英语听力文摘 English Digest 126、传统假日

　　A decorated evergreen¹ tree is a German tradition that evolved from the pagan festivals of ancient Rome. German immigrants brought the custom to America. There is a charming story about the first Christmas tree in Williamsburg, Virginia, a town noted² for its traditional decorations for the holidays. In 1842 Judge Nathanial Tucker invited a young German - born professor to join the Tucker family’s Christmas celebration.
The professor arrived with a small evergreen tree and showed the children how to make colored paper chains so that they could decorate it. He also fixed³ candles onto the branches with wire. The family was delighted with this small tree and invited their neighbors and relatives to come to see it. Word spread for miles around. So in subsequent years, the Tuckers and their friends continued the tradition.
By the turn of the century Christmas trees had become popular additions to the other plant materials used for decorations over the holidays. The scent⁴ of evergreens⁵ mingled⁶ with the perfume of dried lavender, rose petals⁷, rosemary and bay that decorated the living rooms of the colonists⁸ during winter celebrations.
pagan--异教徒
Williamsburg--威廉斯堡
Virginia--佛吉尼亚州
Judge Nathanial Tucker--法官 塔克

1 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

5 evergreens   

n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The leaves of evergreens are often shaped like needles. 常绿植物的叶常是针形的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pine, cedar and spruce are evergreens. 松树、雪松、云杉都是常绿的树。 来自辞典例句

6 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

7 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》