VOA慢速英语:Thanksgiving Day and Turkey

On Thursday, most Americans will gather around a table with family and friends to give thanks. Traditionally, a turkey is at the center of the table on Thanksgiving Day.
本周四，大多数美国人会与家人朋友聚在一起表达感恩之情。在感恩节这个传统节日，一只火鸡会摆在桌子的正中央。

Turkeys are grown in many areas across the United States. Last year, near 70 percent of the birds came from one of seven states: they were Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana and California. And estimated forty-six million turkeys were raised in Minnesota.
美国许多地方都有饲养火鸡。去年，近70%的火鸡都来自这七个州：它们是明尼苏达州，北卡罗来纳州，阿肯色州，弗吉尼亚州，密苏里州，印第安纳州和加利福尼亚州。而据估计其中4600万只火鸡是在明尼苏达州饲养的。

The United States Department of Agriculture says 253 million turkeys were raised from January 2013 through September. There is a pleasant surprise about the cost of serving a turkey meal this month.
美国农业部称，2013年1至9月美国共饲养了2.53亿只火鸡。这个月享用一顿火鸡大餐的费用会有一个惊喜。

Each year, the American Farm Bureau Federation prepares a study of the prices and sales of foods served on Thanksgiving. The group says the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for ten people this year is forty-nine dollars and four cents. That is forty-four cents less than last year.
每年，美国农场局联合会都会准备研究感恩节食用的食物的价格和销售情况。该组织称，今年一顿十人感恩节大餐的平均成本是49美元4美分，这比去年少了44美分。

Scott Aronson of Maryland says he had to buy a large turkey because of all the people coming to his home on Thanksgiving day.
马里兰州的\Scott Aronson说，因为所有人都到他家过感恩节，他不得不买一只大火鸡。

"Each year we celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. This year we will be hosting 16 people with a 23 pound turkey."
“每一年我们都和家人朋友一起庆祝感恩节。今年我们将用一只23磅的火鸡来款待16位客人。”

Some Americans like to purchase their turkey directly from a farm. This can cost more than buying one at store. Nicole Roza said it is worth the extra money because Thanksgiving comes just once a year. Last year, she spent 70 dollars for a 7 kilogram farm turkey. Some people may choose to buy a turkey directly from a farm, because they are told what the turkeys have been feed.
一些美国人喜欢直接从农场购买他们的火鸡，这可能比在商店买更贵一些。Nicole Roza称，额外花点钱也值，因为感恩节每年只有一次。去年，她花了70美元买了一只7公斤的农场火鸡。有些人可能选择直接从农场购买火鸡，是因为他们被告知了这些火鸡是用什么饲养的。

Polyface Farm in Virginia Shenandoah Valley, for example, says its turkeys are raised on pasture, that lets the animals eat many kinds of grasses and other bird feed. In addition, they eat oats, corn and whole roasted soybeans. This year, Polyface Farm has already presold about 12 hundred turkeys. The orders come from restaurants, small businesses, farm customers and other buyers.
例如，弗吉尼亚州雪兰多山谷的Polyface农场表示，他们的火鸡是在牧场饲养的，这使它们能吃到各种各样的草和其它鸟饲料。此外，它们还吃燕麦、玉米和烘烤大豆。今年，Polyface农场已经预售出大约1200只火鸡。这些订单来自于餐厅、小型企业、农场的客户和其他买家。

Many countries have a smaller supply of turkeys than the United States, or perhaps, they have none of the birds. Turkeys do not grow in some parts of Africa for example. And in other areas, the animals can be very costly. A precooked, ready-to-serve turkey can cost as much as 100 dollars in places like Singapore.
许多国家的火鸡供应量都小于美国。或者他们完全没有火鸡。例如非洲的一些地区就没有火鸡。而在其它地区，可能会是非常昂贵的。在新加坡等地，一直预先煮过的火鸡可能要花费高达100美元。