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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
In some places around the world, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day.
在世界上的一些地方，圣诞节后的一天被称为节礼日。
In Britain, Australia, Canada and other places, Boxing Day is a national holiday.
在英国、澳大利亚、加拿大等地，节礼日是一个全国性的节日。
There are several thoughts on how the holiday became known as Boxing Day.
关于这个节日是如何被称为节礼日的，有几种说法。
The Associated Press wrote about the origins of the name back in 2019.
美联社早在2019年就报道了这个名字的由来。
The most widely held understanding of the origins of Boxing Day comes from a tradition among wealthy people.
对节礼日起源的最普遍的理解来自富人的一个传统。
They would give a "Christmas Box" to their servants and other workers.
他们会给他们的佣人和其他工人一个“圣诞盒”。
The box would contain money and gifts.
盒子里装着钱和礼物。
Traditionally, these workers would also have Boxing Day off to rest.
传统上，这些工人也会在节礼日休息。
The AP story says the start of Boxing Day may even date back to the times of the Romans.
美联社的报道称，节礼日的起源甚至可以追溯到罗马时代。
Some experts say Roman invaders brought the practice to Britain.
一些专家说，罗马入侵者将这种习俗带到了英国。
The tradition was then taken up by churches.
这一传统后来被教堂采用。
Churches would put boxes outside their doors to collect money for the poor.
教堂会把盒子放在门外，为穷人募捐。
This tradition gained popularity during the middle 1800s and continues to this day.
这一传统在19世纪中期流行起来，并一直延续到今天。
Boxing Day is still celebrated today in many countries around the world.
现在，世界上许多国家仍在庆祝节礼日。
However, the United States is not one of them.
然而，美国并不在其中。
We don't generally have the day off.
我们通常在这一天不休息。
But the Christmas holiday, which takes place the day before, is often filled with boxes.
但在圣诞节假期，即节礼日的前一天，通常会堆满盒子。
Boxes are useful for storing and containing all kinds of things--especially gifts!
盒子可以用来存放和装各种各样的东西--尤其是礼物！
It is fun to shake a gift box and try to guess what is inside.
摇一摇礼品盒，试着猜里面装的是什么，是很有趣的。
But an empty box can be just as much fun.
但空盒子也同样有趣。
Just ask any child … or any cat, for that matter.
就此问问任何一个孩子……或者任何一只猫。
Personally, I cannot walk by a cardboard box without thinking of what I could make out of it.
就我个人而言，当我走过一个纸箱的时候，我都会去想我可以用它来做什么。
A child can enjoy the box their gift came in as much as, if not more than, the gift itself.
孩子们对礼品盒的喜爱程度，如果不比礼物本身多的话，就是一样多的。
An empty box can lead to imaginative play.
一个空盒子可以带来富有想象力的游戏。
It can become anything!
它可以变成任何东西！
It can be a secret house in the forest or a boat on the open sea or a rocket ship flying through space!
它可以是森林里的秘密屋，也可以是公海上的一艘船，也可以是在太空中飞行的火箭飞船！
That is because children are masters at "thinking outside the box."
这是因为孩子们善于“跳出固有的思维模式”。
To think outside the box means to explore ideas and consider solutions that are creative and unusual.
“think outside the box”的意思是探索创意，探讨具有创造性和不寻常的解决方案。
Someone who thinks outside the box is not limited or controlled by rules or tradition.
跳出固有的思维模式的人不受规则或传统的限制或控制。
Another way of saying this is that they are not "boxed in" by such rules and traditions.
另一种说法是，他们不被这样的规则和传统“束缚”。
They think of new ways to solve a problem.
他们会想出解决问题的新方法。
To be "boxed in" can also mean being physically prevented from moving.
“to be boxed in”也可指无法移动。
For example, a car can "box in" another car in a parking space.
例如，一辆车把另一辆车困在停车位上。
However, thinking outside the box is important not just for playing or for teaching English.
然而，跳出固有的思维模式不仅仅对玩或教英语很重要。
Lots of problems and solutions can be helped by thinking outside the box!
通过跳出固有的思维模式，许多问题都可以得到解决，也可以找到许多解决办法！
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time… I'm Anna Matteo.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。感谢收听！下次见……我是安娜·马特奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
