Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a very important American festivity and it is celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
感恩节是美国一个非常重要的节日，它是在11月的最后一个星期四庆祝。 However, schools and many shops and offices are closed for four days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
然而，学校和许多商店和办事处关闭四天，周四，周五，周六和周日。 Americans travel great distances to be with their families on this occasion. 美国人旅行很远的距离，在这个时刻与家人（团聚）
Why is Thanksgiving such an important day?
为什么是感恩节这样一个重要的日子呢？
The tradition started with the Pilgrims, the founders of America.
传统开始于清教徒，美国的创始人。
The Pilgrims left Great Britain in 1620. 清教徒在1620年离开英国。 They wanted to start a new life in America . 他们想在美国开始新的'生活。 One hundred men, women and children left Britain on a small ship called
the Mayflower. 一百个男人，妇女和儿童乘一艘名为“五月花的小船船离开英国。
They arrived on the north-east coast of North America in December 1620 and founded Plymouth.
1620年十二月他们到达北美的东北海岸并成立普利茅斯。 It was winter and they had no homes and little food.
当时是冬天，他们没有家庭和食品。
They built small homes, But it was too late to cultivate crops.
他们建立了小院，但培养作物，为时已晚，培养作物
The winter was very cold and harsh. Their living conditions were very bad. 冬季是非常寒冷和恶劣。他们的生活条件非常糟糕。
The friendly Wampanoag Indians helped them during the long winter. 友好的万帕诺亚格印第安人帮助他们度过了漫长的冬季。
In the spring the Pilgrims met an Indian called Squanto. He explained how to grow corn, hunt and live in the wilderness. 清教徒们在春天遇见了一个叫做斯匡托的印第安人。他解释如何种植玉米，狩猎，住在旷野。
Soon the Pilgrims and the Indians became good friends.
很快清教徒和印度人成了好朋友。
The Pilgrims worked hard . By November 1621 everyone had food and a home. 清教徒努力耕作。 1621年11月每个人都有食物和家庭。
There was hope for the future. 这是对未来的希望。 The Pilgrim leader, decided to celebrate with a dinner for the Pilgrims and the Indians. 清教徒的领导者，决定为朝圣者和印第安人晚宴庆祝。 He wanted to give thanks to God. 他想感谢上帝。
This was the first Thanksgiving dinner and it lasted for three days.
这是第一次的感恩节晚餐，历时三天。
Today the traditional Thanksgiving meal is similar to the first.
今天，传统的感恩节大餐是类似第一次。
People eatroast turkey, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. 人们吃烤火鸡，红薯，玉米，红莓酱和南瓜饼。
Let's pregnant with a grateful heart。让我们怀一颗感恩之心。 Thank all who helped us。 感谢所有帮助过我们的人。
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, honorable judges and distinguished guest! This is Alex time! My topic today is to show our gratitude（感恩）to people around you.
Then what is gratitude? At the moment a well-known song comes into my mind. Yes, that is called Heart of feel grateful. My heart is filled up with gratitude because I’m with you/Your make me courageous to be myself from cradle to the grave/So now I wanna thank for destiny/I’ll cherish the flower when it blooms until falls. The poetic lyric tells us that gratitude is actually a state of mind.
Once upon a time, the Pilgrims(朝圣者们) took the May Flower Ship to North America. They started a new life there although a lot of difficulties and hardships they encountered. After a long-time work, they got a big harvest. The Pilgrims had a feast (宴会)in 1621 near Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is often referred to as the first Thanksgiving. People show their sincere gratitude towards the God, the nature, the earth, the river, the Indians and themselves. Moreover the 1621 feast has become a model for the Thanksgiving celebration in the United States. So we can see gratitude is an action to take.
How can we express our gratitude? It’s never a si-mp-le question to answer. Gratitude is a rare jewel, not a piece of cake, I know. But how can we expect such big events happening now and then? How can we be ready to say thank you ahead of time? How can we always hope to be grateful to everything and everyone for their dignity and generosity? Sometimes I may ask to myself. Is it moral? Is it honest? Is it beneficial? Is it necessary? Or the most interesting one, is it ridiculous? Ha-ha…So in my opinion, we’d better concentrate on our life’s details. Keep your eyes open to your daily life. Yes! A shining smile is supposed to be gratitude. A thank-you note is supposed to be gratitude. A soulful watch is supposed to be gratitude. As far as a baby’s crying on his arrival is supposed to be gratitude. And even fallen leaves in autumn are supposed to be gratitude. So the person, who stands here giving you a speech, is also showing HIS gratitude.
At last, what’s the significance of showing our gratitude? A proverb says that Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. Wow! Until now I am not that kind of giant, but I dare to say that everyone, you and me, has the right and the duty to show our gratitude to the world, no matter rich or poor, happy or sad, young or old. Only by doing so can we achieve our human ultimate concern. Meanwhile it obviously helps to build up a harmonious society. Under the same sky we enjoy the same sunshine and appreciate the same love due to thanking and caring each other. Well, does it Plato’s paradise?
All in all, a world full of gratitude is preciously expected for thousands of years. Why not show our gratitude to people around you?
Thank you very much!
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen I’m glad to attend this speech contest. Now I would like to share something about thanksgiving with you.
Do you know Thanksgiving Day just passed a few days ago? It has a long history. Once upon a time , the Pilgrims took the May Flower Ship to North America. They started a new life there although they have encountered a lot of difficulties and hardships. After a long time work, they got a big harvest. The Pilgrims had a feast near Plymouth, which is often referred to as the first Thanksgiving Day. It seems as if it is the day to celebrate. But nowadays it’s a day that gives us a chance to thanks for the people who have helped us in our lives. It is known to us all that no one could be happy or successful without the help of others. Though our country doesn’t have Thanksgiving Day, we should be grateful all the time.
But as high school students, how can we express our gratitude? It’s never a si-mp-le question to answer. But for my part, you should feel grateful when you taste the delicious food your mother prepares for you. Moreover, on teacher’s day, you ought to show your gratitude to your teacher from the bottom of your heart. Besides, let me tell you a story. There is a girl who has a kind grandma. Her grandma never blame on
her for all the things she did wrong and was willing to care about her all the time. But she never said thank you to her grandma. One day her grandma passed away. Since then, the girl has been missing her grandma so much and regretting what she has done to her grandma, but her grandma will never come back. As same as what you think, I am that girl. The death of my grandma is a pity of my whole life, from then on, I realized how important that gratitude is. Gratitude makes you find out how much love you have got from others. And if you focus on your daily life, you will find that gratitude is everywhere. Such as a thank you note, a shining smile, and even a greeting. Likewise, the person, who stand here giving you a speech, is also showing her gratitude.
In addition, what’s the significance of showing our gratitude? There is a proverb that says: gratitude is the sign of noble souls. Wow! Until now I’m not that kind of giant, but I dare to say that everyone, no matter rich or poor, happy or sad, young or old, has the right and the duty to show his gratitude to the world. On the other hand, gratitude contributes to building up a harmonious society. Under the same sky we enjoy the same sunshine and appreciate the same love. So why not show our gratitude to the people around us?
That’s all, thank you for your listening.
