by Erin Whitmer

Travel 動身出行

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is spending time with family. Many people live far from family members and travel long distances by car， train， or plane to be with their loved ones. Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year！

感恩節(jié)最棒的好處之一就是可以與家人共聚。許多人的家與其他家族成員并不鄰近，要開長途車、坐火車或者搭飛機(jī)才能與親人團(tuán)聚。感恩節(jié)可是一年當(dāng)中最繁忙的出行假日呢！

The Feast 豐盛大餐

Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families include the entire family in the food preparation. Traditional foods include turkey， stuffing[填塞料]， gravy[肉汁]， sweet potatoes， cornbread， mashed[搗碎的] potatoes， and cranberry[小紅莓] sauce. Many people serve pie for dessert at the end of the meal. Popular pie flavors are pumpkin， pecan[山核桃]， sweet potato， and apple.

傳統(tǒng)美食是感恩節(jié)慶?；顒拥摹爸仡^戲”。許多家庭在準(zhǔn)備食物時還會全家參與哦。傳統(tǒng)的食物包括火雞、餡料、肉汁、甘薯、玉米面包、土豆泥及小紅莓果醬。不少人會用餡餅作為大餐最后的甜品。南瓜、山核桃、甘薯和蘋果都是很受歡迎的餡餅風(fēng)味。

The Wishbone[鳥胸的叉骨，如愿骨] 如愿骨的魔力

Some families include breaking the turkeys wishbone as part of their celebration. The wishbone is found attached[連上] to the breast meat in the turkeys chest. After the meat has been removed and the wishbone has had a chance to become dry and brittle[易碎的]， two people each take one end of the bone， make a wish， and pull. Whoever ends up with the larger part of the bone gets their wish！

有些家庭會將弄斷如愿骨作為他們的慶祝方式。如愿骨就在連著火雞胸肉的地方。先清理掉胸肉，讓骨頭變干變脆，然后兩個人一人拿著骨頭的一端，許一個愿望，再用力拉扯。誰最后拿到較大的那一部分?jǐn)喙?，他的愿望就能成真哦?/p>

The Turkey Pardon[赦免] 赦免火雞

Each year at Thanksgiving， the President of the United States receives the gift of a live turkey （along with an alternate[替換物] in case something happens to the official turkey）. At a White House ceremony[儀式]， the president traditionally “pardons” the National Thanksgiving Turkey and the alternate turkeys， allowing them to live out the rest of their days on a farm.

在每一年的感恩節(jié)，美國總統(tǒng)都會獲贈一只活火雞（附帶一只后備雞，以防“第一雞”出事）。總統(tǒng)會在白宮舉行儀式，按照傳統(tǒng)“赦免”這只國家感恩節(jié)火雞及其后備，讓它們在農(nóng)場上安度余生。

Helping Others 助人為樂

Many generous[慷慨的] folks use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to help those less fortunate. Some people volunteer to serve food at homeless shelters[庇護(hù)所] on Thanksgiving Day and others donate[捐贈] to shelters.

許多樂善好施的人還會利用感恩節(jié)接濟(jì)窮人。有些人會在節(jié)日當(dāng)天前往流浪漢之家分發(fā)食物，還有些人會給這些機(jī)構(gòu)捐款。

TV 電視也精彩

Television also plays a part in Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families watch the New York City Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade includes marching bands， floats[彩車]， songs and performances from Broadway musicals， and giant helium[氦]-filled balloons！ People can also enjoy televised football games.

電視節(jié)目同樣在感恩節(jié)里占據(jù)一席之地。不少家庭會一起收看紐約市的“梅西感恩節(jié)大游行”。在游行隊伍中有軍樂隊、花車、百老匯音樂劇當(dāng)中的歌曲以及表演，還有巨大的氦氣球呢！人們還可以透過電視轉(zhuǎn)播收看橄欖球比賽。

After the Meal 飯后娛樂多

After the feast， families often take part in additional activities. Some like to take walks after eating such a large meal. Most people take naps[打盹]. And others sit down together to play board games[棋盤游戲] or cards together.

享用完大餐以后，一家人通常還會搞點(diǎn)額外活動。有人在吃完大餐之后喜歡散散步，大多數(shù)人會打個盹兒，還有些人會圍坐下來玩玩桌游或者打打牌什么的。