新奇事件簿 美国圣诞节年味变淡

A new report says Christmas in the USA is becoming less religious¹. Nine out of ten Americans celebrate Christmas, but only about half think it is a religious holiday. The report is from the Pew Research Center. It asked 2,001 adults about their opinions on Christmas. Just over half of those questioned thought Christmas was a religious celebration², while 32 per cent said it was, "more of a cultural holiday". Greg Smith from Pew Research said: "Younger adults are less likely than older adults to see Christmas as a religious rather than cultural holiday. They're less likely to say they will attend [church at] Christmas…and they are less likely to believe in the virgin³ birth."

一项新的研究表明美国圣诞节的宗教气息越来越淡。10个美国人中有9人会庆祝圣诞节，但是大约只有一半人认为这是一项宗教节日。这是皮尤研究中心所公布的报告。报告就圣诞节对2001名成年人进行了调查。这其中只有一半人认为圣诞节是宗教节日，32%的人认为它超过了文化节日的含义。来自皮尤研究中心的格雷格·史密斯说：“年轻人比年长者更不可能把圣诞节看成是宗教节日。他们也很少有可能会去做礼拜，他们也很少能够相信童贞生。

People are also changing what they say to each other at Christmas and what they write in cards. More and more people are choosing to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". This is because there are also non-Christian holidays happening around the same time as Christmas. Many people want to include all holidays in their holiday wishes. The research also found that 79 per cent of Americans will watch a Christmas movie, but only 59 per cent will go to church. Just 36 per cent will read the Christmas story in the Bible⁴. The average amount of money people spend on Christmas is $914. Ten per cent of Americans spend over $2,000. People most look forward to spending time with their family.

在这一天里，人们对彼此所说的话以及贺卡上的内容也有所改变。越来越多的人选择说“节日快乐”而不是“圣诞快乐”。这是因为在这一天还有许多非基督教节日。许多人希望在他们的节日愿望中包含所有的节日。研究发现有79%的美国人会看圣诞电影，但是只有59%的人会前往教堂。只有36%的人会阅读圣经中的故事。人们在这一天的平均消费是914美元。有10%的美国人开销超过了2000美元。人们都希望与家人度过时光。

1 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

2 celebration   

n.庆祝，庆祝会；典礼

参考例句：

• The celebration passed off successfully.庆祝活动圆满结束。
• The celebration of Christmas is a custom.庆祝圣诞节是一种习俗。

3 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

4 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。