VOA慢速英语20061120b

THIS IS AMERICA - Thanksgiving Day: Filled With Family Traditions and, Oh Yea, FoodBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, November 20, 2006

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Our subject this week is what the writer O. Henry called the one day that is purely¹ American -- Thanksgiving.

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VOICE ONE:


Preparations for Thanksgiving dinner

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. This is the one hundred forty-third official observance of the holiday. But the tradition is much older. 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 talking.

VOICE TWO:

Thanksgiving is what the social scientists call a civil holiday. It is not religious but it does have spiritual meaning. For some families, Thanksgiving may be the only time of year when everyone gets together. The government says the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for long-distance travel as people return from gatherings².

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Paul Hillier leads the Theatre of Voices in a traditional Shaker song, Give Good Gifts to One Another. The recording³ is from the album Home to Thanksgiving -- Songs of Thanks and Praise.

Thanksgiving is also when thoughts start to turn to other kinds of gifts. The Friday after Thanksgiving is the traditional start of the shopping season for Christmas and the other winter holidays.

VOICE TWO:


Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, 2005

And speaking of traditions, a popular Thanksgiving tradition is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Employees of the huge Macy's department store on Herald⁴ Square organized the first parade in nineteen twenty-four. Many of them wanted to hold a big parade like the ones in Old World Europe. So they dressed in costumes and borrowed some animals from the zoo. They also carried small balloons that floated just overhead.

VOICE ONE:

A few years later came big balloons, the kind that the parade is famous for. But they burst. The parade planners soon learned better ways to control the balloons.

In nineteen thirty-four, a big Mickey Mouse balloon made of rubber appeared in the parade for the first time. Mickey Mouse remains⁵ a popular character in the parade.

But for three years during World War Two, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade had to be cancelled. The military needed rubber for the war effort.

VOICE TWO:

Two and one-half million people are expected on the streets of Manhattan this Thursday to watch the parade. Millions more will see it on television. And, as always, there will be lots of things to see, including eight hundred performing clowns.

But all eyes will be on the huge balloons that will rise almost fifteen meters above the streets. Many of the balloons are based on popular cartoon and game characters. Plans call for the balloons to be filled with helium gas on Wednesday.

VOICE ONE:

Workers control the balloons with ropes, but that can be difficult. They have to make sure that winds do not blow the balloons into buildings or parade-watchers. But accidents can happen. There have been two in recent years.

Last year, ropes from a big balloon caught on a streetlight. Two sisters were injured when pieces of the streetlight fell on them as they watched the parade.

The accident was similar to what happened in nineteen ninety-seven. The victim was a woman on the street. She was injured so badly that she was in a coma⁶ for almost a month. But she survived.

And just last month that same woman, Kathleen Caronna, had something else to be thankful for. She was not home when a small plane hit the Manhattan building where she lived. Her apartment was heavily damaged, and the crash killed both people on the plane.

After the balloon incident last year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed a committee to improve the safety of the parade. This year, more steps will be taken to measure the wind and to report the information to the balloon controllers.

VOICE TWO:

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is marking its eightieth anniversary this year. The parade traditionally includes invited marching bands. But now, in addition, the parade will have its own marching band.

Two hundred musicians and dancers will take part in what is called the Macy's Great American Marching Band. The young musicians will represent all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Now we come to the part of the holiday that Thanksgiving memories are often made of -- the big Thanksgiving Day meal. Some families serve ham. Others serve a meatless dinner. But the traditional main dish is turkey. Most people cook the bird in an oven; some prepare the turkey other ways, like fried in oil.


photos com thanksgiving turkey 150

Turkey on Thanksgiving is usually served with a bread mixture inside. Some Americans call it stuffing; others call it dressing⁷. Popular side dishes on Thanksgiving include cranberries⁸, sweet potatoes and green beans. Then for a rich, sweet dessert there is often pumpkin⁹ pie or pecan pie.

Many Thanksgiving tables also are heavy with other dishes, often brought by guests. And if the guests eat all that is served, they too will feel heavy.

Some people like fruit soup, green salads and baked potatoes with their turkey. Others like baked squash¹⁰, creamed onions, creamed spinach¹¹ and corn pudding. Many people eat more at Thanksgiving than any other time of the year.

VOICE TWO:

For people who do not have much food, or a home to go to at Thanksgiving, charity groups play an important part. To help the needy¹², religious and service organizations across the country serve special Thanksgiving meals.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Tradition says the Pilgrims¹³ celebrated¹⁴ the first Thanksgiving in sixteen twenty-one. The Pilgrims were religious dissidents who fled oppression in England. First they went to the Netherlands, then left to establish a colony in North America. They ended up at what later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Their trip across the Atlantic Ocean and their first months on land were difficult. About one hundred Pilgrims arrived just as autumn was turning to winter. About half of them died during the cold months that followed.

VOICE TWO:




As the story goes, when spring came the Pilgrims planted crops with the help of an American Indian named Squanto. By the end of summer there was a good harvest of corn and barley¹⁵. There was enough food to last through the winter. The Pilgrims held a celebration of thanks for their harvest. A nearby Indian tribe¹⁶, the Wampanoags, took part and the feast¹⁷ lasted three days.

But modern Indians have noted¹⁸ that the friendship did not last for long. Other English settlers who arrived later did not need help from the Indians the way the Pilgrims did. The Indians and the settlers were at war within a few years. Many of the Wampanoag Indians died in battle or from diseases that arrived with the settlers.

VOICE ONE:

Over the years, as the American colonies grew, other communities held thanksgiving or harvest celebrations. Later, different states celebrated Thanksgiving on different days.

But a nineteenth century writer and editor, Sarah Hale, believed that all Americans should give thanks on the same day. For years she campaigned for a national holiday. Her wish came true in October of eighteen sixty-three with a declaration¹⁹ from President Abraham Lincoln. He invited Americans to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to God.

At the time, it might not have seemed that Americans had much to be thankful for. It was in the middle of the Civil War. The great Battle of Gettysburg had just taken place that summer in Pennsylvania. Yet the war that divided the nation also, in the end, united it.

And, as the spirit of tradition guides millions of people to holiday gatherings this week, Thanksgiving remains that most American of days.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver²⁰. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. To learn more about American life, and to download MP3 files and transcripts²¹ of our programs, go to www.unsv.com. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 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。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 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。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

7 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

8 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

9 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！

10 squash   

n.壁球，摺皱不堪，拥挤嘈杂的人群，浓缩果汁，美国南瓜；vt.压扁，压制；vi.变扁，压榨

参考例句：

• He is drinking lemon squash.他正在喝柠檬露。
• She sprained her ankle playing squash.她在打软式墙网球时扭伤了脚踝。

11 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 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。

17 feast   

n.盛宴，筵席，节日

参考例句：

• After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后，她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
• You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜，这样太麻烦你了！

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

20 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

21 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句