Thanksgiving Day is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is the most traditional of American holidays. The first Thanksgiving was held in Massachusetts in 1621. After a year of GREat hardship, the Pilgrim(朝圣) colonists(移民) wanted to give thanks to God for their first harvest. They invited their Indian friends to join them in a big feast. Today the holiday is still celebrated as a day for giving thanks. It is a day of family reunion and it is customary to invite friends to share the meal. In some large cities, there are carnival（狂欢节） parades for children. In other cities there are important football games that are played on Thanksgiving Day.
We always go to my grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving Day. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces gather for a family homecoming. We always invite some friends to join us. Everyone is glad to see everyone else and there is a very busy exchange of gossip(闲谈). The women soon disappear into the kitchen to help my grandmother prepare the dinner. The men, meanwhile, settle down to watch a football game on television or to discuss business or politics. If the weather permits, some of the more athletic men go outside to play ball with the children. At about four o’clock we all sit down to dinner. My grandfather gives thanks for the blessings we have received and then he starts to carve the turkey. We always have the traditional dinner of stuffed turkey, cranberry(野樱果) sauce, apple cider(酒), sweet potatoes, chestnuts(栗子), and pumpkin(南瓜) pie. After dinner, no one can move and we all sit around and talk, play word games, or tell jokes until it is time to go home. It is always difficult to leave because Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days of the year when the entire family gets together.
(313 words)
Choose the best answer:
1. The first Thanksgiving Day was held ___________.
A. in the early 17th century
B. just before the War of Independence
C. right after the war of Independence
D. before the 17th century
2. Thanksgiving Day ___________.
A. became traditional in America in the 16th century
B. has long been a popular holiday in the West
C. has long been a national holiday for the Americans
D. is a holiday only in a few states in the United States
3. Thanksgiving Day was originally ___________.
A. a day to give thanks to God
B. a day for family members to get together
C. a day to treat one’s friends
D. a day of recreation for children
4. Today, Thanksgiving Day is ___________.
A. still a day to pray to God
B. a national holiday
C. a day of family reunion
D. all of the above
参考答案：1.A 2.C 3.A 4.D
