VOA常速英语2007年-Bush Ushers In Thanksgiving Holiday Week

By Paula Wolfson
White House
19 November 2007

As Americans prepare to gather for their Thanksgiving Holiday, President Bush is reminding them to remember their blessings¹ and help those in need. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, the president traveled to the nearby state of Virginia to make his point.

Usually, the President of the United States marks Thanksgiving with a proclamation, perhaps a low-key visit to a charity center, and a White House photo-opportunity with a live turkey.

But this year, President Bush opted² to add on a series of public events, including his first Thanksgiving holiday speech.

Aides say during his travels around the country, the president has met many people who have given of their time and talents to help others. They say he wanted to highlight their contributions this week, and urge others to follow in their footsteps.

So Monday he traveled to the site of one of America's first settlements - historic Berkeley Plantation³ in central Virginia. In remarks to a crowd of 500 guests, Mr. Bush spoke⁴ of the evolution of America since the day when its earliest settlers paused to give thanks centuries ago.

"In the four centuries since the founders⁵ of Berkeley first knelt on these grounds, our nation has changed in many ways," the president said. "Our people have prospered⁶, our nation has grown, our Thanksgiving traditions have evolved."

But he said one thing that has not changed is the compassion⁷ and generosity⁸ of the American people. He spoke of the troops who serve in harm's way and the volunteers who serve the needy⁹. But he told personal stories as well, including a salute¹⁰ to a school principal in one of the poorest neighborhoods in flood-ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana, a woman named Doris Hicks.

"After Katrina many said her school could not return to its building in the lower ninth ward¹¹. Principal Hicks had a different point of view. She had a different attitude. She has a uniquely American attitude. She had a vision for a resurgent community with a vibrant¹² school at its heart," he said. "This summer, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology became the first public school to re-open in the lower ninth ward."

Before the speech, the president helped out at a center that distributes donated food to needy families.

On Tuesday, he will carry out one of the more unusual Thanksgiving Day traditions in the United States when he officially pardons a live turkey at the White House. Instead of gracing someone's holiday table, the bird will be part of a holiday parade at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

1 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

3 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

6 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

7 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

8 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

9 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

10 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

11 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

12 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。