Christmas, which falls on Dec 25 every years, is the most important festival in the West.
During Christmas, a big fat man in a red suit usually takes center stage. His name is Santa Claus.
He lives in the North Pole and sends presents to children in a magic sled(雪橇)that is pulled by flying reindeer(驯鹿).
It sounds crazy, but Santa Claus is very popular. Small children around the world even leave food out for Santa and his reindeer on the night before Christmas. When they wake up in the morning, some of the food is eaten and there are presents under the Christmas tree.
As you grow older you learn that Santa is not real and it is in fact just your parents. I was about 7 or 8 years old when I figured it out for myself. But that doesn’t stop people celebrating Christmas in the same way.
So where did Santa Claus come from? Santa was actually a real man called Saint Nicholas, which sounds very similar to Santa Claus. He was born about 2,000 years ago in the Roman Empire(罗马帝国). He was a very kind priest(神父)who would travel the country to help people, giving gifts late at night. He did not like to be seen giving gifts, so children were encouraged to go to sleep quickly. Nothing has changed today, with Santa Claus not visiting until all the children are asleep.
The United States version(版本)of Santa Claus was started when Dutch settlers(荷兰移民)arrived about 400 years ago. They called him Sinter Klass and that was slowly changed to Santa Claus over the years. Once big companies like Coca Cola began t o use Santa Claus in their advertisements, he quickly became a symbol of Christmas.
4. Which of the following about Santa Claus is NOT true according to the traditional story?
A.He is very popular during Christmas | B.He lives in the North Pole |
C.He sends presents to kids in a sled | D.He is a poor man with no food to eat |
5. When he knew the fact about Santa, the writer ________.
A.didn’t believe his parents | B.didn’t enjoy Christmas anymore |
C.still celebrated Christmas | D.celebrated Christmas in a different way |
6. What do we know about Saint Nicholas?
a. He was born in the Roman Empire
b. He was a very kind priest
c. He used gifts to make kids go to sleep quickly
d. He asked Santa Claus to do his job for him
7. What does the last paragraph talk about?
A.The United States version of Santa Claus |
B.How US people celebrate Christmas |
C.History of the United States |
D.Coca Cola and Santa Claus |