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可可英语的网友们大家好。圣诞季里，我们继续圣诞话题。如果现在有人问你，相信有圣诞老人吗？你可能会斩钉截铁的回答，当然不信，那都是骗小孩儿的。那那些被骗的小孩儿呢？他们因为圣诞老人的存在，得到了怎样的快乐呢？我们该剥夺这些快乐吗？电影《34街奇迹》中的沃克太太婚姻失败，她不再相信那些存在于精神世界里美好的东西。为了让女儿不必经历了解真相后的失落，沃克太太始终将事实呈现给自己的女儿。包括一年一度游行盛典里的圣诞老人不过是百货公司请得演员，并且酗酒，完全没有真正的会驾着雪橇四处送礼物的真正的圣诞老人。这样的教育也使得年幼的苏珊有了不同于一般孩子的老练。可是，真相和事实能带给一个五六岁大的孩子快乐吗？一起来听听这段母女间的对话吧。
Daughter: Something's driving me crazy, and I can't sleep.
Mother: What's on your mind? Daughter: Santa Claus.
Mother: Mr. Kringle? Why, what about him?
Daughter: He talked sign language with a kid today.
Mother: Well, that was considerate of him.
Daughter: It's weird how he knows so much about toys and kids. He speaks Russian and Swahili.
Mother: Well, he must be quite a learned man.
Daughter: He looks exactly like every picture of Santa Claus I ever saw.
Mother: Yes, I know. That's why I chose him.
Daughter: You're positive he's not the real Santa Claus?
Mother: I thought that we talked about this. You understand what he is.
Daughter: What if we're wrong? That would be extremely rude.
Mother: Well, we're not wrong sweetheart.
Daughter: But all my friends believe in Santa Claus.
Mother: Well, most children your age do.
Daughter: How come I don't ?
Mother: Because you know the truth, and truth is one of the most important things in the world. To know the truth and to always be truthful with others and, more importantly, with yourself. Believing in myths and fantasies just makes you unhappy.
Daughter: Did you believe in Santa Claus when you were my age?
Mother: Yes.
Daughter: Were you unhappy?
Mother: Well, when all the things that I believed in turned out not to be true, yes, I was unhappy.
Daughter: Would it be OK if I thought about this more? Do I have to not believe in Santa Claus right away?
Mother: Come here. You have the right to believe whatever you want to believe. Now, I've told you the truth, but if I'm wrong, I will be glad to admit it. I'll tell you what. You ask Mr. Kringle for something that you would never ask me for. And if on Christmas morning you don't get it, you will know once and for all the honest truth about Santa Claus.
Daughter: That's a very clever idea.
Mother: Thank you. Think you can get some sleep?
Daughter: Yep. Mother: Yeah? Give me a kiss.
Daughter: Good night. I love you. Mother: I love you.
小女孩儿夜不能寐，还在想着自己偷偷观察的圣诞老人。在内心里她已经开始相信他是真正的圣诞老人了。可是，妈妈告诉过她，没有圣诞老人这回事儿。两种想法相互冲击，drive her crazy了。Drive someone crazy, 在口语中表示“让某人深感烦扰”。比如: The endless noise is driving me crazy. 没完没了的噪音快烦死我了。
小Susan告诉妈妈，这个圣诞老人talk sign language，sign language, 手语。因为和language联用，用了动词talk。对此，妈妈认为，这只能说明这个人was considerate of him。 Considerate, 体贴的；考虑周到的。Be considerate of someone和我们常说的，it’s very nice of you. “你真是太好了”结构相同。可以翻译为，那他真是考虑太周到了。太善解人意了。
除了会手语，这个圣诞老人还会说俄语，斯瓦希里语，一种在非洲使用比较广泛的语言。不过，Susan的妈妈，把这归为这个圣诞老人是个learned man。饱学之士。
You're positive he's not the real Santa Claus?，Susan 还是不确定妈妈的说法。于是问了这个问题。常看欧美电影的人可能总能听到Are you positive that…这样的句子。它和Are you sure that…意思相同。不过口语中用positive和negative表示确定的或不确定非常常见。接下来Susan问了妈妈一个非常值得所有大人都思考的问题。你小的时候相信有圣诞老人吗？你相信的时候快乐吗？你能相信，How come I don’t? 这句话意思是，那我怎么会不相信呢？句子相当于Why don’t I believe? 假如我不去想长大以后会发现真相的事儿，我现在可以相信吗？
面对这样的问题，一定不是一个简单的“可以”或者“不可以”就能解答。Susan的妈妈还是给予了孩子充分的尊重。让她自己做个实验。向圣诞老人许愿要一个她永远不会向妈妈要的礼物。如果圣诞节那天愿望实现了，you will know once and for all the honest truth about Santa Claus. Once and for all，彻底地；一劳永逸的。再比如：Let’s settle this matter once and for all. 让我们来把问题一次性地彻底解决掉。
《34街奇迹》讲的是机缘巧合之下，真正的圣诞老人被选中当一家即将被收购的百货公司的形象宣传。当然角色就是圣诞老人。对话中的沃尔太太就是公司的主管之一。圣诞老人不仅仅用对孩子的爱心让这家百货公司起死回生，更热心肠地想帮助这对母女摆脱烦恼，重新对生活充满信任，信心。并借此，也让他自己相信自己的存在是有意义的。不过，事情不可能一帆风顺，圣诞老人居然被告上了法庭。欲知后事，我们下期继续吧。
