THIS IS AMERICA - Thanksgiving

THIS IS AMERICA - November 25, 2002: Thanksgiving

By Jerilyn Watson

VOICE ONE:

It is one of America’s most popular holidays. It is a day for expressing thanks for the good things in life,
especially family and friends. I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. The story of Thanksgiving is our report today on the VOA Special
English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

((THEME)
)

VOICE ONE:

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. The writer O. Henry called it the one holiday that is
purely American. Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. But it has spiritual meaning.
Some Americans attend religious services on the day before Thanksgiving, or on Thanksgiving morning. Others
travel long distances to be with their families. They have a large dinner, which is the main part of the celebration.
For many Americans, Thanksgiving is the only time when all members of a family gather. The holiday is a time
of family reunion.

VOICE TWO:

Thanksgiving is a celebration of home and family. But not everyone can spend Thanksgiving with their family.
For example, Joan and Sandy Horwitt moved to the state of Virginia from their home in the Middle West more
than twenty-five years ago.

They regretted not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with all their family members. But soon they met other
people who also were separated from their families. So the Horwitts began holding a yearly¹ Thanksgiving dinner
for what they called their “extended² family.
”
This included people in their community. All the guests bring
food to share for Thanksgiving dinner.

The group has grown over the years. Mister³ and Missus Horwitt now have to add small tables to their large one to
make room for all the guests. At first, many of their friends brought their babies and young children. Now some
of the first guests soon will be grandparents.

VOICE ONE:

Like many other Americans, Mister and Missus Horwitt and their visitors enjoy a long day of cooking, eating and
talking. The traditional meal usually includes a turkey with a bread mixture cooked inside. Other traditional
Thanksgiving foods served with turkey are sweet potatoes, cranberries⁴ and pumpkin⁵ pie. Stores sell more food at
Thanksgiving than at any other time of the year. And many people eat more food at Thanksgiving than at any
other time of the year.

VOICE TWO:

Not everyone cooks a Thanksgiving turkey, however. Some families like other meats. And in recent years
a
number of American homes have vegetarian⁶ Thanksgiving dinners. This means no meat will be served.

Some people go to public eating places on Thanksgiving. A retired⁷ husband and wife in Washington, D.C do this
each year. They meet friends at a local restaurant for their holiday dinner. The women say they enjoy the day
especially because they do not have to cook.

Norman Rockwell's
Thanksgiving
portrait.

VOICE ONE:

Thanksgiving also is a time when Americans share what they have with people who do not have as much. All
across America, thousands of religious and service organizations provide Thanksgiving meals for old people, the
homeless, and the poor. Some people spend part of the day helping⁸ to prepare and serve the meals. Everyone
expresses thanks for what they have.

Here is some Thanksgiving music by American composer William Schuman.

(MUSIC: "BE GLAD AMERICA”)

VOICE TWO:

Thanksgiving is celebrated⁹ every year on the fourth Thursday of November. The month of November is autumn
in the United States, the season for harvesting crops. When the first European settlers in America gathered their
crops, they celebrated and gave thanks for the food.

Tradition says Pilgrim¹⁰ settlers from England celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Sixteen-Twenty-One. There is
evidence that settlers in other parts of America held earlier Thanksgiving celebrations. But the Pilgrims¹¹’
Thanksgiving story is the most popular.

VOICE ONE:

The Pilgrims were religious dissidents who fled oppression in England. They went first to the Netherlands. Then
they left that country to establish a colony¹² in North America. The Pilgrims landed in Sixteen-Twenty in what
later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was difficult. Their first months in America were difficult, too. About
one-hundred Pilgrims landed just as autumn was turning to winter. During the cold months that followed, about
half of them died.

VOICE TWO:

When spring came, the pilgrims began to plant crops. A native American Indian named Squanto helped them.
When summer ended, the Pilgrims had a good harvest of corn and barley¹³. There was enough food to last through
the winter.

The Pilgrims decided¹⁴ to hold a celebration to give thanks for their harvest. Writings from that time say Pilgrim
leader William Bradford set a date late in the year. He invited members of a nearby Indian tribe¹⁵ to take part.

VOICE ONE:

That Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. There were many kinds of food to eat. The meal included wild
birds such as ducks, geese and turkeys.

The Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving again until two years later. That celebration marked the end of a
period of dry weather that had almost destroyed their crops. Historians¹⁶ believe the Pilgrims held their second
Thanksgiving in July.

As the American colonies¹⁷ grew, many towns and settlements held Thanksgiving or harvest celebrations. Yet it
was not until about two-hundred-fifty-years later that a national day for Thanksgiving was declared. Here are the
Paul Hillier singers with “Thanksgiving Anthem¹⁸.
”

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The creation¹⁹ of a national Thanksgiving holiday resulted from the efforts of a writer named Sarah Josepha Hale.
In the Eighteen-Twenties, she began a campaign to officially establish the holiday.


Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade in New York.
Support for her idea grew slowly. Finally, in Eighteen Sixty-Three, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last
Thursday in November as a national holiday of Thanksgiving. Later, Congress²⁰ declared that the holiday would be
celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November.

VOICE ONE:

Over the years, Americans have added new traditions to their Thanksgiving celebration. For example, a number
of professional and university football games are played on Thanksgiving Day. Some of the games are broadcast
on national television. Many people also like to watch Thanksgiving Day parades on television. Big stores in
several cities organize these marches.

But for many Americans, Thanksgiving is a time for memories. Former Special
English writer and broadcaster Richard Thorman liked to remember the
Thanksgivings when he was a young child. His family always ate a large dinner in
the afternoon. Then the men would rest. Later, the family would eat again. Here is
one young boy’s Thanksgiving memory:

VOICE TWO:

“In the early evening, when the outside light had begun to fade, the men would start

to reappear. Then the food began to reappear. And everyone sat at the table and ate
again as if no food had been served before. I never knew how the Thanksgiving celebration ended. I usually was
asleep and had to be carried to the car for the long ride home.
”

VOICE ONE:

On Thanksgiving, Americans gather with family and friends. We share what we have. And we give thanks for the
good things of the past year. Here is the Boston Pops Orchestra²¹ and chorus²² performing “Prayer of
Thanksgiving.
”

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

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1 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

2 extended   

adj.延伸的；伸展的；延长的；扩大的v.延伸(extend的过去式和过去分词)；伸展；延长

参考例句：

• an extended lunch hour 延长了的午餐时间
• France has greatly extended its influence in world affairs. 在世界事务中，法国的影响已大大地扩大了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

4 cranberries   

n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
• Look at the fresh cranberries. 你看这些新鲜的蔓越橘。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

5 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

6 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

10 pilgrim   

n.香客，朝圣者；v.朝圣，参拜圣地，流浪

参考例句：

• They read stories about the Indians and the pilgrim.他们阅读有关印第安人和那些朝圣者的故事。
• But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂。

11 pilgrims   

香客，朝圣者( pilgrim的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca 前往麦加的穆斯林朝圣者
• Many pilgrims knelt piously at the shrine. 许多朝圣者心虔意诚地在神殿跪拜。

12 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

13 barley   

n.大麦，大麦粒

参考例句：

• They looked out across the fields of waving barley.他们朝田里望去,只见大麦随风摇摆。
• He cropped several acres with barley.他种了几英亩大麦。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

16 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

17 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

18 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

19 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

20 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

21 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

22 chorus   

n.合唱，合唱队，齐声

参考例句：

• Never before have I heard this song sung in chorus.我从来没有听过这首歌的合唱。
• The children repeated the words after her in chorus.孩子们跟她齐声朗读单词。