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

In sixteen twenty-one, a big celebration took place at Plymouth Colony in what is now the state of Massachusetts. European settlers known as the Pilgrims were celebrating their autumn harvest after a winter of struggle.
在1621年，普利茅斯殖民地，也就是现在的马萨诸塞州举行了一场盛大庆祝活动。在经过一个冬天的奋斗之后，被称为清教徒的欧洲殖民者正在庆祝他们的秋收。

Other colonists held earlier ceremonies of thanks. But the Pilgrims' three-day feast is often called the nation's first Thanksgiving. President Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday in eighteen sixty-three during the Civil War.
其他殖民者在早些时候举行了感恩仪式。但清教徒为期三天盛宴，通常被称为全国第一个感恩节。在内战期间，林肯总统在1863宣布其为一个全国性节日。

Today families and friends gather on the fourth Thursday in November. And, thanks to the United States Census Bureau, here are some facts about where their Thanksgiving meal comes from.
如今，家人和朋友在11月第4个星期四举行聚会。幸亏有美国人口普查局，这里是一些关于感恩节大餐来源的一些数据。

The main dish is traditionally a turkey. About two-thirds of the nation's turkeys are produced in Minnesota and five other states. Producers are expected to raise two hundred forty-eight million birds this year, two percent more than last year.
主菜是一只传统的火鸡。全国约三分之二的火鸡产自明尼苏达州和其他五个州。预计今年生产商饲养了2亿4千8百万只火鸡，比去年同期增长百分之二。

Popular side dishes include cranberries and sweet potatoes. Last year North Carolina grew more sweet potatoes than any other state. Wisconsin is expected to be the top cranberry producer this year.
受欢迎的配菜包括小红莓和红薯。去年北卡罗莱纳州种植比任何州都要多的红薯。威斯康星州预计今年将是小红莓的最大产地。

People often finish the meal with pumpkin pie. Last year Illinois grew the most pumpkins. California, New York and Ohio were also major pumpkin producers.
人们经常用南瓜作为大餐最后的食物。伊利诺伊州去年种植了最多的南瓜。加利福尼亚州，纽约州和俄亥俄州也主要的南瓜产地。

Thanksgiving is a big event, but buying a traditional holiday meal can be a struggle for the poor. So charity groups often hold food drives to collect food for low-income families.
感恩节是一个重大节日，但购买一顿传统节日大餐对贫穷的人来说是一件难事。因此，慈善团体经常举办食物募捐活动为低收入家庭募集食品。

In Denver, Colorado, volunteers have been collecting donated items to fill fifteen hundred Thanksgiving baskets. Rodney Cunningham has been helping the group Volunteers of America for three years. He and his family will also be getting food from the charity. He says this year the demand has been greater than ever.
在科罗拉多州丹佛市，志愿者已经开始收集捐赠食品来填满1500个感恩节花篮。Rodney Cunningham多年来一直在帮助“美国志愿者”团体。他和他的家人也将通过慈善组织获得食物。他说，今年的需求已经比以往任何时候都大。

RODNEY CUNNINGHAM: "One of the reasons why it’s really important is because the economy is pretty bad and a lot of people have a need for extra food. They don’t have any food at all."
RODNEY CUNNINGHAM：“为何这件事如此重要，其中一个原因是经济非常糟糕，很多人都需要额外的食物。他们几乎没有任何食物。”

Jim White, community affairs director at Volunteers of America, says people donated a lot of food.
“美国志愿者”社区事务主任Jim White表示，人们捐赠了大量的食物。

JIM WHITE: "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."
JIM WHITE：“这些个人捐赠了超过148吨食物，但你可以想象，用馅料、小红莓、南瓜和新鲜产品装满1500个篮子，然后在顶上放上用一只15磅中的冰冻火鸡，这需要数量多么巨额的食物。”

Mr. White says volunteers come from all over Denver to help.
怀特先生称前来帮忙的志愿者来自丹佛各地。

JIM WHITE: "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?"
JIM WHITE：“感恩节应该被看作一个动词而非名词。还有什么方式比帮助那些现在正苦苦挣扎的人更能体现感恩呢？”