Тексты по теме "Рождество"

Task 1

Read the text and answer the questions.

The most popular holiday in Great Britain is Christmas. They celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It’s a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Most families decorate their houses with a Christmas tree; buy presents for the family and friends, write Christmas cards. In England almost every family receives more than 60 Christmas cards.

Questions:

1.Who gives the city of London a Christmas tree every year?
2. Where does the Christmas tree stand?
3. What do English people do before Christmas?

Task № 2

Read the text and answer the questions.

The traditional Christmas dinner is roast turkey with vegetables and Christmas pudding. In England people make Christmas pudding before Christmas. Everyone in family stirs the pudding and makes a wish. It’s a traditional meal, which people cook for Christmas party. When the pudding is hot they put 5-penny pieces in it, and sometimes a little silver horseshoe, a button and a ring. If you find a button in your piece of pudding you will be rich, a horseshoe means happiness and good luck, a ring - marriage.

Questions:

1. What is the traditional Christmas dinner?

2. What do people put into the pudding?

3. What does it mean if you find a button (a horseshoe, a ring) in your piece of pudding?

Task № 3

Read the text and answer the questions.

The fun starts the night before, on the 24^th of December, Christmas Eve. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at the end of their beds hopping that Farther Christmas will fill them with toys and sweets. Christmas is family holiday. Relatives usually meet for the big Christmas dinner. The 26^th December – Boxing Day is an extra holiday after Christmas. This day people usually give and receive presents. This is time to visit friends and relatives or to sit at home and watch football.

Questions:

1. When does the celebration of Christmas start?

2. What do children do on the Christmas Eve?

3. What is Boxing Day? What do people usually do on that day?

Task 4

And now listen to the groups of words. In each group there is a word, which does not go with others. Find this word, please! Name the odd word. Orally.

1. Turkey, pudding, pumpkin pie, vegetables.

2. Santa Clause, holiday, Christmas tree, birch tree.

3. Christmas pudding, Easter, ring, horseshoe.

4. Trousers, stockings, presents, socks.

5. 23rd December, 24th December, 25th December, 26th December.

6. Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas.

THE PHYSICS OF CHRISTMAS

From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey.

By Roger Highfield

Each year the science journalist Roger Highfield searches for stories with a Christmas angle – the evolution of gift giving, the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem, how reindeer fly, cloned Christmas trees and anything else that might add flavor to his column in The Daily Telegraph of London. He has now gathered them in a delightful compendium of seasonal science, “The Physics of Christmas.’’

Many might feel that scientific analysis of festive phenomena would destroy the spirit of Christmas. Indeed, this is possible, as demonstrated by the British scientist Richard Dawkins. In his book “Unweaving the Rainbow,’’ he explains that Santa would have to travel faster than the speed of sound to visit all the children in the world in a single night. Hence, as he accelerates to and from each house, his sleigh would break the sound barrier, thereby generating a tremendous shock wave and a sonic boom. Because we never hear this sonic boom, Dawkins claims that Santa does not exist. In fact, he proudly admits to using this argument to disprove the existence of Santa to a 6-year-old.

However, Highfield’s approach to the science of Christmas is quite the opposite. Relying on the research of a list of scholars from around the world, he endeavors to enrich our understanding of everything associated with the holiday, providing genuine insights as well as fanciful speculation. For example, the reason we do not hear deafening sonic booms on Christmas Eve is that Santa’s sleigh is fitted with an antinoise mechanism. Sound can be thought of as a series of peaks and troughs. The sleigh emits a noise to accompany the sonic boom, such that a peak in the boom is matched by a trough in the emitted noise, and vice versa. The result is that the sonic boom is canceled, and we are left with a silent night.

Despite its title, the book covers a range of scientific topics, including a detailed analysis of the hangover, the explanation behind the strange taste of brussels sprouts and the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree (a straight trunk that slips easily into the stand, limbs angling upward at 45 degrees, a uniform conical shape tapering downward at 40 degrees and good needle retention). There are also chapters covering the sociological and psychological aspects of Christmas.

In 1944 the psychologist Richard Sterba drew some extraordinary parallels between Christmas celebrations and the customs surrounding childbirth: the preparatory excitement, secret anticipation, the last-minute activity and delivery of a gift, whether it is a baby or a pair of socks.

One hypothesis with slightly more evidence to back it up is the theory that Christmas has a death-defying effect. It appears that people on the verge of dying can strike a deal with God (or exercise willpower) in order to live for a few extra days and experience a final family gathering. The best evidence for this theory comes from a study of Jewish men who died in the weeks on either side of the Passover festival. The advantage of studying Passover rather than Christmas is that its date is not fixed, and so the effect of the festival can be distinguished from the impact of seasonal factors. The results showed that deaths increased by 25 percent in the week after Passover. The effect rose to 61 percent when Passover fell on a weekend, presumably because family gatherings are larger and the desire to survive even greater. It is interesting to note that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, summoning up the extra strength required to witness the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In addition to the science, Highfield also examines the history of the festival, from Christmas cards to the origin of Santa. The inspiration for Santa seems to be the generous St. Nicholas, born around AD 245 in the town of Patara in what is now Turkey. The story of most relevance tells how Nicholas secretly deposited three bags of gold in a house, so that a father could pay for the marriages of his three daughters. Interestingly, legend says that he sneaked the third bag into the house by dropping it down the chimney, which may have given rise to the modern interpretation of Santa’s preferred method of delivering presents.

If St. Nicholas is the original Santa, and his home is in Turkey rather than Lapland, then Highfield suggests that perhaps sunburn is the explanation for Rudolph’s red nose. Alternatively, if Rudolph does reside in the Arctic, then parasites may be the cause of his inflamed proboscis. Reindeer noses contain an elaborate concentration of folded membranes, which act as heat exchangers. Inhaled cold air is rapidly warmed as it enters the body, and exhaled air is cooled before leaving. This helps the animal to retain heat, and also reduces moisture loss but moist respiratory system provides a comfortable home to many parasites, including 20 that are unique to reindeer. Hence Rudolph’s celebrated discoloration is the result of parasitic infection.

Inevitably, Highfield includes a few stories that will be familiar to many, such as the mystery of Santa’s incredible annual present-giving escapade, but even this chestnut is spiced up with the latest research. In 1994 I worked on a television program that revealed that Santa’s exploits were achieved by quantum teleportation. Scientists had only just completed some very tentative experiments, but it seemed that Santa’s Arctic laboratory had mastered the technology. Highfield describes this and other similar theories, involving warp-drive sleighs, wormholes and surfing on the crest of the space-time wave, and he adds another, more believable theory.

The mathematician Ian Stewart of Warwick University in England says that “reindeer have a curious arrangement of gadgetry on top of their heads which we call antlers and naively assume exist for the males to do battle to win females. This is absolute nonsense. The antlers are actually fractal vortex-shedding devices. We are talking not aerodynamics here, but antlaerodynamics.’’ This phenomenon arises on the wingtips of a Concorde, but it is only apparent on antlers at very high speed. However, in order to deliver all the presents, the reindeer are forced to fly at speeds of 6,000 times the speed of sound, far in excess of the speed required for antlers to generate lift.

It is worth noting that the American edition of “The Physics of Christmas’’ omits two chapters included in the British edition. One relates to a peculiarly British delicacy (Christmas pudding), and its omission is understandable. The other concerns the Virgin Birth. Presumably the editors wanted to steer clear of controversy, and therefore took the safe option. The result is that they have lost a thought-provoking chapter, one that would only have contributed further to an already enchanting scientific celebration of Christmas.

By Simon Singh

GLOSSARY:

The Christmas Tree

 How did it all begin? No one really knows, though the custom of having Christmas trees certainly comes from Germany. At one time ‘Adam and Eve Day’ was celebrated on 24 December. They decorated a tree, known as the Paradise Tree, with apples and fruit. And they acted the story of the Garden of Eden and how, in the beginning, the world was spoilt.

A legend links the Christmas tree with St Boniface of Crediton, who left England to bring the good news about Jesus to the tribes of Germany. One dark night he and his monks came upon a group of villagers preparing to sacrifice a boy to their god Odin. They had tied him to an oak tree. Boniface set the boy free and chopped the oak tree down. He pointed instead to an evergreen fir and his followers stepped forward and put their candles on its branches. By its light, the people listened as Boniface told them of the loving God who had brought life and light to the world through his Son.

Some say it was Martin Luther, the great sixteenth-century reformer, who first brought the lighted Christmas tree indoors. As he walked through the forest one night he looked up to see the stars shining through the branches. It was so beautiful he went home to tell his children how the lighted tree was like a picture of Jesus, who left the starry heaven to bring light to earth.

 Decorating the Tree

At first, Christmas trees were decorated with things to eat – edible angels, gingerbread men and apples. German glass-blowers may have been the first to make glass ornaments which were not so heavy. At first a little model of baby Jesus was put at the top of the tree. This changed to an angel with gold wings; then to the fairy we see on so many Christmas trees today!

Candles were used to light the tree at first, and there were many bad accidents from fire. In 1895 an American telephone worker, Ralph Morris, thought how good the tiny light bulbs on the switchboard would look on his tree! His inspiration led to the many shapes and colours of electric Christmas tree lights manufactured today.

 Special Christmas Trees

Many towns have their own Christmas tree, set up in the square or high street. One of the best-known stands in Trafalgar Square in London.

Every December a magnificent fir tree is shipped over from Oslo in Norway as a present from the people of Norway, in gratitude for the help given to them by Britain in the Second World War.

Since the 1920s there has been a large Christmas tree on the White House lawn in Washington. The President himself switches on the lights.

In New Zealand the Christmas tree is alive and growing. Its Maori name is Pohutakawa, but early settlers called it the Christmas tree because its beautiful red flowers bloom in December. The huge trees grow mostly by lake and sea side and holiday-makers can tread a carpet of its red stamens down to the water’s edge.

 The Royal Christmas Tree

It was Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s German husband, who made the Christmas tree popular in Britain. In 1841 he wrote to his father:

‘Today I have two children of my own . . . who . . . are full of happy wonder at the German Christmas tree and its radiant candles.’

In 1848 The Illustrated London News described the royal tree as, ‘About eight feet tall . . . On each branch are arranged a dozen wax tapers . . . Fancy cakes, gilt gingerbread and eggs filled with sweetmeats, are also suspended by variously-coloured ribbons from the branches . . . The tree . . . is, supported at the root by piles of sweets of a larger kind, and by toys and dolls of all descriptions, suited to the . . . ages of . . . Royalty for whose gratification they are displayed.’

Wreaths

The wreaths were created in the same way the Christmas trees were created. For some it symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. Back in ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory. Some believe that this is where the hanging of wreaths on doors came from. Since these times, many wreaths have been made. Some are made for crafts, others for purely decoration, and yet others have more deeper meanings. Below are a couple examples.

Types of Wreaths

Advent Wreaths

The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens with the fifth candle in the middle. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal – one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting of each candle. The last candle is the middle candle. The lighting of this candle takes place on Christmas Eve. It represents Jesus Christ being born.

Decoratory/Craft Wreaths

Wreaths that are made for crafts and decoration have a different purpose than other types of wreaths. Usually they are made for just decoration, like in the same way Christmas lights are used. They usually give a house the finishing look or the finishing touch. They give the house the extra little Christmas feeling. They are usually made out of evergreen leaves which again symbolize life throughout the tough winters.

Santa Claus and Gifts

The tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas not only springs from the gifts given to the Christ Child by the Three Wise Men but has its roots in many of the winter solstice festivals. Saturnalia, the Roman festival was marked by the exchange of gifts, but in Scandinavian countries it was believed that the god Odin visited earth to reward good and punish evil. As Christianity spread Odin was replaced by St Nicholas who would bring gifts to good children. St Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, he was one of the first bishops of the early Christian church and was imprisoned by the Romans because of his faith. He is remembered for his kindness to children and is thus the patron saint of children.

In Holland St Nicholas or Sinterklaas as he is known there, is believed to live in Spain, where he keeps a large red book in which he notes all the good and bad deeds of every child. Each year on December 6 he arrives in Amsterdam by steamship and rides ashore on a great white horse. He is accompanied by servants (or as some versions have it a devil named “Black Peter”), who check whether children have been good before leaving presents for them. That night Sinterklaas rides across Holland and children leave out a pair of shoes filled with food for the horse. In exchange Sinterklaas leaves them gifts or if they have been naughty, a birch rod!

It is from the Dutch Sinterklaas that we take our modern Santa Claus or Father Christmas. In fact it was theologian, Clement Clarke Moore in his poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” who gave Santa Claus a sleigh and team of reindeer named, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (Rudolph joined the team later!). Clement Clarke Moore draws on a Norwegian legend by describing St Nick as a “right jolly elf”, which would explain how he could easily get down chimneys. And it was as recent as the 1860’s that American artists created the image of the modern Santa Claus, into a robust, red-robed, white-bearded figure carrying a sack full of toys.

In Germany it is believed that it is the Christkindl, who brings the children their gifts. Christkindl means Christ Child. On Christmas Eve children in Germany are not allowed in the room where the Christmas tree stands. When at last they are allowed in, of course, they are always too late to catch the Christkindl leaving their gifts.

Italian children receive gifts on January 6 from an old woman named Befana. Legend has it that Befana was an old grandmother who lived in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’s birth. When told by the shepherds about the newborn Christ child the old woman delayed going to visit him and when she finally went to the stable she was too late. Since then every year at Christmas time Befana wanders over the world searching every home for the baby Jesus, and leaves behind gifts in every home in case he is there.