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Part 1 The History of Father's Day 父亲节的来历
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. .
The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon1 in 1909.
Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental2 sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous3, selfless, and loving man. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated4 to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday.
That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke5 a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated6 the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.
States and organizations began lobbying7 Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations8."
Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and put the official stamp on a celebration that was going on for almost half a century.
When children can't visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental9. Most greeting cards are whimsical（奇形怪状的，异想天开的）so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.
专门用一天向母亲表示敬意的想法是1907年在美国首先提出来的。2年以后华盛顿州的一位妇女Mrs. Bruce John Dodd提出应有类似母亲节的一天来向一家之长的父亲表示敬意。多德夫人年幼丧母，由父亲把她带大。她非常爱自己的父亲。
在多德夫人提出她的想法的同一年－－1909年，华盛顿州州长作出反应，宣布六月的第三个星期日为父亲节。这个想法在1916年被伍德·威尔逊总统正式批准。1924年，卡尔文·柯立芝总统建议把父亲节作为一个全国性的节日以便“在父亲和子女之间建立更亲密的关系，并且使父亲铭记自己应尽的全部责任”。红色或白色玫瑰是公认的父亲节的节花。
父亲节在全美国作为节日确定下来，比母亲节经过的时间要长一些。因为建立父亲节的想法很得人心，所以商人和制造商开始看到商机。他们不仅鼓励做儿女的给父亲寄贺卡，而且鼓动他们买领带、袜子之类的小礼品送给父亲，以表达对父亲的敬重。
第二次世界大战期间，驻扎在英国的美国军人要求得到父亲节的贺卡寄回国内。美国军人的要求得到英国贺卡出版商的回应，因而印制了贺卡。虽然英国公众对这个节日接受得要缓慢一些，但今天英国在六月里第三个星期日也热烈庆祝父亲节，和美国的庆祝方式差不多。
父亲节似乎远不如母亲节那么重要，没有孩子给父亲送礼物。但是，美国的父亲仍然认为他们的命运比许多其它国家的父亲强得多，因为那些国家的父亲们连个名义上的节日都没有。
Part 2 Jenny's Birthday Present Jenny的生日礼物
Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1
Jenny: Yippee! Today's my seventh birthday!
Dad: Congratulations, honey! We are so happy for you!
Jenny: What do I get for my birthday?
Dad: Well, we had a big surprise for you.
Jenny: I hope it's that pretty Barbie doll I saw in the store!
Dad: No, I'm sorry. Go on out to the park. There you can check out your present.
讲解：
1. 今天是 Jenny7岁的生日，她很开心，Yippee! 在口语当中是一个很常用的感叹词，用来表示愉快或者兴奋。Jenny的父母也为她感到高兴。Congratulations!大家应该很熟悉了，对某人表示祝贺的时候就可以用。如果要表示“因为某件事情向某人祝贺”的时候就用Congratulations on something! 这个用法。
2. 过生日当然要有生日礼物，那么今年Jenny会得到什么礼物呢？What do I get for my birthday? 爸爸说为Jenny准备了一份大惊喜。surprise，这里表示“惊喜，惊讶”，比如说，What a surprise! 多么令人惊讶啊！Imagine our surprise on seeing her here. 我们在那看见她，吃了一惊。The gift came as a complete surprise to me. 这件礼物完全出乎我的意料。
3. 还有一个短语是to one's surprise，意思是“让某人感到惊奇的是...”，比如说，To my surprise, they succeeded at last. 让我吃惊的是，他们最后竟然成功了。Jenny希望自己的生日礼物是她在商店里看过的那个漂亮的芭比娃娃。可是爸爸告诉她，这次的生日礼物不是芭比娃娃，而是另外的惊喜。
4. 爸爸让Jenny去公园一看就知道了。go on 在这里不是表示“继续做某事”，而是表示“快点去做某事，用来鼓励某人试着去做某事”。check out 表示“调查、发现某物”，有发现“惊讶”的感觉在里面，比如说，Check it out! That's the best house I've ever seen. 快来看啊！这是我见过的最棒的房子！
Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2
Dad: Happy birthday, Jenny!
Jenny: Wow! A bicycle! I can't believe my eyes!
Dad: I hope you like it!
Jenny: I love it! My own bike! So wicked!
Dad: But there's only one problem, Jenny. You don't know how to ride a bike.
Jenny: Oh yeah. I have to learn! I have to learn! Can you teach me, Dad? Can you?
Dad: Of course I can.
讲解：
1. 原来Jenny的生日礼物是一台漂亮的自行车，这确实是一个惊喜，Jenny简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。wicked 这里是一个俚语，表示“非常棒的，非常好的”。
2. 但是这里有一个问题，Jenny根本就不会骑自行车，有了自行车也不能用啊。Jenny很兴奋地说，不会我可以学啊！并且让爸爸教她骑。
3. 骑自行车用ride这个词，可以表示“骑马，骑自行车”等等一些“骑”的动作，比如说，He rode off into the distance. 他骑马奔向远方。She's riding on her father's shoulders. 她骑在父亲的肩上。
4. ride 这个词还可以表示“搭乘交通工具”，比如说，ride in a bus，坐公共汽车，ride on a train 坐火车等等。还有，You ride in the back of the car with your mother. 你跟妈妈坐到车后座去。ride还可以表示“飘浮于...之上”，我们可以用ride造一个很美的句子，The moon was riding high in the sky. 月亮高高地挂在天空上。
Dialogue Script 3 对话原文 3 Dad: Maybe it'll be best if you try training wheels first.
Jenny: Training wheels? No way. That's for little kids.
Dad: But you need to work on your balance first, Jenny.
Jenny: I don't want training wheels. They look stupid. 
Dad: Well, OK. We can try without training wheels to start. You'll have to be cautious10.
Jenny: I'll be very careful, and I'll ride really slowly.
讲解：
1.对话中爸爸在教Jenny骑自行车。爸爸建议Jenny先用training wheels来学骑自行车，training wheels，就是儿童自行车后轮加装的辅助轮。
2. Jenny可不想这么做，因为training wheels是为小朋友准备的。No way. 意思就相当于汉语的“没门”。
3. 但是爸爸说Jenny首先要解决的问题是平衡问题，而training wheels会帮Jenny更好的掌握平衡。可Jenny还是不想用training wheels，因为它们看起来傻傻的。
4. 没办法，爸爸只好同意不用training wheels，谁让今天是Jenny的生日呢！但是Jenny一定要小心。cautious表示“小心的，谨慎的”，用法是be cautious about/of sb/sth。比如说，You should be cautious of the strangers. 你应该小心提防陌生人。She is very cautious about spending money. 她用钱很仔细。
Dialogue Script 4 对话原文 4
Dad: Well, it is your birthday. I'll hold the back of the bike while you pedal11.
Jenny: But what if I fall?
Dad: You won't fall because I'll run behind you. Just don't pedal too fast.
Jenny: OK. Should I start to pedal now?
Dad: Go for it. Keep pedaling12, you'll get the hang of it.
Jenny: Whoa! This feels weird13! I'm gonna fall! I'm really gonna go down!
Dad: No, you're not. You're doing great! Just keep pedaling.
Jenny: Hey, Dad! Look! I'm almost riding by myself!
Dad: Thatta girl! Keep your hands on the brakes to stop.
Jenny: Got it, Dad! Hey! This is pretty easy. Look at me ride a bike!
Dad: I'm gonna let go of you for a second, OK?
Jenny: OK! I can do it!
Dad: I'm letting go…go, Jenny! Don't lose your balance!
Jenny: Weeee! I can really...(CRASH)
讲解：
1. 对话中，爸爸继续教Jenny骑自行车，Jenny蹬脚踏板的时候，爸爸会在后面扶着。这里pedal用作动词，意思是“踩踏板；骑车”，比如说，He pedaled14 down the hill. 他骑车下了山。
2. Jenny很担心，如果摔下来怎么办？爸爸告诉她不用担心，因为爸爸就会在后面扶着车跑，就是不要蹬得太快。get the hang of it 指“找到诀窍，学会使用方法”。hang在口语中表示“处理方法，诀窍”，而it就泛指任何事物。我们来举几个例子，---How's your new job going? ---Not good. I can't seem to get the hang of bossing people around. ---你的新工作还好吗？---不好，我似乎不太会差遣人。 还有，---Are you getting the hang of it yet? ---Not yet. Swimming the breaststroke is no problem, but freestyle is hard. ---你到底学会了没有？---还没，游蛙泳不是问题，但是自由泳真难学。---Do you need any help? ---No, thanks. I'm getting the hang of it. ---用帮忙吗？---不用了，谢谢，我已经逐渐上手了。
3. Jenny学的还挺快，几乎可以自己骑了。爸爸夸奖她，说Thatta girl!是That's the girl! 的缩写，这句话用来激励或者赞赏别人。爸爸还提醒Jenny把手放到刹车上来控制停车。brake，表示“制动器，刹车”，put on 或者apply the brakes，就可以表示“刹车，拉闸”。
4. 爸爸看Jenny已经骑的不错了，就放开了手，让她自己练习，谁知道Jenny一紧张，就失去了平衡，摔倒了。
Dialogue Script 5 对话原文 5
Dad: Are you OK, honey? Are you alright?
Jenny: My knee hurts! It's bleeding!
Dad: OK. Let's go get you a Band-aid.
Jenny: But I want to ride my bike some more.
Dad: First we have to get your cut cleaned up.
Jenny: Then can we come back out?
Dad: We'll see. Your knee is pretty banged up.
(A Week Later)
Jenny: It's been a week, Dad! I can ride my bike today, right?
Dad: Yes, but with training wheels.
Jenny: OK. But when I get really good at riding, can I take the training wheel off?
Dad: Yes, if you practice a lot. Remember Practice makes perfect!
Jenny: I'm gonna practice every day of my life!
Dad: Ha! If you practice that much, you can join the Tour de France!
Jenny: What's that?
讲解：
1. 爸爸检查了一下Jenny的伤势，膝盖破了一个口，还在流血。爸爸去拿了一个Band-aid，就是“创可贴”，我们平常也叫“邦迪”。
2. Jenny觉得自己没有什么，还想再多骑一会儿。但是爸爸不同意，当务之急是把Jenny的伤口清理一下。
3. Jenny问那一会还能再来骑自行车吗？爸爸说We'll see. 意思就是“再说吧，看看情况再定。”因为Jenny膝盖的伤口看起来挺糟糕的。bang up 这个词组表示“凄惨，狼狈”。
4. 说道这个We'll see. 还有You'll see.这个句子，表示“你到时候就知道了。”一周过去了，Jenny的伤也好的差不多了，所以又开始嚷嚷着到外面去骑自行车。
5. 爸爸同意了，但是这一次一定要装上training wheels，来维持平衡。Jenny只好同意了，不过她还讨价还价，等自己骑的很好了，就一定要把training wheels拿掉，要不然别人会笑话她的。这里有一个习语，大家应该知道，Practice makes perfect! 就是“熟能生巧” 。
6. Jenny下定决心，要每天都勤加练习。爸爸开玩笑地说，如果Jenny练得那么勤，就可以参加环法自行车公开赛了。就是Tour de France。
收听单词发音 |
1
sermon
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| n.布道，讲道，说教，冗长的讲话 | |
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parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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5
spoke
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| 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 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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lobbying
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| vi.为了支持或抵制某项特定目标游说（lobby的现在分词形式） | |
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obligations
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| n.债务( obligation的名词复数 )；义务；[法律]债券；合约 | |
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sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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cautious
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| adj.十分小心的，谨慎的 | |
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11
pedal
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| n.踏板；adj.脚的，踏脚的；v.用脚踏动，踩踏板 | |
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12
pedaling
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| vt.& vi.踩自行车的踏板（pedal的现在分词形式） | |
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13
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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14
pedaled
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| vt.& vi.踩自行车的踏板（pedal的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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