[ti:NORAD Will Follow Santa Claus This Year] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Children around the world can rejoice. [00:06.72]Santa Claus will follow his yearly path [00:10.64]and give presents to good children everywhere this Christmas. [00:15.64]The worldwide pandemic will not interfere. [00:20.72]In traditional stories, Santa Claus is a happy old man [00:26.20]who gives gifts to good children all over the world on the Christmas holiday. [00:33.20]The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) [00:39.24]announced that it will follow Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, December 24. [00:45.96]It has provided the service for 65 years. [00:51.36]There will, however, be some changes to NORAD’s usual Christmas Eve activities. [00:58.72]With fewer volunteers, not every child will be able to reach NORAD’s call center [01:06.24]to find out where Santa Claus is, as they have in years before. [01:12.72]Usually, 150-160 volunteers [01:18.72]sit in a large office at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. [01:24.68]The volunteers spend two hours answering the telephone, [01:30.12]talking to children who want to know when Santa Claus, [01:34.68]or Father Christmas, will arrive in their town. [01:39.84]In the past, about 1,500 people [01:44.68]have taken more than 130,000 phone calls from children, [01:50.56]starting at 11:00 Universal Time on December 24. [01:57.60]NORAD receives calls for 20 hours, [02:01.84]about the time it takes Santa Claus to circle the earth. [02:07.96]This year, NORAD must follow safety restrictions forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. [02:15.92]The number of volunteers has been cut [02:18.92]to what NORAD expects will be fewer than 100 people. [02:24.20]“We understand this is a time-honored tradition, [02:28.92]and we know undoubtedly there is going to be some disappointment,” [02:34.16]said NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter. [02:38.80]“We’re trying to keep it safe for everyone involved,” he added. [02:45.12]So, some children may be able to get through [02:48.32]to a member of the military or other volunteers [02:52.40]when they call the NORAD Tracks Santa toll-free number, 1-877-Hi-NORAD. [03:07.00]But others will get a recorded voice message stating Santa’s location. [03:13.80]Schlachter said NORAD will be limiting volunteers [03:17.92]to people who already work there and their family members. [03:22.80]But that could be expanded later. [03:26.00]He said this year's volunteers will answer health questions [03:31.16]and have their temperature taken when they arrive. [03:34.84]Cleaners will wipe down surfaces throughout the day, [03:39.84]and every two hours the room will be sanitized. [03:44.88]The military command has been taking Christmas Eve calls from children since 1955. [03:52.96]That year, the commander on duty was Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup. [03:59.52]He got a call from a child who was trying to speak to the Santa Claus at a local store, [04:06.56]but had the wrong telephone number. [04:09.60]Shoup quickly explained that he was Santa Claus, and the tradition began. [04:16.96]Today, most early calls come from Japan and Europe, [04:21.68]and as the day goes on the callers from the U.S. and Canada increase. [04:28.68]Besides the call center, there is a NORAD Tracks Santa website, [04:35.40]noradsanta.org, as well as social media pages. [04:41.96]Amazon Alexa, Onstar and a new mobile app will also provide Santa’s location. [04:51.20]A social media team will operate from a separate large office at the base. [04:58.92]The tracking Santa apps will soon be available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. [05:06.96]I’m Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM