---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/136-christmas.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：Christmas。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 拓展 · 圣诞节

### 第1段

As Christmas approaches, excitement mounts to a pitch. There are presents to be bought, cards to be sent, and rooms to be decorated. Parents are faced with the difficult task of concealing presents from inquisitive young children. If the gifs are large, this is sometimes a real problem. On Christmas Eve, young children find the excitement almost unbearable. They are torn between the desire to go to bed early so that Santa Claus will bring their presents quickly, and the desire to stay up late in case they miss any of the fun. The desire for presents usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early, they often lie awake for a long time, hoping to catch a glimpse of Father Christmas.
Last Christmas, my wife and I successfully managed to conceal a few large presents in the store-room. I was dreading the moment when my son, Jimmy, would ask me where that new bicycle had come from, but fortunately he did not see it.
On Christmas Eve, It took the children hours to get to sleep. It must have been nearly midnight when my wife and I crept into their room and began filling stockings and pillow cases as quickly as we could. After this was done, I wheeled in the bicycle I had bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get much sleep that night, for the children were sure to wake up early. At about five o’clock the next morning, we were woken by loud sounds coming from the children’s room. The children were blowing toy trumpets, banging tin drums and shouting excitedly. Before I had time to stagger out of bed, young Jimmy came sailing into the room on his brand new bicycle, and his younger sister, Elizabeth, followed close behind pushing her new pram. Even the baby arrived. He crawled into the room dragging a large balloon behind him. All of a sudden it burst. That woke us up completely. We jumped out of bed and began to play with the children. The day had really begun with a bang!

中文理解：圣诞节越近，人们就越兴奋：要买礼物、寄贺卡，还要布置房间。对父母来说，最难的任务之一，就是把礼物藏好，不让那些充满好奇心的小家伙发现；礼物一大，这有时真是个难题。到了平安夜，孩子们简直兴奋得受不了。他们一会儿想早点睡，好让圣诞老人快些把礼物送来，一会儿又想晚点睡，生怕错过什么热闹。通常，还是想要礼物的念头占了上风。不过，孩子们即使早早上床，也往往很久都睡不着，盼着能偷偷看一眼圣诞老人。
去年圣诞节，我和妻子总算成功地把几件大礼物藏进了储藏室。我一直担心儿子吉米突然问起，那辆崭新的自行车是从哪儿来的。幸好，他没有发现。
平安夜，孩子们折腾了好几个小时才睡着。我和妻子蹑手蹑脚走进他们的房间，尽快把礼物塞进袜子和枕套里，那时想必已近午夜。忙完后，我把给吉米买的自行车推进来，放在圣诞树旁。我们知道，这一晚睡不了多少，因为孩子们肯定会早醒。果然，第二天早晨五点左右，儿童房里的一阵喧闹把我们吵醒了：孩子们吹着玩具喇叭，敲着铁皮鼓，兴奋地大喊大叫。我还没来得及迷迷糊糊地下床，小吉米就骑着崭新的自行车冲进房间，妹妹伊丽莎白推着新买的玩具婴儿车，紧紧跟在后面。连最小的宝宝也来了，他爬进屋，身后拖着一只大气球。突然，气球砰地炸了，这下我们彻底清醒了。我们跳下床，和孩子们一起玩了起来。这一天，还真是从一声“巨响”中热热闹闹地开始了！

* **excitement mounts**：兴奋之情不断高涨；情绪 + mount，mount 在此不是登山。

* **to be decorated**：需要被装饰；名词 + to be done 表尚待完成的安排，被动对象是房间。

* **are faced with**：面临；可用 face a problem，不说 face with a problem。

* **are torn between**：在两者之间难以取舍；be torn between A and B，两端保持平行。

* **in case**：以防；万一；本课带讽刺地说万一读不懂；常表示预防某情况。

* **lie awake**：躺着睡不着；lie / lay / lain 为躺；不要与 lay（放置）混淆。

* **for a long time**：很长时间；for接持续时段，时态取决于动作和参照点。

* **managed to**：设法成功做到；不仅尝试，而且最终做到了；try to 不保证成功。

* **get to sleep**：入睡；get to sleep 强调进入睡眠，与 be asleep 的状态不同。

* **were sure to**：一定会；很有可能会；叙述判断时为很有把握的预期，不是祈使句务必做。

* **wake up**：醒来；叫醒；可表示自己醒来，也可表示叫醒别人；代词宾语通常放中间。

* **coming from**：从……传来；声音 come from + 来源；注意判断是声源而非移动目的地。

* **brand new**：崭新的；brand 用来加强 new，不是某个品牌的新品。

* **All of a sudden**：突然；常引入打破原来状态的事件。

* **jumped out of bed**：一跃下床；动作 + out of + 原位置；描写兴奋比笼统 got up 更鲜明。

* **with a bang**：轰然地；热热闹闹地；本课同时呼应气球爆裂和一天热闹的开端。

#### 原文注释 · As Christmas approaches, excitement mounts to a pitch.

注释：①mounts = rises。②task = job。③concealing presents = hiding gifts。④ inquisitive = curious。⑤torn between = cannot decide which to choose, and so you feel anxious or troubled between…⑥catch a glimpse of = see briefly。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句 torn 用作形容词，表示“难以取舍”；between 介词短语补充说明两种相互冲突的愿望，并非修饰名词的后置定语，在这个后置定语中，又有so that 引导的目的状语从句，以及in case 引导的目的状语从句。

#### 原文注释 · Last Christmas, my wife and I successfully managed to conceal a few large presents in the store-room.

注释：①dreading = afraid。②fortunately = luckily。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句when 引导的是定语从句，修饰the moment，该定语从句中，有一个where 引导的宾语从句，这里ask 后面接双宾语，其中一个宾语是me，另一个宾语就是这个where 引导的宾语从句了。该宾语从句的主语为that new bicycle，这里的that 是有实际意义的，并非引导词，故主语符号奉上。

#### 原文注释 · On Christmas Eve, It took the children hours to get to sleep.

注释：①creep into = to move slowly, quietly and carefully，不是爬进去。②stagger out of bed = force yourself out of bed，不是什么蹒跚起床。③burst 在这里表示“爆裂”，主语 it 指前句的大气球；不能套用“挤满”的其他用法。结尾 with a bang 呼应气球的爆裂声，也带有热热闹闹开始一天的意味。

\[本文修订日期：2022年2月1日]

## 学完这一课

用 There are… to be… 列两三项待办，保持形式平行。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第136—137页，2022年2月第3版。*