Christmas Lights 圣诞灯彩
[audio]http://file.24en.com/bbc/tae/assets_2449933/bbc_tae_241_christmas_lights_au_bb.mp3[/audio][color=#3f3f3f][font=Verdana, 宋体, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=12px][p=21, 2, left]As Christmas approaches, towns and cities around the UK are preparing for a [b]peculiarly[/b] British celebration.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The [b]switching on[/b] of a town’s Christmas lights has become an increasingly competitive event over the years, with some [b]councils[/b]spending lots of money to attract [b]A-list celebrities[/b] to [b]do the honours[/b].[/p][p=21, 2, left]The American singer Mariah Carey flew to London in November to switch on the lights at one of the city’s biggest shopping centres, while Jim Carrey [b]illuminated[/b] Oxford Street and [b]promoted[/b] his new film at the same time.[/p][float=right][img=226,170]http://www.24en.com/d/file/bbc/bbc2/2009-12-03/55c61a20190d15cc63686a2da659365e.jpg[/img][p=30, 2, left]Nicolas Cage was mobbed in Bath[/p][/float]
[p=21, 2, left]The historic English city of Bath was[b]brought to a standstill[/b] as thousands of fans [b]flocked[/b] to see the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage conduct the switching-on ceremony.[/p][p=21, 2, left]However, some celebrations do not go according to plan as was seen in Birmingham when dozens of people were injured in a [b]crowd surge[/b] as the famous British [b]boy band [/b]JLS took the stage.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Not all towns can afford to bring in an internationally-known star, so many switch-on ceremonies are handled by ex-[b]TV talent show[/b]contestants.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The hit TV programme the X Factor has supplied many smaller[b]municipalities[/b] with a [b]low-budget celebrity[/b] like Chico, a singer who reached the [b]quarter-finals [/b]of that show back in 2005.[/p][p=21, 2, left][b]Pantomime[/b] stars are also much in demand at this time of year, as they[b]endeavour[/b] to promote their Christmas shows.[/p][p=21, 2, left]But if your council hasn’t got the [b]budget[/b] to bring in a famous face, what are the cheaper alternatives?[/p][p=21, 2, left]A town in the west of England chose to let the public decide by submitting their suggestions online. The result: a 21-year-old DIY store worker was given the [b]prestigious duty[/b].[/p][p=21, 2, left]"I was amazed and delighted to be asked," said Scott Parker, "it's just a[b]privilege[/b] and not something I'd ever thought about before."[/p][/size][/font][/color]
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