A long, long time ago, Scrooge and Marley had been good business partners. Each had tried to work harder than the other. Each had wanted to be richer than the other.

Even now, seven years after Marley had died, the company was still called 'Scrooge and Marley.'

If you went to their office, that is what you would see on the door, 'Scrooge and Marley.' But now the only owner was Scrooge.

Scrooge was known by everyone to be mean, miserly, and cold.

He hated spending money and he hated giving money away even more. And cold? Scrooge's thin white lips, icy blue nose, and tiny red eyes showed the cold. His weak, brittle voice could make you hear the cold. Feeling the cold was the worst — he kept his office very, very cold, especially at Christmas. He hated to buy charcoal for the fire, so his office was always cold and dark.

Though it was only three o'clock in the afternoon, it was already getting dark because of the heavy, wet fog. The only other person in the office was Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's clerk. Bob was sitting next to a tiny fire. He tried warming his hands over the candle he was using for light, but that couldn't help.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle!" a cheerful voice suddenly said. It was Scrooge's young nephew, Fred.

"Bah, humbug," answered Scrooge. He looked angry about having his work interrupted.

"Humbug?! Why do you think Christmas is a humbug, Uncle?" Fred looked warm. "Surely you don't mean that. Everyone likes Christmas."

"Yes, I do mean it," said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas, what is there to be merry about? Aren't you poor? You have nothing to be happy about."

"Well, why aren't you happy, Uncle? You are very rich," Fred answered with a smile.

Scrooge was getting angry. "There are many fools in the world wishing each other 'Merry Christmas' when they don't even have any money!"

"Uncle, please! It's such a nice time of year."

"Nice?! What is nice? I never make any money on Christmas because no one ever works."

Scrooge didn't understand Christmas.

"But Christmas isn't about money, Uncle." said Fred. "I love Christmas. It's a time to be happy and generous!"

Bob, in his tiny office, agreed.

"You are right, sir. Merry Christmas to you."

"You get back to work," Scrooge ordered.

"Or you won't have a job to be merry about."

"Don't be angry, Uncle. I just came to invite you to Christmas dinner." Fred knew his uncle didn't like Christmas, but he felt sorry for Scrooge. Scrooge had no family.

"No, I'm too busy. You have your Christmas, and I'll have mine. Now leave me alone."

"But won't you join us, Uncle? We are family, and we should be friends."

"Bye," was Scrooge's only answer.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But I wish you a merry Christmas all the same."

As Fred walked out, he said, "Merry Christmas!" to poor Bob in his cold office.

"Yes, a happy Christmas to you, too," Bob answered warmly. Then he opened the door for Fred and watched him walking away into the fog.

"Two poor fools wishing each other a merry Christmas," Scrooge said.

Just then two fat gentlemen wearing expensive clothes came into the office.

"Excuse us, is this 'Scrooge and Marley's office'?"

"Yes, it is," answered Scrooge, again looking angry about an interruption.

"May I ask, are you Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley?" one of the men asked.

"Mr. Marley is dead. He died on Christmas Eve seven years ago, in 1836."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the same man. "But we are here, at this blessed time of year, to ask if you would like to give some money to the poor. So many people have nothing to eat."

"Aren't there any prisons?" asked Scrooge. "Or any orphanages?"

"Well, yes, sir, there are still many prisons and orphanages."

"What about poorhouses for the poor?" Scrooge said with a mean look.

"It's sad, but there are still many poorhouses, orphanages, and prisons," said the same man. "But many people can't go there. They are cold and have little to eat. Could you please help them by donating some money?"

"No, I will give no money to people who are too lazy to work." said Scrooge.

"But sir, some of them could die. Won't you help them?"

"I do help them. They already get too much money from me and my taxes. Besides, there are too many people in the world now. A few lazy fools dying is a good thing!"

The two men could tell Scrooge would never give them anything. They gave Bob a sorrowful look.

"Now get back to work and no more interruptions!" Scrooge shouted at his clerk.

The afternoon slowly became night. It was time to go home.

"I guess you want the whole day tomorrow," Scrooge said angrily to his clerk. "You want to sit at home all day and still get paid?"

"Well, yes, sir, if it isn't a bother. It is Christmas."

Bob was worried about not being able to be with his family.

"Bah, humbug! It is a bother. Every year on December 25th, you don't work, but I have to pay you. It's money for nothing!"

Bob just looked down, holding his hat tightly in his hands.

"All right, I have no choice. But be here early on the 26th."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Bob left quickly before Scrooge could change his mind. Once he was outside, he forgot all about the work — it was Christmas Eve. He was happy to be going home to his family.

KEY WORDS

business partner 生意伙伴

call v. 叫做

owner n. 所有者

mean adj. 吝啬的

miserly adj. 贪婪的

cold adj. 冷漠的

hate v. 不愿，讨厌

give away 赠送

tiny adj. 极小的

weak adj. （声音）虚弱的

brittle adj. （声音）尖利的

charcoal n. 木炭

though conj. 虽然

heavy adj. （雾气）浓重的

clerk n. 雇员，职员

warm v. 使温暖

cheerful adj. 高兴的

suddenly adv. 突然

nephew n. 外甥

bah int. （表示轻蔑、厌恶等）呸！

humbug n. 骗人的东西，胡扯

angry adj. 生气的

interrupt v. 打断

surely adv. 想必

mean v. 意指

(mean-meant-meant)

wish v. 祝愿

each other 互相

make money 挣钱

generous adj. 慷慨的

get back to 回去……

order v. 命令

invite v. 邀请

feel sorry for 为……感到难过

leave sb. alone 不打扰某人

join v. 加入

all the same 仍然

poor adj. 可怜的

just then 就在这时

wear v. 穿着

(wear-wore-worn)

expensive adj. 昂贵的

blessed adj. 幸福的，快乐的

prison n. 监狱，看守所

orphanage n. 孤儿院

What about... ?（提出建议、询问消息或征求意见时用）……怎么样？

poorhouse n. 救济院，济贫院

look n. 目光

donate v. 捐献，捐赠

too ... to ... 太……以至不能……

tax n. 税

besides adv. 此外

tell v. 断定，知道

(tell-told-told)

sorrowful adj. 伤心的

guess v. 猜想

whole adj. 整个的

all day 整天

pay v. 给……报酬

(pay-paid-paid)

bother n. 麻烦

be worried about 担心……

for nothing 徒然，白白地

hold v. 拿着，握住

(hold-held-held)

tightly adv. 紧紧地

change one's mind 改变主意

once conj. 一旦

One Point Lesson

Each had tried to work harder than the other.

他们俩谁都想比对方更努力地工作。

had ＋过去分词：过去完成时态，表示在过去的某一时间之前已经完成该动作。

e.g. I had lived in Beijing before I moved to Shanghai two years ago.

我两年前搬到上海之前住在北京。

But we are here, at this blessed time of year, to ask if you would like to give some money to the poor .

而我们在一年中这个幸福的日子里来到你这儿，就是想问问你是否愿为穷人们捐点钱。

the ＋形容词：～人（泛指一类人）

e.g. the poor

穷人

the rich

富人

the living

活人

the dead

死人 KqkFroTjcQOD9vfSFuQUphAPQaIRBgMe18Ilc6fCDXD3cWBjrHJ23W3R7w4nzvfH