词汇提示

1.pilgrim 朝圣者

2.puritans 清教徒

3.barn 谷仓

4.wrestling 摔跤

5.cranberries 蔓越莓

6.squash 南瓜

原文

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day has a special meaning for Americans.

Many holidays were brought along from Europe by the early settlers, and didn't change very much.

But Thanksgiving takes on a special shape in North America.

That is because of the Thanksgiving celebrated by the early pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts in 1621.

These early settlers were from England and they were known as Puritans.

This is because they wanted to purify the state religion of England.

They felt that the churches were more concerned with politics and customs than God and worship.

They were also called Pilgrims, because they were willing to travel to other countries in order to worship God the way they wanted to.

When the English government put some of the Pilgrims in jail, the rest left England and went to the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, they could have their own churches.

However,it was hard to earn a living there, and at first they didn't know the language.

In time, the English king learned where they were and tried to have them arrested.

So they thought of another plan.

Pilgrim leaders like William Brewster attempted to raise money to start a colony in North America.

They would have to borrow money and pay it back later.

Thirty members of the Pilgrim church in the Netherlands voted to sail to America with their families.

They returned to England and set sail on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower.

When the Speedwell appeared unable to cross the ocean, both ships returned to England.

All who still wanted to sail crowded into the Mayflower and set sail on September 6, 1620.

Many of the passengers became sick during the long voyage, and some died.

They encountered fierce storms because they were sailing late in the season.

After sixty-six days, they sighted the sandy shoreline of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts.

There was disagreement between the Pilgrims and others on board ship about what to do.

So first they had to agree to a common form of government and elect a governor.

Since winter was coming, they decided to stay on the ship till spring.

About half of the remaining settlers died during that first winter.

When the Mayflower sailed back to England, only about fifty settlers were left.

Nearly half of these were children.

There were Indians in Massachusetts, but at first they were not friendly.

They shot arrows at the settlers.

But one day a friendly Indian named Samoset came to visit them.

He spoke English and could tell them many things.

He brought another Indian named Squanto, who showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn.

Eventually,their chief Massosoit came, and he promised to keep peaceful relations with the settlers.

All spring and summer of 1621, the Pilgrims worked hard in the fields.

They also finished building houses and barns.

In the fall, they were delighted to see that the corn and vegetables had grown well.

They decided to have a thanksgiving feast and invited their Indian friends.

On the day of the feast, Chief Massosoit came with ninety Indians.

There were turkeys, deer meat and fish to eat.

The feast lasted three days.

When the food ran low, the Indians went out to shoot more birds and animals.

The Pilgrims and Indians competed in races, wrestling, shooting and other games.

The Pilgrims addressed prayers and thanks to God for providing food, shelter,freedom of religion and friendly Indians in this new land.

Ever since 1621, Thanksgiving celebrations include memories of that special occasion.

Today,turkeys, cranberries, corn and squash are usually part of the Thanksgiving meal.

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday.

It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November.

In Canada, where the harvest is earlier, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

The celebration always includes giving thanks for the good things that people have received, especially for food and families.

Along with this goes the Thanksgiving meal, when so many good things are eaten.

翻译

感恩节

感恩节对美国人来说有着特殊的意义。
许多节日都是由早期的移民从欧洲带来的，并没有太大的变化。
但感恩节在北美有一种特殊的形式。
这是因为1621年马萨诸塞州早期移民庆祝的感恩节。
这些早期的移民来自英国，他们被称为清教徒。
这是因为他们想要净化英国的国教。
他们觉得教会更关心政治和习俗，而不是上帝和敬拜。
他们也被称为朝圣者，因为他们愿意前往其他国家，以他们想要的方式崇拜上帝。
当英国政府把一些清教徒关进监狱时，其余的人离开英国去了荷兰。
在荷兰，他们可以有自己的教堂。
然而，在那里谋生很困难，一开始他们不懂语言。
后来，英国国王得知了他们的下落，并试图逮捕他们。
所以他们想到了另一个计划。
像威廉·布鲁斯特这样的清教徒领袖试图筹集资金在北美建立殖民地。
他们将不得不借钱，以后还钱。
荷兰清教徒教会的30名成员投票决定与家人一起乘船前往美国。
他们回到英国，乘坐两艘船，“速德威尔”号和“五月花”号启航。
当斯比德威尔号似乎无法横渡大洋时，两艘船都返回了英国。
1620年9月6日，所有仍然想航行的人都挤上了五月花号，起航了。
许多乘客在长途航行中生病，有些人死亡。
他们遇到了猛烈的风暴，因为他们在季末航行。
66天后，他们看到了科德角的沙滩海岸线，在今天的马萨诸塞州。
清教徒和船上的其他人对该怎么做存在分歧。
因此，首先他们必须同意一个共同的政府形式，并选举一位总督。
因为冬天就要来了，他们决定在船上待到春天。
剩下的定居者中大约有一半在第一个冬天死亡。
当五月花号返回英国时，只剩下大约50名定居者。
其中近一半是儿童。
马萨诸塞州有印第安人，但起初他们并不友好。
他们向定居者射箭。
但是有一天，一个名叫萨莫塞特的友好的印第安人来拜访他们。
他会说英语，能告诉他们很多事情。
他带来了另一个名叫斯匡托的印第安人，斯匡托向清教徒们展示了如何种植玉米。
最后，他们的首领马索索伊特来了，他承诺与定居者保持和平关系。
1621年的整个春天和夏天，清教徒们都在地里辛勤劳作。
他们还完成了房屋和谷仓的建造。
到了秋天，他们高兴地看到玉米和蔬菜长得很好。
他们决定举办一场感恩节宴会，并邀请了他们的印第安朋友。
在宴会那天，马索索伊特酋长带着90个印第安人来了。
有火鸡、鹿肉和鱼可以吃。
宴会持续了三天。
当食物用完了，印第安人就出去射击更多的鸟类和动物。
清教徒和印第安人比赛赛跑、摔跤、射击和其他游戏。
清教徒们祈祷并感谢上帝在这片新土地上提供食物、住所、宗教自由和友好的印第安人。
自1621年以来，感恩节庆祝活动就包含了对那个特殊时刻的回忆。
今天，火鸡、蔓越莓、玉米和南瓜通常是感恩节大餐的一部分。
在美国，感恩节是一个全国性的节日。
每年11月的第四个星期四庆祝。
在加拿大，收获较早，感恩节在十月的第二个星期一庆祝。
庆祝活动通常包括对人们收到的好东西表示感谢，特别是对食物和家庭。
随之而来的是感恩节大餐，人们会吃很多好吃的东西。

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Level 4-Day 69.Thanksgiving Day