【題目】C
Ah, Thanksgiving--- truly my favorite holiday. A day off with family and friends and football and an exorbitant amount of food .It doesn’t get much more American than that. Let's look at some interesting Thanksgiving traditions to shed light on this delicious American tradition.
How it started
The story: In the early 1620s, as the first English settlers ( called Pilgrims) arrived in America searching for a life free of religious persecution , they experienced very difficult harvests- as the climate was quite different from that of England. They eventually established (temporarily) good relations with the local Native Americans, called the Wampanoag tribe. The Wampanoag leader Squanto, along with his tribe of friendly Native Americans, helped the English settlers learn how to farm and fish in the harsh and rocky climate of Massachusetts. In 1621, they celebrated the Harvest Festival together. And the Thanksgiving tradition was born! It became an official American holiday under Abraham Lincoln amidst the turmoil of the American Civil War in 1863.
What it means now
Now, after the American colonists destroyed native cultures and sequestered them onto reservations, the current American Thanksgiving has hardly anything to do with a celebration of cordial relations between peoples. Today, we try to forget America's guilty past and celebrate our family, friends, and good health on this day. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving much like Chinese people do the Spring Festival - with family members pouring in from all directions to get reunion and break bread. We play football, watch football, and eat a hell of a lot of turkey.
American Turkey
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of America. In a letter to his daughter, he wrote that the turkey, in comparison to the eagle, was " a far more respectable bird" and a true native of America .
Additionally, he thought that bald eagles had a " bad moral character".
Presidential Pardon
The American president pardons one turkey every year. Every year since I947, the National Turkey Federation presents one live turkey to the President, and in 1987, President Ronald Reagan jokingly pardoned the live turkey. This became an official tradition in 1989. Pardoned turkeys are sent off to live the rest of their short lives. Lucky turkeys!
Black Friday
This is the most despicable of Thanksgiving traditions. A caveat(提醒)---many Americans don't take part in this activity of burning money. The Friday after Thanksgiving is called " Black Friday" , and all across America, people go out to their local stores to buy discounted everything, in packages of 36. Every year, a few people die from trampling as the doors to the store open. Thankfully, with the rise of e-commerce sites such as Amazon, people are moving more to online shopping to take advantage of Black Friday deals.
【1】Which of the following is the most extremely unpleasant tradition of Thanksgiving?
A. American Turkey
B. Black Friday
C. Presidential Pardon
D. Thanksgiving decoration
【2】 Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of America because____.
A. turkey was much larger in comparison to the bald eagle
B. his daughter liked turkey more than the bald eagle
C. bald eagles were true natives of America
D. he thought highly of the bird
【3】The original meaning of Thanksgiving was____
A. to celebrate the friendly relations between the first English settlers and the local Native Americans
B. to praise the local Wampanoag tribe for their useful instructions
C. to encourage the new settlers to learn how to farm and fish in the new world
D. to apologize to the local Native Americans for the wrongs that the first English settlers had done
【4】 What's the author's purpose of writing this passage?
A. To warn people of the bad influence of Thanksgiving.
B. To make people aware of the potential danger of Black Friday.
C. To introduce some interesting Thanksgiving traditions to people.
D. To remind people not to forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
