时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2011年(十一月)


英语课

Americans Reflect on Thanksgiving Blessings 2


 


Thursday, Nov. 24, is Thanksgiving Day in America, a day set aside both for good eating and for gratitude 3.



On an unseasonably warm day in New York’s Foley Square, Mone and her two young daughters, Jasiyah and Damayah, are busy preparing for the holiday.



"This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for having my own Thanksgiving, my first family dinner that I am cooking - and that my mom isn’t cooking at all,” says Mone, who admits to being a bit nervous. “I hope I don’t burn anything or overheat anything, that it all comes out good.”



Mone teaches her two daughters to be appreciative 4 of what they have.



“I’m grateful for God for making the world, that I am alive," says Damayah, "for the food I have, for the clothes I have on my body, for the place I stay in, and for my mom.”



At the city clerk’s office down the street, Paulina and Parker are obtaining a license 5 so they can get married over the holiday weekend. They are thankful for true love and more.









Mone and her daughters are grateful for family and all the trimmings of a happy life.




“Everything is going to be peachy,” the red-headed bride says with a grin. "I am grateful for this guy.”



Her groom 6 takes a more cosmic approach. “I am grateful for the fact that the sun shines and the sky is blue and the earth is at the specific point where it needs to be to sustain life, and the solar system and the galaxy," he says. "Of all the epochs to be born, I am here right now with this beautiful woman, exactly where I am supposed to be.”



Nearby, a man named Vincent, who says he is homeless, is not where he’s supposed to be.



"I was evicted 7 four weeks ago, I feel, illegally. Nevertheless, even though there are many, many devils out to put you down and thwart 8 you, there are equally as many angels willing to help you.”



The angels Vincent refers to are people like the bus drivers who let him board free of charge or at half price, or those who come up to him offering free food. “I will be eternally grateful for that,” he says. “I’ve been able to persevere 9 with the help of the human spirit.”








Parker and Paulina are thankful to be getting married this holiday weekend.




Ronald - who works at a nearby homeless shelter and who was once homeless himself - is able to persevere thanks to the doctors who recently rid him of excruciating chronic 10 back pain. “So I am grateful I came out of surgery a success.”



A few blocks away, it is simple youthful freedom that a bicyclist named Mike is thankful for.



“I’m just grateful that I have a job and be able to do what I do," he says. "I have a little bit of money and I do whatever the hell I want on the side.”



A woman named Charles expresses her gratitude in somewhat more religious terms.



“What am I grateful for this Thanksgiving? Life. Strength. And that God blessed me and opened my eyes,” she says. “The job that I have, that I can pay a bill and probably help someone less fortunate than me. So to me, every day is Thanksgiving.”








Occupy Wall Street protesters Jason and Oksana are grateful for community and the chance to dream.




Like hundreds of other Occupy Wall Street protesters, Jason and Oksana have been ejected from Zucotti Park. Yet both still managed to carry a sense of blessing 1 with them. Jason says he is grateful for dreams, and the chance to follow them.



His girlfriend is more effusive 11. “This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my boyfriend, my dogs, sleeping bags that we managed to somehow salvage 12. There are lots of good people in the community.”



A fellow activist 13 named Brandon, still sodden 14 from the previous night’s rain, is thankful for the right to speak out under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment 15 rights.



“Sometimes they get respected. Sometimes they get disrespected some," Brandon says. "But I am just grateful we live in a country where, when things do go wrong, we can stand up and we can say, ‘Hey, this is wrong and it needs to be changed.’”



A downtown resident named Barbara has not participated in the protests, yet she appreciates the idealistic spirit that underlies 16 them.



“I am extraordinarily 17 grateful that people have been willing to give up their time and make such a commitment to staying outside in the cold and the rain and to try to bring about social justice. I am very grateful for their commitment on Thanksgiving.”



Some thoughts to chew on along with all the roast turkey and the trimmings this Thanksgiving Day.



n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福
  • Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马,焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
adj.感激,感谢
  • I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
  • She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
adj.有鉴赏力的,有眼力的;感激的
  • She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
  • We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
vt.给(马、狗等)梳毛,照料,使...整洁
  • His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
  • George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作,乔治已在接受专门的培训。
v.(依法从房屋里或土地上)驱逐,赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )
  • A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
  • They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。
v.阻挠,妨碍,反对;adj.横(断的)
  • We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
  • I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。
v.坚持,坚忍,不屈不挠
  • They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
  • It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
adj.热情洋溢的;感情(过多)流露的
  • Every visitor noticed that her effusive welcome was not sincere.所有的客人都看出来她那过分热情的欢迎是不真诚的。
  • Her effusive thanks embarrassed everybody.她道谢时非常激动,弄得大家不好意思。
v.救助,营救,援救;n.救助,营救
  • All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
  • The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。
n.活动分子,积极分子
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
adj.浑身湿透的;v.使浸透;使呆头呆脑
  • We stripped off our sodden clothes.我们扒下了湿透的衣服。
  • The cardboard was sodden and fell apart in his hands.纸板潮得都发酥了,手一捏就碎。
n.改正,修正,改善,修正案
  • The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
  • The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。
v.位于或存在于(某物)之下( underlie的第三人称单数 );构成…的基础(或起因),引起
  • I think a lack of confidence underlies his manner. 我认为他表现出的态度是因为他缺乏信心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Try to figure out what feeling underlies your anger. 努力找出你的愤怒之下潜藏的情感。 来自辞典例句
adv.格外地;极端地
  • She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
  • The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨,大海出奇地宁静。
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