VOA慢速英语2014 感恩节,美国传统节日

 

AS IT IS 2014-11-27 Thanksgiving, a Traditional American Holiday 感恩节,美国传统节日

Thanksgiving is celebrated¹ every year on the fourth Thursday of November. The month of November comes in autumn, the main season for harvesting crops. Thanksgiving is an autumn harvest festival like those found in many cultures.

Today the holiday is a time of family reunions, parades and watching football games on television. And, oh, yes, food! For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a day spent cooking, eating and spending time together.

The writer O. Henry called Thanksgiving the one holiday that is purely² American. It is not a religious holiday. But it does have a spiritual meaning. 

Some Americans travel long distances to be with their families. They eat a large dinner, which is the main part of the celebration. For many people, Thanksgiving is the only time when all members of a family gather together. The holiday is a time of family and family reunions.

The government says the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for long-distance travel. This is when people usually return from gatherings³. 

Thanksgiving is all about family and food

But let’s get back to the food.

The star of the Thanksgiving meal is the turkey!

This large bird roasts in the oven⁴ all morning. The smell of celery, onion and herbs fill the house and makes everyone hungry.

Two traditional side dishes are mashed⁵ potatoes and sweet potato casseroles.

And there is another -- stuffing⁶ -- a bread-and-vegetable mixture that is literally⁷ stuffed⁸ into the turkey and then baked.

While people cook the Thanksgiving meal and talk with family members and friends, others might be watching American football games on television.

Two American traditions, Thanksgiving Day parade and football

Over the years, Americans have added this tradition to their Thanksgiving celebrations. A number of football games are played on Thanksgiving Day.

Another tradition is the television broadcast of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The parade takes place every year in New York City. Employees of the Macy's store on Herald⁹ Square organized the first parade in 1924. Many of the workers were immigrants¹⁰ and wanted to hold a big parade like the ones in Old World Europe. So they dressed in special costumes and borrowed some animals from the zoo. They also carried small balloons that floated just overhead¹¹.       

And then sometime in the afternoon, the dinner table is set. It is time for what everyone has been waiting for. Dinner is served!

Some families have more than one dinner table at Thanksgiving. Children may eat together at their own table. Usually, the people who are invited to dinner belong to the same family. But anyone can bring a friend. In fact, many Americans live far away from family members. So, getting together at Thanksgiving is not always possible. Many people in this situation have a dinner party and invite their friends who are also without family for the holidays.

Serving those less fortunate

It is important to remember that the United States is home to many poor and homeless people. They cannot buy a Thanksgiving dinner or spend the holiday with friends and family. All across the country, religious and service organizations provide holiday meals for older adults, the homeless and the poor. 

Whether you are eating with family and friends or serving meals to the homeless, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. Before the meal begins, it is traditional for everyone to say a few words about what they are most thankful for.

1 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。

2 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

5 mashed   

a.捣烂的

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。

6 stuffing   

n.填充物vt.填充(stuff的现在分词)

参考例句：

• We had a chicken and stuffing, and new potatoes from the garden. 我们吃了只百宝鸡，还有园子里种的新鲜马铃薯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had already mixed the stuffing for the dumplings. 她已经把饺子馅和好了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 stuffed   

adj.充满的；饱的v.塞住( stuff的过去式和过去分词 )；把…装进；把…装满；（使）吃撑

参考例句：

• stuffed animals in glass cases 玻璃柜里的动物标本
• I was stuffed to the gills with chocolate cake. 我嘴里塞满了巧克力蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

10 immigrants   

n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
• Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 overhead   

adj.在头顶上的，悬空的；n.间接开支

参考例句：

• A number of birds are circling overhead.很多鸟在头顶上空盘旋。
• Many stars overhead are invisible to the naked eye.天上的许多星星是肉眼看不到的。