VOA慢速英语2020--美国小镇改变了圣诞节的传统

There is little to do in Norcatur, Kansas. It has a service station, a building for storing grain, and a weekend place where the locals play pool, eat pizza and drink beer.

Yet COVID-19 still found this small, rural town, which is home to about 150 people.

In an old tradition, the town gathers for a potluck dinner at Christmastime. The event is known as the Norcatur Christmas Drawing. People donate meats, crafts and other treats. Usually, every family goes home with prizes. The 4-H Club, an agricultural organization for children, holds a sale of baked goods. Santa Claus comes to the event too.

But this year, the drawing has been canceled due to the coronavirus health crisis².

A recent statement in the town's newsletter and Facebook page announced the cancellation³.

It blamed "lack of concern for others" for the action.

Decatur County has fewer than 3,000 people. Most people live on farms or in small towns like Norcatur. As of last week, the county had reported 194 coronavirus cases and one death. Medical providers say there have been at least four more deaths that have not been added to the official count.

Carolyn Plotts is a 73-year-old Norcatur resident. She only found out she was positive for COVID-19 when tested for a medical procedure in October. She never had symptoms.

Plotts said two of her former high school classmates who live in the county died because of the virus. Her husband also tested positive.

"It's been very real to me," she said.

Plotts wondered whether the cancellation announcement was maybe "talking about me." During her quarantine, she would only leave her house to care for a housebound friend who still believes the pandemic is not real. Plotts said she left her house with her doctor's permission and wore a mask.

Carl Lyon is the Norcatur mayor. He said that most residents are "pretty good" about social distancing and wearing a mask, but some have caught the virus.

"I know a couple of people had it and they were still kind of running around," Lyon said. "Didn't seem to bother them that they infected everybody else."

Decatur County Sheriff Ken¹ Badsky estimated that 5 percent of county residents who should quarantine violate⁴ the restrictions⁵ and go out. His office has called some and "insisted they do what they are supposed to do," but has taken no legal action.

"I have so much other stuff to do. I don't have time to follow people around," Badsky said. "We have 900 square miles [about 2300 square kilometers], we have three full-time⁶ officers and a part-time to take care of that and we are busy with everything else."

Stan Miller⁷ was the announcer for the Christmas Drawing for more than 25 years. He has mixed feelings about the decision to stop it this year. The 63-year-old Norcatur resident said he understands there are elderly people who could get the virus. But it is also disappointing.

"I like to see all the joy, especially the little kids," Miller said. "We have Santa Claus after the drawing is over and to see them sit on Santa's lap and tell them what they want for Christmas, you know, always puts a smile on my face."

Words in This Story

rural -- adj. of or relating to the country and the people who live there instead of the city

potluck – n. a meal to which everyone who is invited brings food to share

drawing -- n. an act of choosing something (such as a winning ticket) from a group without knowing which one you are choosing

housebound – adj. unable to leave your home

quarantine -- n. the situation of being kept away from others to prevent a disease from spreading; the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

pandemic -- n. medical: an occurrence⁸ in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

mask -- n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth

lap – n. the area between the knees and the hips of a person who is sitting down

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 violate   

vt.违反，违背，亵渎，侵犯，妨碍

参考例句：

• Those who violate traffic regulations should be punished.那些违反交通规定的人应该受处罚。
• Can they be allowed to violate rules and regulations at will?难道能容许他们随心所欲地破坏规章制度吗？

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

7 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

8 occurrence   

n.发生，出现，事件，发生的事件

参考例句：

• Two things account for its occurrence.发生这件事的原因有两个。
• For a military commander，winning or losing a battle is a common occurrence.胜败乃兵家常事。