VOA慢速英语207--土拨鼠日2017-土拨鼠费尔预测冬天会延长6周

Groundhog Day 2017: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts 6 More Weeks of Winter

Here's WGroundhog hat's Trending Today.

Pennsylvania’s world famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted six more weeks of winter on Thursday after seeing his shadow.

This event is part of an American tradition called “Groundhog Day.” It takes place every February 2 in the small Pennsylvanian town of Punxsutawney.

Since 1886, thousands of people have come together on this day on a hill called “Gobbler’s Knob¹.” They watch as a groundhog named Phil predicts the length of the winter season. Today was the 131st official Groundhog Day.

A groundhog is a large rodent², and part of a family known as marmots.

On Groundhog Day, Phil the groundhog comes out of a hole in the earth just after sunrise. As the tradition goes, Phil will then look for his shadow on the ground. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of cold weather during winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, warmer weather will arrive soon.

From Europe to America

The story of Groundhog Day comes from an early Christian³ European tradition, says John Griffiths. He helps take care of Phil the groundhog.

“It stems⁴ from the tradition of ‘Candlemass.’ February 2 actually is the halfway⁵ point of winter. In Europe, they would melt their candles down and make new candles … and it was basically a day for communities and folks to get together.”

Griffiths said that when European settlers came to Pennsylvania from Germany, they held on to that tradition. They decided⁶ that the groundhog was the best animal to continue the tradition.

The town of Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in 1886, but the first official Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob happened the next year, in 1887.

The legend of Phil

Phil is taken care of by a local group known as Phil’s “Inner Circle.” Griffiths is a member of the Inner Circle. He says the group helps pull Phil out of the hole on Groundhog Day. The members also take care of the day-to-day activities of the Groundhog Club. The Groundhog Club organizes the annual celebration.

Phil has become very important for the town of Punxsutawney. This year, between 15,000 to 20,000 people came to town for the celebration. The event helps support the local economy.

Many people say that Punxsutawney Phil is always correct with his weather predictions. Elaine Owen traveled to Punxsutawney from Greenwich, Pennsylvania. It was her first time coming to the event.

“It’s just been a tradition that everybody says that the groundhog is very accurate. And whatever he predicts is what happens.”

As the story goes, the groundhog that appeared in this year’s event is the same groundhog that saw its shadow in 1886. Phil is able to live so long because he drinks “groundhog punch,” made from a secret recipe. One sip⁷ is given to Phil every summer. It is enough to give him many more years of life.

More than just the weather

The Stormfax website looked back at Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions over the years. It found Phil has been correct 39 percent of the time. He usually predicts six more weeks of winter weather.

Griffiths says Groundhog Day means more to people than just predicting the weather.

“It’s not religious, it’s not political, it’s all about having fun. It’s a time of the year… it gives everybody a chance to get out and for one day, cast all their cares off and have a good time.”

Visitors agree. One visitor who went by the nickname⁸ of “Winter” says the event helps bring the community together.

“I think it brings a community together, and people get really excited… generally speaking Groundhog Day is something that, for a very long time, has brought communities together."

Whether it is for the community, the weather prediction, or just the tradition itself, Groundhog Day is one of America’s most unusual celebrations.

And that's What's Trending Today.

Words in This Story

accurate - adj. able to produce results that are correct

candle - n. wax that has been formed into a stick or another shape and has a string in the middle that can be burned

cast - v. to throw or move (something) in a forceful way

celebration - n. a party or other special event that you have for an important occasion or holiday

groundhog - n. a small, furry⁹ North American animal that lives in the ground

marmot - n. a small animal of America and Europe that has short legs and that lives in holes that it digs in the ground

rodent - n. a small animal (such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver) that has sharp front teeth

1 knob   

n.球形把手，球形柄，旋钮，小块

参考例句：

• There is a knob of butter on the table.桌子上有一小块黄油。
• This knob is only held on by sellotape.这个旋钮只是用透明胶带固定住的。

2 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 stems   

n.（花草的）茎( stem的名词复数 )；词干；（高脚酒杯的）脚；烟斗柄v.遏制[阻止]（液体的流动等）( stem的第三人称单数 )；封堵；遏止

参考例句：

• The present wave of strikes stems from discontent among the lower-paid. 当前的罢工浪潮起因于低工资雇员们的不满情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her interest in flowers stems from her childhood in the country. 她对花卉的兴趣产生于她在乡下度过的童年时代。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

6 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。

7 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

8 nickname   

n.绰号，昵称；v.给...取绰号，叫错名字

参考例句：

• She called me by my nickname.她叫我的外号。
• Why do you fasten such a nickname on her?你为什么给她取这样一个绰号？

9 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。