【英语趣味课堂】她的圣诞节-Her Christmas
时间：2019-02-24 作者：英语课 分类：英语趣味课堂
英语课
Dai: So Christmas is coming around the corner. How do you feel about that?
Sharron: I love Christmas. I love the time with the family, the time off work to relax and enjoy each other's company and just time at home with everyone.
Dai: So, what do you .... what's like a traditional Christmas for you then?
Sharron: Well, the build-up is a bit of a nuisance 1 really. It's a lot of money, but it's good fun and it's great. The end result, Christmas morning, watching everybody opening the presents that I've bought and things, but, yeah, a traditional Christmas would be rushing around Christmas Eve getting all the last minute things. Probably up till very late, wrapping presents, and then up early Christmas morning, opening presents, a family visit to see our daughter opening her presents as well, and then it's normally 2 shared around some of the family. We do a different Christmas dinner every year. Either we ...
Dai: Christmas dinner? What kind of ... ?
Sharron: Right! Christmas dinner back home is a big roast turkey and all the trimmings: stuffing 4, vegetables ...
Dai: Stuffing?
Sharron: Stuffing. It's like herbs and bread crumbs 5 and onions and things. All made up and you stuff 3 it under the skin of the turkey and when the turkey roasts it cooks in there as well. It's really, really tasty. So we have sort of a family meal and one year we'll go to one of the parent's houses or they'll come to us. We just change it round every year. And then normally, it's sort of a lazy afternoon after we've eaten far too much, and watching some of the traditional British television: The Queen's speech at 3 o'clock every Christmas Day.
Dai: So the Queen gives a speech?
Sharron: Yeah. Tells everybody how her year has been and what she thinks Britain has achieved in the last twelve months and how she thinks things are going to go for the next twelve months and it's on for about twenty minutes I suppose. Not everybody watches it. Sometimes people, after their large lunch, have fallen asleep in the chair by the time it's on the TV, so ...
Dai: Right.
Sharron: But Christmas night then, it's normally cold turkey sandwiches, pickled onions, crisps 6.
Dai: Crisps? Like ...
Sharron: Like ...
Dai: Potato chips?
Sharron: Potato chips, yeah, sorry, potato chips, yeah. We call them crisps back home so ...
Dai: OK.
Sharron: Sit in front of the TV again. It's just a generally family time.
Dai: Sounds pretty lazy.
Sharron: It is. Very lazy. Boxing Day then is ...
Dai: Boxing Day?
Sharron: Yeah, now Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day.
Dai: So the 26th?
Sharron: The 26th of December. Saint 7 Steven's Day, but we have another day's holiday then so ...
Dai: Why is it called Boxing Day?
Sharron: I haven't got a clue. Not a clue.
Dai: Think it's cause everyone gets rids of their boxes?
Sharron: Could be. After all the Christmas gifts, yeah. But we generally have a busier day the next day. There's a lot of sport activities going on where we live. In Temby, which is a local seaside town, they have a big Boxing Day swim, which is unheard of in the winter. Nobody goes in the sea much in the summer, where we live.
Dai: Right, it must be really cold.
Sharron: Very cold.
Dai: Like, what would that be in degrees?
Sharron: Oh, I don't know, but people dress up and run in the sea for charity. People give donations 8 for money and it's all in a good cause and it's a bit of fun. But there's also football matches and rugby matches and things.
Dai: So you generally have a good time.
Sharron: Yeah, most people go out on Boxing Day. It's a more active day than Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the day where most people tend to stay in and be with the family and Boxing Day we will go out and meet up with friends generally.
Learn Vocabulary from the lesson
the build-up
Well, the build-up is a bit of a nuisance really.
'The build up' is a period of planning or promotion 9 before a big event. Notice the following:
There was a lot of build-up to the wedding and then it was over.
There is often a lot of build-up for any Leo DiCaprio movie.
nuisance
The traffic is a bit of a nuisance.
A nuisance is someone or something that makes us a little angry. Notice the following:
Mosquitoes are such a nuisance in summer.
The noisy child was such a nuisance, his mother finally let him eat ice-cream for dinner.
not a clue
I haven't got a clue why it is called Boxing Day.
The phrase 'I haven't got a clue' simply means 'I don't know'. Notice the following:
I don't have a clue as to why he did not come.
I could not answer the question. I didn't have a clue.
unheard of
They have a swim which is unheard of in winter.
Something that is unheard of is very unusual. Notice the following:
It is unheard of for rich people to give away all their money.
In the 18th century, It was unheard of for men have short hair.
a good cause
People give donations and it's all in a good cause.
An event or organization that helps people is a good cause. Notice the following:
Helping 10 the homeless is a good cause.
People gave to the charity because it was a good cause.
Sharron: I love Christmas. I love the time with the family, the time off work to relax and enjoy each other's company and just time at home with everyone.
Dai: So, what do you .... what's like a traditional Christmas for you then?
Sharron: Well, the build-up is a bit of a nuisance 1 really. It's a lot of money, but it's good fun and it's great. The end result, Christmas morning, watching everybody opening the presents that I've bought and things, but, yeah, a traditional Christmas would be rushing around Christmas Eve getting all the last minute things. Probably up till very late, wrapping presents, and then up early Christmas morning, opening presents, a family visit to see our daughter opening her presents as well, and then it's normally 2 shared around some of the family. We do a different Christmas dinner every year. Either we ...
Dai: Christmas dinner? What kind of ... ?
Sharron: Right! Christmas dinner back home is a big roast turkey and all the trimmings: stuffing 4, vegetables ...
Dai: Stuffing?
Sharron: Stuffing. It's like herbs and bread crumbs 5 and onions and things. All made up and you stuff 3 it under the skin of the turkey and when the turkey roasts it cooks in there as well. It's really, really tasty. So we have sort of a family meal and one year we'll go to one of the parent's houses or they'll come to us. We just change it round every year. And then normally, it's sort of a lazy afternoon after we've eaten far too much, and watching some of the traditional British television: The Queen's speech at 3 o'clock every Christmas Day.
Dai: So the Queen gives a speech?
Sharron: Yeah. Tells everybody how her year has been and what she thinks Britain has achieved in the last twelve months and how she thinks things are going to go for the next twelve months and it's on for about twenty minutes I suppose. Not everybody watches it. Sometimes people, after their large lunch, have fallen asleep in the chair by the time it's on the TV, so ...
Dai: Right.
Sharron: But Christmas night then, it's normally cold turkey sandwiches, pickled onions, crisps 6.
Dai: Crisps? Like ...
Sharron: Like ...
Dai: Potato chips?
Sharron: Potato chips, yeah, sorry, potato chips, yeah. We call them crisps back home so ...
Dai: OK.
Sharron: Sit in front of the TV again. It's just a generally family time.
Dai: Sounds pretty lazy.
Sharron: It is. Very lazy. Boxing Day then is ...
Dai: Boxing Day?
Sharron: Yeah, now Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day.
Dai: So the 26th?
Sharron: The 26th of December. Saint 7 Steven's Day, but we have another day's holiday then so ...
Dai: Why is it called Boxing Day?
Sharron: I haven't got a clue. Not a clue.
Dai: Think it's cause everyone gets rids of their boxes?
Sharron: Could be. After all the Christmas gifts, yeah. But we generally have a busier day the next day. There's a lot of sport activities going on where we live. In Temby, which is a local seaside town, they have a big Boxing Day swim, which is unheard of in the winter. Nobody goes in the sea much in the summer, where we live.
Dai: Right, it must be really cold.
Sharron: Very cold.
Dai: Like, what would that be in degrees?
Sharron: Oh, I don't know, but people dress up and run in the sea for charity. People give donations 8 for money and it's all in a good cause and it's a bit of fun. But there's also football matches and rugby matches and things.
Dai: So you generally have a good time.
Sharron: Yeah, most people go out on Boxing Day. It's a more active day than Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the day where most people tend to stay in and be with the family and Boxing Day we will go out and meet up with friends generally.
Learn Vocabulary from the lesson
the build-up
Well, the build-up is a bit of a nuisance really.
'The build up' is a period of planning or promotion 9 before a big event. Notice the following:
There was a lot of build-up to the wedding and then it was over.
There is often a lot of build-up for any Leo DiCaprio movie.
nuisance
The traffic is a bit of a nuisance.
A nuisance is someone or something that makes us a little angry. Notice the following:
Mosquitoes are such a nuisance in summer.
The noisy child was such a nuisance, his mother finally let him eat ice-cream for dinner.
not a clue
I haven't got a clue why it is called Boxing Day.
The phrase 'I haven't got a clue' simply means 'I don't know'. Notice the following:
I don't have a clue as to why he did not come.
I could not answer the question. I didn't have a clue.
unheard of
They have a swim which is unheard of in winter.
Something that is unheard of is very unusual. Notice the following:
It is unheard of for rich people to give away all their money.
In the 18th century, It was unheard of for men have short hair.
a good cause
People give donations and it's all in a good cause.
An event or organization that helps people is a good cause. Notice the following:
Helping 10 the homeless is a good cause.
People gave to the charity because it was a good cause.
adv.正常地，通常地
- I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
- My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。
n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱
- We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
- He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。
n.填充物vt.填充(stuff的现在分词)
- We had a chicken and stuffing, and new potatoes from the garden. 我们吃了只百宝鸡，还有园子里种的新鲜马铃薯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She had already mixed the stuffing for the dumplings. 她已经把饺子馅和好了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
n.炸马铃薯片( crisp的名词复数 )v.（使）变脆( crisp的第三人称单数 )
- It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物
- The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传
- The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
- The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。