17.A turkey named Courage gave thanks to President Obama for saving his life on the day before Thanksgiving.Honouring a 62-year-old tradition,the President pardoned(赦免)the bird on Thanksgiving eve.
The tradition of a turkey pardon at Thanksgiving began with President Truman in 1947.Courage comes from Ellsworth,Iowa.The name Courage was chosen by voters (投票人)who took part in a survey posted on the White House website.The lucky turkey walked on the lawn of the Rose Garden and posed for the cameras at the presidential podium(讲台).
The dinner that has become known as the First Thanksgiving was actually a harvest festival celebrated in December of 1621.That's when English settlers in Plymouth,Massachusetts,gave thanks for the progress they had made after a hard winter in their new country.As America grew,Thanksgiving customs also spread and got bigger.George Washington declared that the first national Thanksgiving would be on November 26,1789.In the decades to follow,however,people celebrated Thanksgiving locally,with no official date.President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November 1863a national day of Thanksgiving.It stayed that way until 1939,when President Franklin D.Roosevelt moved it one week earlier.He wanted to lengthen the shopping period before Christmas to encourage gift-buyers and to help businesses.So Congress(议会) ruled that,after 1941,Thanksgiving would be an official federal holiday falling on the fourth Thursday of November.
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday,November.Millions of Americans got together to give thanks with friends and family.The lucky turkey,Courage,was one of them.After his pardon,Courage would be sent to Disneyland Resort in California,where he would be the grand assemble of Disney's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
31.That the turkey Courage was pardoned was decided byD.
A.George Bush
B.Congress
C.President Truman
D.the public
32.The first Thanksgiving Day was held toA.
A.celebrate the harvest of British settlers
B.celebrate the progress of Americans
C.encourage the struggle with British settlers
D.celebrate the joy of all Americans after a hard winter
33.We can infer(推断)from the passage thatD.
A.President Obama pardoned a turkey before Thanksgiving because of the economic crisis
B.the turkey named Courage was pardoned by President Roosevelt before Thanksgiving
C.the pardoned turkey walked on the lawn of the Rose Garden on Thanksgiving eve
D.the pardoned turkey will appear in a celebrating parade of Thanksgiving Day.
分析 一个叫Courage的火鸡,感谢奥巴马总统在感恩节的前一天拯救了它的生命.62年的传统,总统会在圣诞节前夕赦免火鸡.按照习俗,美国总统每年都会在感恩节前一天在白宫赦免火鸡,使其免于成为感恩节大餐.美国总统特赦火鸡的传统始于杜鲁门总统时代.在感恩节这一天,数以百万计的美国人聚集在一起,表示给家人和朋友的感谢.
解答 31:D.细节理解题.通读第二段The name Courage was chosen by voters (投票人)who took part in a survey posted on the White House website可知是由公众投票决定的.故选D.
32:A.细节理解题.根据第三段,The dinner that has become known as the First Thanksgiving was actually a harvest festival celebrated in December of 1621.,第一个感恩节是为庆祝丰收的.可知应选A.
33:D.细节理解题.结合最后After his pardon,Courage would be sent to Disneyland Resort in California,where he would be the grand assemble of Disney's Thanksgiving Day Parade.可知该赦免火鸡将出现在一个庆祝的感恩节游行上.故选D.
点评 在做阅读理解时,可遵循三部曲的原则,即:快速阅读短文;认真逐题作答;复查校对答案.