VOA慢速英语:At Thanksgiving, the Making of a National Feast

短语讲解：

1. In sixteen twenty-one, a big celebration took place at Plymouth Colony in what is now the state of Massachusetts.

take place发生; 举行
例句：The evening party will take place on New Year's Eve.
晚会将在除夕那天举行。

2. And, thanks to the United States Census Bureau, here are some facts about where their Thanksgiving meal comes from.

thanks to幸亏, 多亏, 由于
例句：Thanks to you, I was saved from drowning.
幸亏你, 我才没有淹死。
come from来自，源出；产自
例句：This word comes from Latin.
这个词源于拉丁语。

3. Producers are expected to raise two hundred forty-eight million birds this year, two percent more than last year.

be expected to预计
例句：House prices are expected to perk up.
房价预计会上涨。

4. These individuals donated over one hundred forty-eight tons of food, but it takes a huge amount of food as you can imagine to do fifteen hundred food baskets complete with stuffing and cranberries and pumpkin and fresh produce, and then they are all topped off with a fifteen-pound frozen turkey.

complete with包括, 具有配套的
例句：This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.
这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
top off使成功地完成; 修剪…的顶部; 给…最后装饰〔加盖〕
例句：They topped off the performance with a song.
他们以一首歌圆满地结束了演出。

5. Thanksgiving should be viewed as a verb not a noun, and what better way to give thanks than to help somebody out that you know is struggling right now?

help out帮助, 帮助…出来
例句：She's always willing to help out.
她总是乐于帮助人。