40,000,000 Christmas Puddings! That's a lot of Pudding!
25 December is Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ. In Britain, people celebrate this day with a great Christmas dinner. The main course of the meal is usually turkey. And the traditionaldessert is Christmas pudding. This year more than 40,000,000 people will finish their Christmas dinner with Christmas pudding!

Christmas pudding is a rich, boiled pudding made with flour, suet and dried fruit. There are several customs associated with Christmas pudding. By tradition, a silver coin is hidden inside the pudding when it is made. A few holly leaves are placed on top. And before the pudding is cut open and served, brandy is poured over it and set alight. Then it is eaten with thick, runny cream.

Although Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, two of these customs remind us of His death. The holly leaves are a reminder of Christ's "Crown of Thorns". And it is said that the flames from the brandy represent the Passion.

And the silver coin hidden in the pudding? The person that finds it is guaranteed to receive great health, wealth and happiness!

Word Checker
brandy: a strong alcoholic spirit made from wine
crown: the round head dress that a king or queen wears
dessert: sweet course at the end of a meal
flour: powder from grain, used to make bread, cakes etc
holly: shrub with prickly green leaves and red berries
the Passion: the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
pudding: a steamed dish made with suet and flour
suet: fat from the kidneys of cows, sheep etc
thorn: sharp, spiky plant
turkey: a large bird, like a big chicken

Note: "pudding" can be countable or uncountable. When it's countable, we think of the individual pudding(s). When it's uncountable, we think of the food in general. Did you notice its countable/uncountable use in the title to this article?
- 40,000,000 Christmas Puddings! [countable]
- That's a lot of Pudding! [uncountable]

40,000,000圣诞布丁！这是很多布丁！
12月25日是圣诞节，即耶稣基督的生日。在英国，人们庆祝这一天的圣诞大餐。这顿饭的主菜通常是火鸡。传统的甜点是圣诞布丁。今年有超过40,000,000人将用圣诞布丁结束圣诞大餐！

圣诞布丁是一种用面粉，羊脂和干果制成的浓郁煮熟的布丁。圣诞布丁有几种风俗习惯。按照传统，制作时，一枚银币隐藏在布丁里面。一些冬青叶放在上面。在将布丁切开并送达之前，将白兰地倒在上面并点亮。然后用厚厚的流动奶油吃。

虽然圣诞节庆祝耶稣基督的诞生，但其中两个习俗让我们想起了他的死。冬青树叶提醒着基督的“荆棘冠冕”。据说白兰地的火焰代表了激情。

还有藏在布丁里的银币？找到它的人保证获得健康，财富和幸福！
 

christ [kraist]   n.基督 int.天啊!   (初中英语单词)

celebrate [´selibreit]   vt.庆祝；表扬；赞美   (初中英语单词)

turkey [´tə:ki]   n.火鸡   (初中英语单词)

tradition [trə´diʃən]   n.传统；惯例；传说   (初中英语单词)

hidden [´hid(ə)n]   hide 的过去分词   (初中英语单词)

alight [ə´lait]   a.燃着的 vi.下；降落   (初中英语单词)

remind [ri´maind]   vt.提醒；使记(想)起   (初中英语单词)

wealth [welθ]   n.财富，财产   (初中英语单词)

passion [´pæʃən]   n.激情；激怒；恋爱   (初中英语单词)

suffering [´sʌfəriŋ]   n.痛苦；灾害   (初中英语单词)

dessert [di´zə:t]   n.(餐后)甜食   (高中英语单词)

pudding [´pudiŋ]   n.布丁   (高中英语单词)

traditional [trə´diʃənəl]   a.传统的，习惯的   (英语四级单词)

brandy [´brændi]   n.白兰地酒   (英语四级单词)

alcoholic [,ælkə´hɔlik]   a.酒精的   (英语四级单词)

reminder [ri´maində]   n.提醒物；纪念品；暗示   (英语六级单词)