备抛撒金子，但是窗户上有栅栏，所以他就从烟囱上往下抛撒。是的，你猜对了，金子正好落在女儿们正在晾干的长筒袜里。这里的游客对圣诞老人的故事很着迷。
“我以前想，圣诞老人不过是一个商业噱头。但今天我在这里了解到，圣诞老人确有其人，而且他做了很多好事，是不朽的传奇。”
“我很自豪，因为他是一个圣人，帮助所有人，帮助我们。现在，他每天都在帮助我。很少有人知道事实。那么，善良的尼古拉斯主教是怎样变身一身红衣、受人爱戴的人呢？关于他的传说是由欧洲人，据说是荷兰人，带到新大陆的。通过插画和诗歌，他的现代形象诞生了，名字也由圣·尼古拉斯变为圣诞老人。他们在想办法创造自己的传统，所以想到了尼古拉斯，再次介绍的时候，他的身份不再是主教，而是送礼物的人。”
“对于这个一年一度爬下烟囱的魔法老人，很少有人知道他的真正身世，你认为可悲吗？对许多人来说，圣诞老人已经成为一种令人乏味的商业形象。尼古拉斯倡导正义，拥护他的同胞。所以，我认为大家错过了很多故事。”
参考答案
1.A 2.B 3.B