VOA慢速英語(yǔ):感恩節(jié)——美國(guó)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日

Thanksgiving is celebrated 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.

每年11月的第四個(gè)星期四慶祝感恩節(jié)。在秋季，11月是個(gè)收獲的季節(jié)。秋天的感恩節(jié)是收獲的節(jié)日，在很多文化中都會(huì)慶祝這樣的收獲節(jié)日。

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.

如今，感恩節(jié)是家人團(tuán)聚、參加各種巡游還有觀看電視播足球賽事的時(shí)刻。當(dāng)然還是吃飯的時(shí)刻。對(duì)于成千上百萬(wàn)的美國(guó)人來(lái)說(shuō)，感恩節(jié)就是一家人在一起烹飪食物、享受美食、共度美好時(shí)光的時(shí)刻。

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

作家歐·亨利稱感恩節(jié)純正是美國(guó)人的一個(gè)節(jié)日，不是宗教節(jié)日，但是有其精神內(nèi)涵。

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.

一些美國(guó)人長(zhǎng)途奔波回去跟家人團(tuán)聚。他們會(huì)享用一頓豐盛的大餐，而這是慶祝的一部分。對(duì)很多人來(lái)說(shuō)，感恩節(jié)就是一個(gè)家人團(tuán)聚的時(shí)刻。

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 gatherings.

政府稱感恩節(jié)后的周末是一年中長(zhǎng)途旅行的最繁忙的一天。通常人們團(tuán)聚后返回各自的家。

Thanksgiving is all about family and food.

感恩節(jié)就是關(guān)于家人和食物。

But let’s get back to the food.

讓我們?cè)賮?lái)談?wù)勀鞘澄铩?/p>

The star of the Thanksgiving meal is the turkey!

感恩節(jié)大餐的主要菜肴是火雞。

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

早上在烤箱里烤這只火雞。芹菜、洋蔥還有調(diào)料的味道溢滿屋子，讓每個(gè)人饑腸轆轆。

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

兩個(gè)傳統(tǒng)的配菜是土豆泥和甘薯砂鍋菜。

And there is another -- stuffing -- a bread-and-vegetable mixture that is literally stuffed into the turkey and then baked.

火雞里先填充面包和蔬菜的混合搭配，然后烘烤。

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

然后人們開始烹飪感恩節(jié)大餐，與家人、朋友聊天，有的人會(huì)在家里看電視里的美國(guó)足球賽事。

Two American traditions, Thanksgiving Day parade and football

美國(guó)人的兩個(gè)傳統(tǒng)：感恩節(jié)游行和足球。

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

隨著時(shí)間的推移，美國(guó)人增加了這項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)到感恩節(jié)的慶祝中。感恩節(jié)當(dāng)天有很多場(chǎng)足球賽事。

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

另一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)是電視播放的梅西感恩節(jié)大游行。

The parade takes place every year in New York City. Employees of the Macy's store on Herald Square organized the first parade in 1924. Many of the workers were immigrants 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 overhead.

這個(gè)游行每年在紐約舉辦。1924年，海諾德廣場(chǎng)的梅西商店首次組織了游行。很多工人是移民過(guò)去的，他們希望舉行一次大規(guī)模的游行，就像在歐洲時(shí)候他們做的那樣。因此，他們穿上特別的服飾，從動(dòng)物園借來(lái)一些動(dòng)物。還攜帶一些小氣球在頭頂飄動(dòng)。

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

下午的時(shí)候，餐桌布置好，然后每個(gè)人需要等待一下，大餐開始供應(yīng)。

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.

感恩節(jié)當(dāng)天，一些家庭擺放不止一張餐桌，孩子們?cè)谒麄兊牟妥郎铣燥?。通常，受邀?lái)參加聚餐的人都是家人。但是可以帶朋友參加。實(shí)際上，很多美國(guó)人跟家人相距較遠(yuǎn)，在感恩節(jié)當(dāng)天團(tuán)聚在一起有點(diǎn)困難。因此，有很多人就會(huì)開一個(gè)派對(duì)，邀請(qǐng)一些家人沒(méi)在身邊的朋友參加感恩節(jié)聚會(huì)。

Serving those less fortunate

為那些不幸的人提供幫助

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.

需要記住一點(diǎn)：美國(guó)也有很多窮人和無(wú)家可歸的人。他們無(wú)法購(gòu)買感恩節(jié)大餐，沒(méi)辦法與朋友或家人共度節(jié)日。所以，在全國(guó)，一些宗教組織和服務(wù)性的組織為成人、無(wú)家可歸的人以及窮人提供食物。

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.

不管你是要與家人和朋友一起用餐還是向無(wú)家可歸的人提供食物，感恩節(jié)就是向他人表示感謝的節(jié)日。大餐開始前，有個(gè)傳統(tǒng)：每個(gè)人都會(huì)說(shuō)些他們最想感謝的人、事。

I’m Anna Matteo.

我是安娜·馬特奧。

Happy Thanksgiving!

感恩節(jié)快樂(lè)!