英语博客(A cup of English):022 Poinsettia glow.

　　Beginners.
Do you know what a Pointsettia is? It is something that grows in the ground and is sold here in the United States at Christmas time. It originates  from Mexico and Central America. Often when you go into a supermarket, they are the first things that you see, along with the fruit. The plants look like they have huge flowers, but actually, the colors come from leaves, not petals¹. You can find Pointsettias that are pink, red, white, and mottled. Not many flowers grow in these areas at Christmas time; gardens and farms are dormant² because of the cold. So, truck loads of these flowers are transported from Mexico and Central America to our supermarkets, by the thousands. Christmas trees are a very special part of Winter, but Poinsettias are a pretty, traditional touch to the season's decorations.
Grammar notes.
Verbs: to grow (grow, grew, grown).
Ex: Carrots grow well here. They grew well last year. They are grown nearly everywhere.
To come (come, came, come).
Ex: He comes from China. They came to our house yesterday. Has Santa come down the chimney yet?
Related vocabulary: along with, actually, often.
Advanced.
You have probably noticed by now that I am a Christmas fanatic³. The snow, the decorations, the traditions, and the actual meaning of Christmas, are all cherished by my family. Well, there is a little part of this season which definitely puts an annual smile on many faces. The Poinsettia. You can pick them up just about anywhere this time of year. Even the craft stores sell fake ones. They come in quite a variety of colors: red, pink, white, and mottled. A recent fashion has been sprayed Poinsettias; so now, they even come in sparkling blue and purple. That's not exactly my cup of tea; I prefer the natural colors. The flower was introduced to the United States by the first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett. Legend has it that two poor children, Maria and Pablo, wished to decorate a local nativity scene with presents. They brought only weeds, and were picked on and humiliated⁴ by the other children. Then, suddenly, miraculously⁵, the weeds burst into color, forming the shapes of stars. Their humble⁶ gift had been accepted and blessed. Love and well meaning triumphed. Poinsettias as a result are also known as the 'Flower of the Holy night.'
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to cherish (to be cherished).
Exs: I cherish our time together. She is cherished by the whole family.
Annual = yearly; to pick on = to bully⁷; just about anywhere/ anybody; fake = artificial; it's not my cup of tea = I don't like it.
The flower was introduced = subject + to be + past participle.
Exs: The car was made in Japan. The jewel was stolen in the night.

1 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

3 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

4 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

5 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

6 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

7 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。