A Christmas Carol · chapter 3 of 5
The Ghost of Christmas Present
现在的圣诞节
A giant, merry ghost shows Scrooge the Cratchits' tiny, happy Christmas, and one small boy who may not have another. Then a silent figure in black waits.
Read what you hear
- Ghost of Christmas Present 进来，进来！看我！我是现在圣诞节的幽灵！
Jìnlái, jìnlái! Kàn wǒ! Wǒ shì xiànzài Shèngdànjié de yōulíng!
Come in, come in! Look at me! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!
- Scrooge 你……好大啊！你的头都快碰到房顶了！
Nǐ... hǎo dà a! Nǐ de tóu dōu kuài pèngdào fángdǐng le!
You... are so big! Your head almost touches the ceiling!
- Ghost of Christmas Present 你看，鹅，水果，好多吃的，都是给大家的！
Nǐ kàn, é, shuǐguǒ, hǎo duō chī de, dōu shì gěi dàjiā de!
Look! Goose, fruit, so much to eat, all of it for everyone!
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of A Christmas Carol is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and The Hound of the Baskervilles from start to finish.
- Scrooge 我今天学到一点儿了。请带我看吧，幽灵。
Wǒ jīntiān xuédào yìdiǎnr le. Qǐng dài wǒ kàn ba, yōulíng.
I learned a little today. Please show me, Ghost.
- Ghost of Christmas Present 拉着我的衣服。我们去一个小房子。
Lāzhe wǒ de yīfu. Wǒmen qù yí gè xiǎo fángzi.
Hold my robe. We're going to a small house.
- Scrooge 这是谁的家？这里好小！他们怎么住在这儿？
Zhè shì shéi de jiā? Zhèlǐ hǎo xiǎo! Tāmen zěnme zhù zài zhèr?
Whose home is this? It's so small! How do they live here?
- Ghost of Christmas Present 这是你的工人，鲍勃的家。
Zhè shì nǐ de gōngrén, Bàobó de jiā.
This is your worker Bob's home.
- Mrs. Cratchit 鲍勃怎么还没回来？饭都快冷了！小蒂姆也在等他！
Bàobó zěnme hái méi huílái? Fàn dōu kuài lěng le! Xiǎo Dìmǔ yě zài děng tā!
Why isn't Bob home yet? The dinner is nearly cold! Tiny Tim is waiting for him too!
- Tiny Tim 妈妈，我听见爸爸了！
Māma, wǒ tīngjiàn bàba le!
Mama, I hear Papa!
- Mrs. Cratchit 小蒂姆，慢一点儿！
Xiǎo Dìmǔ, màn yìdiǎnr!
Tiny Tim, slowly now!
- Bob Cratchit 我回来了！圣诞节快乐，我的家人！
Wǒ huílái le! Shèngdànjié kuàilè, wǒ de jiārén!
I'm home! Merry Christmas, my family!
- Tiny Tim 爸爸，今天真好！我们有鹅吃！
Bàba, jīntiān zhēn hǎo! Wǒmen yǒu é chī!
Papa, today is wonderful! We have goose to eat!
- Mrs. Cratchit 只有一只小鹅，可是够我们吃了。
Zhǐyǒu yì zhī xiǎo é, kěshì gòu wǒmen chī le.
It's only a small goose, but it's enough for us.
- Scrooge 幽灵，小蒂姆怎么了？他的腿为什么这样？
Yōulíng, Xiǎo Dìmǔ zěnme le? Tā de tuǐ wèishénme zhèyàng?
Ghost, what's wrong with Tiny Tim? Why is his leg like that?
- Ghost of Christmas Present 他的身体不好。如果没有人帮他，他明年就不在了。
Tā de shēntǐ bù hǎo. Rúguǒ méiyǒu rén bāng tā, tā míngnián jiù bú zài le.
He is not well. If no one helps him, he will not be here next year.
- Scrooge 不！他能活下去吗？告诉我！
Bù! Tā néng huó xiàqù ma? Gàosu wǒ!
No! Will he live? Tell me!
- Ghost of Christmas Present 你不是说过，穷人少一个也没关系吗？
Nǐ bú shì shuō guò, qióngrén shǎo yí gè yě méi guānxi ma?
Didn't you once say it doesn't matter if there is one less poor person?
- Scrooge 幽灵……我错了。
Yōulíng... wǒ cuò le.
Ghost... I was wrong.
- Bob Cratchit 来，大家拿起杯子！圣诞节快乐！今天我们在一起，最好了！
Lái, dàjiā náqǐ bēizi! Shèngdànjié kuàilè! Jīntiān wǒmen zài yìqǐ, zuì hǎo le!
Come, everyone, take up your cups! Merry Christmas! We're together today, and that's the best!
- Tiny Tim 祝大家都快乐！
Zhù dàjiā dōu kuàilè!
May everyone be happy!
- Bob Cratchit 我还要说，祝斯克鲁奇先生圣诞节快乐！
Wǒ hái yào shuō, zhù Sīkèlǔqí xiānsheng Shèngdànjié kuàilè!
And I say, Merry Christmas to Mr. Scrooge!
- Mrs. Cratchit 他？那个小气的人？我不想为他喝！
Tā? Nà ge xiǎoqì de rén? Wǒ bù xiǎng wèi tā hē!
Him? That stingy man? I won't drink to him!
- Bob Cratchit 今天是圣诞节，亲爱的。他也是个可怜的人，没有家人。
Jīntiān shì Shèngdànjié, qīn'ài de. Tā yě shì gè kělián de rén, méiyǒu jiārén.
It's Christmas, my dear. He is a poor soul too. He has no family.
- Mrs. Cratchit 好吧……为了圣诞节，我喝。
Hǎo ba... wèile Shèngdànjié, wǒ hē.
All right... for Christmas, I'll drink.
- Narrator 夜深了。雪落在黑黑的街上，幽灵的火慢慢变小。
Yè shēn le. Xuě luò zài hēihēi de jiē shang, yōulíng de huǒ mànmàn biàn xiǎo.
Night grew deep. Snow fell on the dark street, and the ghost's fire slowly burned lower.
- Scrooge 幽灵，你怎么老了？你的头发都白了。
Yōulíng, nǐ zěnme lǎo le? Nǐ de tóufa dōu bái le.
Ghost, why have you grown old? Your hair has all turned white.
- Ghost of Christmas Present 我的一天快到了。我的时间不多了。
Wǒ de yì tiān kuài dào le. Wǒ de shíjiān bù duō le.
My one day is almost over. My time is short.
- Scrooge 那边黑黑的地方，有什么东西？
Nà biān hēihēi de dìfang, yǒu shénme dōngxi?
What is that over there in the darkness?
- Ghost of Christmas Present 那是最后一个幽灵。他不会说话，你要跟着他。
Nà shì zuìhòu yí gè yōulíng. Tā bú huì shuōhuà, nǐ yào gēnzhe tā.
That is the last ghost. He cannot speak. You must follow him.
- Scrooge 黑衣服的幽灵……我怕你。可是……我跟你走。
Hēi yīfu de yōulíng... wǒ pà nǐ. Kěshì... wǒ gēn nǐ zǒu.
Ghost in black... I'm afraid of you. But... I will follow you.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the ghost show Scrooge first?
“你看，鹅，水果，好多吃的，都是给大家的！”
- What does the Cratchit family have for dinner?
“只有一只小鹅，可是够我们吃了。”
- What worries Scrooge about Tiny Tim?
“他的身体不好。”
- What does Bob do at the table?
“祝斯克鲁奇先生圣诞节快乐！”
- Why can the last ghost not answer Scrooge's questions?
“他不会说话，你要跟着他。”