
胸中只擺脫一戀字,便十分爽凈,十分自在。 人生最苦處,只是此心沾泥帶水。 明是知得,不能斷割耳。
只要將心中的戀字擺脫,就會感到十分清爽,十分自在。 人生最痛苦的,是辦事拖泥帶水,心中割舍不下。 明明白白知道該怎么辦,卻不能快刀斬亂麻。



Christmas Day, the 25th of December, is the biggest festival celebrated in the Christian countries of the world. Christians regard this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ, but many of the customs and celebrations are not of a religious nature.
In the large shops preparations for Christmas start five or six weeks before the actual day. Shop owners like Christmas because it is a time when people exchange presents. In large towns decorations are put up in the main streets two or three weeks before Christmas.
Preparations are also made at home. Special puddings and cakes are eaten on Christmas Day and these have to be made three or four weeks in advance. Two or three days before Christmas, people decorate their houses with paper decorations and leaves and branches. People also like to have a Christmas tree in the living room. This is a very small fir tree, which is decorated with sliver paper and colored lights.
Although everyone enjoys Christmas Day, it is particularly enjoyed by children, because they know that Christmas Father will bring them gifts from the chimney at night.
Every family has its own traditions at Christmas. Some exchange presents on Christmas morning. Others put all the presents around the Christmas tree and wait till evening before giving them out. But all families have a huge Christmas dinner - usually at midday. If they can afford it they have a turkey and ham followed by Christmas puddings.



Christmas season is the most festive time of year in many Western countries. Children believe that on Christmas Eve Santa Claus, a fat, merry man who wears a red suit, red hat, and a long white beard, slides down their chimneys to bring them gifts. So they hang stockings by the fireplace, hoping that Santa Claus will fill them with candy and toys.
But was there really a Santa Claus? Yes. Not the man mentioned above but a 4th century bishop, Saint Nicholas. He was born in Turkey and his remains are kept to this day in Bari, Italy. According to a story, he was best known for saving children. He brought three dead boys back to life after they had been chopped up! Stories like that helped him become the patron saint of boys and girls. Later on his name was changed
into Santa Claus. In the 17th century, the Dutch of New Amsterdam in America added the sleigh and flying reindeer to him. Since then Santa Claus has traveled in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers.
On Christmas Eve many children even lie awake listening to Santa Claus and his sleigh. But he never comes. The gifts found in the stockings the next morning were put there by their own parents when they were asleep.
Comprehension Questions練習你理解問題的能力



Set high on the great round table stands the lighted Christmas tree, shining its gold cheer around the room. It towers above the children's heads as they gaze up at it with admiring eyes. Sitting on the very top of the tree is a silver star surrounded by tiny lights. All the branches are hung with silver bells and sparkling lights. Around the base of the tree lie the gifts and toys wrapped up in bright colorful paper.
Every Christmas in millions of homes all over the world, a Christmas tree forms the centerpiece of the decorations. But it is Germany we have to thank for giving us the custom of lighting and decorating a small fir tree.
According to the ancient legend, a travelling holy man called St. Boniface was passing through a forest one December when he was horrified to see that a small boy was going to be offered up as a human sacrifice to one of their gods. He was just about to be put on a roaring fire when St. Boniface rushed in and snatched the boy away. Then, picking up an axe he chopped down a huge oak tree which stood nearby. As it fell to the ground, a tiny young fir appeared out of the ground in the space where the mighty oak had stood.
"From now on," said St. Boniface, "this little tree will be a holy symbol. It is the sign of everlasting life because its leaves are still green when everything else seems dead around it. Moreover, it will always point upward to heaven. From this day, this little tree shall be called the Christ-child Tree."
This little tree has become known around the world.
