节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-22
难易度:Low
关键字:percent, parade, awkward, beak, bald eagle
Hi, friends.
Thanks for joining us here at Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
And I should say: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
Tradition says the first American Thanksgiving was way back in 1621.
It was a huge feast that fed about 140 people for three days.
Now there was food from the ocean, like fish, clams and lobsters.
It had food from the vegetable garden, like pumpkins, beans and squash; food
from the fields, like barley, wheat and corn.
And there was food from the forest, like wild berries, deer, and turkey.
Now out of all these great dishes, it was the turkey that eventually became
synonymous with Thanksgiving, which makes today a great day to talk turkey.
So let's do that right now on page 42.
(Music).
Talking Turkey.
Meet the star of Thanksgiving Day.
It's Thanksgiving, which means that 88 percent of Americans will eat turkey
today.
But one lucky turkey not only will avoid being eaten but also will become
famous!
Every year, turkey farmers present a turkey to the U.S. president.
But instead of eating this turkey, the president gives it a "pardon." The turkey
is flown to Florida for a Thanksgiving parade.
Then it lives on a farm for the rest of its life.
(Music).
Hi, friends.
Thanks for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today is a very special day at my family's house.
Today is my mom's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
But you know, even though I love my mom, this is an important day for all
Americans.
That's right.
Today is Turkey Day.
Oh, wait a second.
Ryan, today is Thanksgiving Day.
OK. Yes, it is Thanksgiving.
But sometimes we call but Turkey Day because on Thanksgiving, there is one thing
that is sure to be on almost every American's table.
And that, of course, is the turkey.
So today we're "Talking Turkey" - meet the star of Thanksgiving Day.
That's right.
Today is Thanksgiving, which means that 88 percent of Americans will be eating
turkey just today.
That's right.
Now "percent" means out of 100, this many people will be doing something.
So this percent is 88 out of 100.
That's a lot of people.
Exactly.
So for every 100 people in America, 88 of them will be eating it.
That means the majority, or most, of Americans are eating turkey.
Now you can... if you've having a hard time imagining a turkey, it's a very
special animal found in North America.
And you can see a picture of it on page 42 in your magazine.
That's right.
So there are a lot of turkeys that are going to get eaten, but there will be one
lucky turkey that will not only avoid being eaten but will also become famous!
That's right.
Every year, turkey farmers will present a turkey to the U.S. president.
So even though turkey farmers are usually raising them for Thanksgiving Day so
that everyone can eat a turkey,
they present one to the president of the United States.
OK, so this is kind of fun.
We have two similar words near each other: present and president.
Of course, the president is the leader of many different types of countries.
This is the U.S. president.
But if you present something, what does that mean?
That means you show it to them.
You bring it to him.
So they bring their best turkey out of their entire farm.
But instead of eating this turkey, the president will give it a pardon.
That's right.
That means he says: Don't worry. You won't have to suffer a consequence. You
won't be eaten.
The turkey is actually flown to Florida for a Thanksgiving parade.
OK. So out of all the farmers' bring-in turkeys, the president will pick one to
pardon.
And as Ryan said, to pardon, that means he is excused from.
This comes from the olden days with a king.
If you are pardoned, that means whatever you have done has been forgiven, and
you will not have punishment.
Now the only thing this turkey did was be a turkey.
Right.
So he's being pardoned, that means he will not be killed and eaten for
Thanksgiving.
Instead, he's treated to be flown to Florida.
Right. He becomes famous and joins a Thanksgiving parade there.
And a "parade" is when a group of people sometimes with animals or... what are
called floats decorations,
they all walk in the same direction to show themselves off.
Now this turkey will go to a parade in Florida, though there is a very large and
very famous parade that most Americans watch on Thanksgiving morning.
And that is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through New York City.
Exactly, but this one is down in Florida.
And that's where this turkey becomes famous.
And then once it's done in the parade, it goes and lives on a farm for the rest
of its life.
Oh, what a lucky bird!
Yeah. It doesn't get eaten like so many turkeys get eaten today.
Friends, if you're ever in the United States in November, you will see all of
the refrigerators and freezers at grocery stores full of turkeys.
So to be a lucky turkey to not have to die for Thanksgiving dinner is a very
nice pardon.
Even though he's a bird, he probably doesn't understand.
Exactly. But friends, you'll be glad today that you aren't a turkey.
Thanksgiving, of course, is celebrating thankfulness for Americans and the
country that they have.
And they usually eat turkey in order to remember that, but it's a good thing
that you don't have to suffer that.
That's right.
Now eating turkey is a fun celebration that comes from the very beginning of
history for the United States.
And today is a great day for people all over the world, even if you're not
American, to... be thankful for what you have,
to think about what you have been given and be thankful for the freedoms that
you have.
So friends, whether you are American or not, you can be from anywhere around the
world, it's important to be thankful.
What are you thankful for today?
We'd love to hear from you.
That's right.
Now we're talking specifically about thankful birds because he is pardoned from
this.
We're going to ask a question:
Why the turkey?
Why are we eating the turkey on Thanksgiving?
We're going to ask that after we visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi, Ken. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Say, do you have any special plans today?
Yes. I'll be going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner this afternoon.
That's good.
I'm glad you have somebody to celebrate with.
Hey, Bryan, I was wondering, is Turkey Day the same as Thanksgiving?
Yes, it's a very casual name for Thanksgiving.
And people usually use it when they're joking around or trying to be funny.
I see.
I saw it on an ad, and I was trying to figure out what it meant.
You know, I also saw an ad that said "Don't be a turkey!" What does that mean?
Calling someone a turkey means they're kind of dumb and not very capable.
And a movie or play that no one goes to see can also be called a turkey.
But again, Ken, these terms are very casual, so avoid saying them in formal
situations.
Got it.
Thanks for that explanation.
Hey, one other idiom that uses the word turkey is "cold turkey." It means that
someone is giving up a bad habit suddenly rather than slowly doing at last.
Can you give me an example?
Sure. Some people try to quit smoking by limiting the number of cigarettes they
smoke a day.
They smoke less and less before stopping altogether, but someone who quits cold
turkey stops suddenly and decides to never smoke again.
I see.
And talk turkey is another idiom that uses this word, right?
That's right, Ken.
Talking turkey means speaking in a straightforward way and focusing on the facts
about something.
I see. Well, thanks for talking turkey with me about these idioms, Bryan.
Hey, you're welcome, Ken.
And have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with your friend.
Thanks.