雖然感恩節已過，但我們感恩的心持續燃燒，大家一起來看看感恩節發生了什麼事情吧～
Wampanoag: Yo, how was your Thanksgiving last Wednesday?
Pilgrim: You idiot! It was Thursday. The fourth Thursday of November!
Wampanoag: But I think the real Thanksgiving should begin on Wednesday, when the poor turkeys are killed. They sacrifice themselves for our showing of gratitude, holy turkeys.
Pilgrim: Whatever you think, turkeys keep dying for gratitude's sake every year. And every year we have family gatherings, solemn prayers, traditional holiday dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, gravy and cranberry sauce. What else can we have? And you, what about your holiday?
Wampanoag: Much the same as yours, lavish festival dinner, watching football, and things like that. Yet I went to a lecture about the origin of Thanksgiving.
Pilgrim: What! Haven't you attended primary school? Everyone knows where this holiday comes from. In what is now Massachusetts in 1621, a group of about 50 English settlers at Plimouth Plantation held a feast to thank the Native people for helping them survive their first winter in the New World.
Wampanoag: Sure I know all about that, but I was told in the lecture that the traditional Thanksgiving story is laced with myth and exaggeration. It’s true that 90 native men of the Wampanoag Indian tribe participated in the harvest festival, but they were probably not "invited" by the Pilgrim settlers.
Pilgrim: Then why did they come?
Wampanoag: The Wampanoag and the Pilgrims had signed a treaty, but there was still mistrust between them. When the English got too excited during their celebration, they began firing off their muskets, and this made the Wampanoag concerned.
Pilgrim: Oh, the Pilgrims sometimes get rowdy, though they are usually believed to be a starchy, pious lot.
Wampanoag: Then a delegation of 90 Indian men went to Plimouth to check things out and ensure that the treaty was still in effect. Since they outnumbered the settlers, it was difficult to turn their unexpected visitors away, and so they were invited to join the celebration.
Pilgrim: Uh, that must have been a tense time overall, eating with potential enemies.
Wampanoag: And there are still other misconceptions about Thanksgiving, such as ...
Pilgrim: Enough, please. You are on the verge of spoiling the fun with your "true Thanksgiving story." Can we have something light and interesting?
Wampanoag: Alright, then what about Flyer and Fryer Turkey?
Pilgrim: Who are they?
Wampanoag: They are two turkeys.
Pilgrim: W…well, and then?
Wampanoag: They were spared the chopping block and pardoned by President Bush, who announced that “I am granting a full presidential pardon so they can live out their lives as safe as can be.”
Pilgrim: Mercy! Let the turkey live! I bet they must be the most grateful in this year’s Thanksgiving.
Wordbank:
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sacrifice (v) 犧牲
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treaty (n) 條約，協定
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gratitude (n) 感謝，感激之情
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musket (n) 毛瑟槍
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solemn (adj) 莊嚴隆重的
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Pilgrim (n) 1620年搭乘Mayflower移居美國
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mashed potatoes (n) 馬鈴薯泥
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的英國清教徒
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pumpkin pie (n) 南瓜派
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rowdy (adj) 喧鬧的
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gravy (n) 肉汁
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starchy (adj) 刻板的
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cranberry sauce (n) 蔓越莓醬
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pious (adj) 虔誠的
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lavish (adj) 極豐富的，浪費的
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lot (n) 某一類的人
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settlers (n) 開拓者，殖民者
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delegation (n) 代表團
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plantation (n) 殖民地，新開墾地
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misconception (n) 誤解
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be laced with (ph) 以...裝飾，點綴
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on the verge of (ph) 將要...
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myth (n) 虛構的人（事），神話
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spare (v) 饒恕，免除
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exaggeration (n) 誇大
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chopping block (n) 砧板
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tribe (n) 部落
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pardon (v) 赦免，原諒
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相關網站：
VOA：Bush Pardons Thanksgiving Turkeys
American Indians 'Gate Crashers' at First Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Springs from Beloved Traditions, Myths
中廣新聞網：美國人過感恩節的有趣傳統：總統特赦火雞
ETtoday：布希特赦感恩節火雞 火雞急著想落跑！
