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阅读理解
Boxing Day
People all know that December 25th is Christmas Day for Americans and other westerners.Yet not all people know Boxing Day.
Boxing Day is a holiday observed on December 26th, or the first weekday after Christmas.And it is a festival only for those service persons such as postmen, errand boys, newspaper boys, milkmen, etc.On that day, families traditionally give Christmas boxes to those service workers.It is a custom, but nobody is certain how it was originated.
A popular legend tells us the story.There was once a wealthy lady called Chatter in England.One morning many, many years ago, it snowed very heavily.Chatter was waiting anxiously for a very important letter from her boyfriend.Then a postboy came and gave her the letter.She was so delighted that she gave him a box containing gifts.Later on more and more people followed her example.As time went by, giving boxes of gifts to service persons became a custom in Britain.Later the custom spread to the British Commonwealth and America.In the United States, some people give their employees money instead of boxes nowadays.
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