VOA常速英语:Thanksgiving in America(翻译)

The fourth Thursday in November is a national day of thanksgiving in the United States.The tradition is a very old one,dating back to the arrival of some of the earliest English settlers in North America in the 17th century who, after their first successful harvests, paused to celebrate their bounty and give thanks for surviving their first terrible winter in what was then a wilderness.
11月的第4个星期四是美国的全国性节日—感恩节。感恩节传统非常久远，可以追溯到最早的一些英国移民在17世纪到达北美大陆时，在他们获得第一次成功收获后，他们暂停下工作来庆祝丰厚的成果并向上帝表达谢意，因为他们在当时还是一片荒野的地方度过了第一个可怕的冬天。

Falling in the autumn, Thanksgiving has much in common with harvest holidays in other nations and cultures,such as Vietnam’s Trung Thu celebration and Homowo, the annual yam festival in Ghana. Still, with its turkey dinners, family gatherings, football games and parades, there’s something about the day that is distinctively American. Together with the 4th July, when the U.S. marks its independence from Great Britain,it’s a truly national holiday that includes all citizens in a common purpose,regardless of religious, political or ethnic persuasion.
适逢秋季，感恩节与其他国家和文化中纪念丰收的节日有很多共同点，例如越南庆祝的中秋节和加纳一年一度的丰收节，也叫木薯节。然而，除了火鸡大餐、家庭聚会、橄榄球比赛和游行，感恩节还有美国独有的特色。与7月4日一样，7月4日是美国脱离英国、获得独立的日子，感恩节是一个真正全国性的节日，在这天所有公民怀揣共同的目标，无论宗教、政治或种族信仰的差异。

It also is a time for people to look back at the year, take stock and think about the future.With our nation dealing with crises in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and West Africa,the year’s looming uncertainties likely will be on many minds today.President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the first official Thanksgiving amid similar serious circumstances, the American Civil War.
它对于人们来说也是一个在一年中回顾过去、评述现在、展望未来的时刻。随着我们的国家处理了东欧、中东和西非的危机，今年隐约存在的不确定性可能在今天浮现于许多人的脑海中。总统亚伯拉罕·林肯宣布感恩节为第一个官方节日，在同样严峻的时刻——美国内战期间。

But like their colonial ancestors, Americans are essentially an optimistic people.Surrounded by friends and family, today as in the past, they will enter into the spirit of the day,giving thanks for life’s blessings and the promise of the future living in a free land.
但是像他们的殖民祖先一样，美国人本质上是乐观的民族。像过去一样在感恩节这天与亲朋好友欢聚一起，他们将会进入今天的精神主旨，感谢生命的赐福和未来在一片自由土地上生活的承诺。