Silent night: Christmas in the time of corona
Die Pandemie macht es uns derzeit schwer, in Weihnachtsstimmung zu kommen und wir müssen auf viele geliebte Traditionen in der Adventszeit verzichten. In diesem Auszug aus der aktuellen Ausgabe der Read On lesen Sie mehr über das Weihnachtsfest in Zeiten von Corona. Anschließend können Sie sich selbst in zwei kurzen Übungsaufgaben zu Leseverstehen und Wortschatz testen.
The coronavirus pandemic has consequences for some beloved Christmas traditions.
By Franziska Lange
1 The year 2020 will be remembered as the year a virus turned our lives upside down. Plans were cancelled, our daily lives changed and, worst of all, many people lost loved ones. As a turbulent year comes to an end, we all need some Christmas cheer, a little joy during the holiday season. But with the number of infections rising again in many countries, this Christmas is probably going to be very different.
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3 It does not look good for the big family gatherings of old where everyone comes together to celebrate over a large Christmas meal. People everywhere have to keep their social contacts to a minimum. In the UK, the „rule of six“ bans gatherings of more than six people. In some towns, there is a ban on two or more households meeting indoors. The different rules can be confusing, but one thing we can be sure of is that there will be fewer seats at the Christmas dinner table this year.
4 And a lot of the things that get people in the Christmas spirit are not possible this year. Many Christmas markets will not open because of the rist of infection is too high. Concerts that would normally get people in a festive mood cannot take place.
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8 It would seem that there is not much reason to cheer, seeing all the things we have to go without this Christmas. But the Christmas spirit is in so many little things we can do: baking cookies, watching Christmas classics, sending cards and packages to loved ones, reading Christmas stories, cooking and decorating our homes. And why not have a digital Christmas get-together with family and friends who live far away?
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Vocabulary
0—1 silent night Stille Nacht — pandemic Pandemie — beloved geliegt — to turn s.th. upside down etw. auf den Kopf stellen — loved ones Nahestehende — Christmas cheer Weihnachtsfreude — joy Freude; Glück — holiday season Feiertage — to rise ansteigen
3-4 gathering Treffen — of old von einst — to ban s.th. etw. verbieten — indoors drinnen — confusing unübersichtlich — Christmas spirit Weihnachtsstimmung — rist of infection Ansteckungsgefahr — festive mood Feststimmung — take place stattfinden
8 it would seem that … es scheint, als ob … — to cheer jubeln — to go without s.th. auf etw. verzichten — package Paket — get-together Beisammensein
