Comic：Saint Nicholas, the real Santa Claus
【明報專訊】Christmas is coming. The Smarties are decorating their rooms.
“ MoMo: Isn't it wonderful? ”
“ Pat: Yes! This is just amazing! ”
“ Bill: Come here! See this big Christmas tree! ”
“ Dr Panda: Wow! You're doing a great job! ”
“ Pat: Um, should we put away these socks? ”
“ MoMo: Yes, we should tidy up a bit. ”
“ Bill: Ha! Ha! These aren't ordinary socks. ”
“ Dr Panda: These are Christmas stockings. Who knows if Santa Claus is coming? ”
◆Know more
Saint Nicholas (active between the 3rd and 4th centuries) was a Greek who worked in a church in present-day Turkey. After inheriting a big fortune from his parents, he shared his wealth with the poor by leaving them secret gifts. According to legend, he did that by leaving gifts in their shoes, throwing bags of gold through the windows or climbing down from the chimneys.
We all know that Santa Claus gives Christmas gifts to children who behave well. Actually, the story is based on the life of Saint Nicholas. ''Santa Claus'' came from the Dutch name for ''Saint Nicholas''. Santa's red outfit also came from the red robe that Saint Nicholas wore. Since he was extremely generous, he became a saint. In many countries people celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on 6th December to honour him.
■English highway﹕Be based on
''Be based on'' means something is developed from a particular idea.
e.g. The drama is based on a real-life story.
■Glossary
fortune (n) 財產
chimney (n) 煙囪
robe (n) 長袍
extremely (adv) 非常
[Smarties' Power English 第297期]
Story：The faultless machine
【明報專訊】IN a munitions factory, workers made military weapons and ammuni... 詳情
