I. Lead-in Questions

1. According to the singer, why are people 1. According to the singer, why are people busy coming and going on holidays? busy coming and going on holidays? 2. In what way is Thanksgiving similar to our 2. In what way is Thanksgiving similar to our Spring Festival? Spring Festival? 3. Are holidays a good time to express 3. Are holidays a good time to express gratitude? Which holidays are the most gratitude? Which holidays are the most appropriate?appropriate?

2. the Pilgrims: 2. the Pilgrims:

II. Cultural Notes

1.Thanksgiving1.Thanksgiving

4. the United States Coast Guard 4. the United States Coast Guard

3. Native

Americans:

Thanksgiving:Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. For many Americans it is the most important holiday apart from Christmas. Schools, offices and most businesses close for Thanksgiving, and many

people make the whole weekend a vacation..

Thanksgiving is associated with the time when Europeans first came to North America. In 1620 the ship the Mayflower arrived, bringing about 150 people who today are usually called Pilgrims. They arrived at the beginning of a very hard winter and could not find enough to eat, so many of them died. But in the following summer Native Americans showed them what foods were safe to eat, so that they could save food for the next winter. They held a big celebration to thank God and the Native Americans for the fact that they had survived.

Today people celebrate Thanksgiving to remember these early days. The most important part of the celebration is a traditional dinner with foods that come from North America. The meal includes turkey, sweet potatoes (also called yams) and cranberries, which are made into a kind of sauce or jelly. The turkey is filled with stuffing or dressing, and many families have their own special recipe. Dessert is pumpkin made into a pie.

On Thanksgiving there are special television programmes and sports events. In New York there is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, when a long line of people wearing fancy cos tumes inarch through the streets with large balloons in the shape of imaginary characters. Thanks giving is considered the beginning of the Christmas period, and the next day many people go out to shop for Christmas presents.

The Pilgrims:

the 102 English people who sailed to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Their group included 35 Puritans whose aim was to create a safe religious community in the New World. The Pilgrims probably landed at Plymouth Rock, and they established Plymouth colony.

Native Americans: Native Americans were living in North America for many hundreds of years before Europeans reached the continent. For a long time white people called them Indians. Today many people do not like this name since it is based on a mistake: it was given to the people living in the Americas by Christopher Columbus who, when he arrived there, thought he had landed in India. Instead, people prefer to use the term Native Americans.

4. the United States Coast Guard

the US military service that is controlled by the US Department of Transportation but becomes part of the US Navy during a war. It was established in 1915. The Coast Guard stops ships suspected of carrying drugs and other illegal goods, and can make arrests. It also keeps watch to see that other laws of the sea are obeyed, rescues ships in danger and lias a weather service.

III. Language Points

WordsWords

1. accord v. 1) to cause to conform or agree; bring into harmony. 使符合，使同意；使和谐（常与 with 连用） e.g. His opinion accorded with mine. 他的意见与我的一致。 What you have just said does not accord with

what we have learned from the witnesses.

你刚才说的和我们从目击者们那里了解到的不一 致。

WordsWords

n.agreement; harmony: 同意；和谐： spontaneous or voluntary desire to take a certain action: 自愿，主动自愿或主动采取一行动的愿望----act in accord with university policies.和大学政策相一致The children returned on their own accord.孩子们主动回来了

WordsWords

2. diminishv.t. to make smaller or less or to cause to appear so. 减少使减少或使似变少e.g. The dimensions of the difficulty for the hydraulic project have only recently been recognized. 这一项水利工程困难的程度只是到最近才被人 们所认识。 His illness diminished his strength. 他的病削弱了他的体力。

WordsWords

v.i. to become smaller or less.变小或减少Her patience with the children diminished as the hours went by. 随着时间一小时一小时的过去，她对孩子们失去了耐性。The risk does diminish as time goes by.  这种风险，会随着时间的推移而淡化

WordsWords

3. marvelousadj. Causing wonder, excellent 不可思议的，

美妙的e.g. It’s marvelous that we can at last buy our

own house. 我们最终能买我们自己的房子太令人惊奇了。A marvelous imaginary realm. 仙境美妙的想像中的王国

WordsWords

4. specificadj. Relating to one thing and not others; particular 明确的，具体的 e.g.I want a specific answer. 我想要一个明确的回答。 specific gravity 比重

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5. amidprep.in the middle, among 在…当中，在…之间e.g. Amid warm applause the honoured guests mounted the rostrum. 在热烈的掌声中贵宾们登上了主席台。 He was brave amid all dangers. 他在各种危险中总是勇敢的。

WordsWords

6. quote[v] (1) to repeat the words that someone else has said or written. 引用，援引 e.g. He quoted Mr. Polay as saying that peace negotiations were already underway. 他引用波里先生的的话说和平谈 判正在进行。 He always quoting from the Bible. 他总是引用圣经。

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7. sprinkle[v] to scatter a few drops or bits of sth., usually over a large area of something. 撒，洒e.g. sprinkle a few herbs on the pizza sprinkle the pizza with a few herbs.在披萨饼上撒些香草调料The speech was liberally sprinkled with jokes about the incident.在演讲中还故意地穿插了一些有关此事的玩笑。

WordsWords

8. unload[v] to remove the contents of something. 卸下e.g. Unload one’s camera. 从照相机里取出胶卷 Unload investments 卖掉投资

WordsWords

9. appreciate[v] (1) to recognize or understand that something is valuable, important or as described. 赞赏，赏识，鉴赏，领会He really appreciate fine furniture.对做工精细的家具他是很识货的。We appreciate the need for immediate action.我们深知立即采取行动的必要性。

WordsWords

（ 2 ） to show that you are grateful.We really appreciate your making the effort to come. 你能拨冗前来我对此深表谢意。 I appreciate your kindness. 多谢厚意

WordsWords

(3) to increase in valure. 增值The value of our house has appreciated

by 50% in the last 2 years.我们的房子在过去的两年增值了 50% 。Building the new railway appreciates the

value of the land. 修建这条铁路提高了土地的价值。

WordsWords

10. repay[v] to pay back or to reward 回报 / 回馈eg.When will you repay me?  你什么时候还我钱？ I can never repay you for your kindness.  你的善意我终生难报。

WordsWords

11. weep[v] to cry (wept wept) 哭泣I know I am going to weep at the airport. 我知道我在机场会流泪。Weep with joy. 喜极而泣。

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n It might help you to have a weep.你哭一会儿也许会好受点儿。A good weep would probably make you feel better.  你痛痛快快哭上阵也许就好受些了。

WordsWords

12. assemble:(v) （ cause people or things to ） come together; collect 聚集聚合，收集eg: The whole school (was) assembled in the hall. 全校在大礼堂集合。To assemble(troops) for a ceremonial review. 阅兵，校阅为阅兵仪式而集合（军队

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fit together (the parts of sth) 装配安装 eg: assemble the parts of a watch 装配表的零件。The bookcase can easily be assembled with a screwdriver 这书柜用一把螺丝刀就可以很容易的 安装起来。

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13.immerse(v) put sth under the surface of a liquid. 使某物浸没于液体中 eg: Immerse the plant for a few minutes. 把那棵植物浸泡几分钟。 He immersed himself today in his work. 他埋首于工作

WordsWords

be immersed in e.g. The professor was so immersed in her work that she didn't notice me. "教授在专心致志地工作 ,以致没注意到我。 "The whole town was immersed in a festival atmosphere.全镇沉浸在节日的气氛中。

WordsWords

14. reverse(n) thing that is the contrary or opposite to what is expected. 相反的事物；未料到 的情况eg: Children's shoes aren't cheap--quite the reverse. 儿童的鞋并不便宜 --反而更贵。Quite the reverse is true.  实际情况恰恰相反

WordsWords

（ design on the underside or back of a coin, medal, etc) （钱币，徽章等的）反面，背面（的图案） eg: the 50p coin has a crowned lion on its reverse

五十便士硬币反面的图案是个戴皇冠的狮子。A maker's mark on the reverse of the silk. 这丝织品背面的暇疵。

WordsWords

change for the worse; misfortune. 逆转；挫折；不幸；灾难 eg: We suffered some serious reverse .我们受到一些严重挫折。 A sudden reverse in the guerrilla campaign 游击战的突然失败。

WordsWords

15. Considerate (adj) Careful not to hurt or inconvenience others thoughtful. 为他人着想的 ;考虑 周到的eg: Considerate towards her employees. 能体谅他的雇员 . It's considerate of you not to play the piano while I was asleep. 在我睡觉时你不弹琴 ,真是体贴入微 .

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16. impress have a favourable effect on sb; make sb feel admiration and respect. 给予某 人深刻印象 , 使某人钦佩而起敬 .eg: The sights of the city never fail to impress foreign tourists . 外国游客无一不对该市留有深刻印象 .The girl impressed her fiance's family with her liveness and sense of humor . 姑娘又活泼又富幽默感 ,未婚夫家人十分喜欢她 .

WordsWords

fix sth in sb's mind; make sb keenly aware of sth 是某人铭记某物 ; 使人深深意识到某事物eg: His words impressed themselves on my memory. 他的话铭刻在我的心中 .The manager impressed on his office staff the importance of keeping accurate records.经理让办公室职员认识到做精确记录的重要性 .

WordsWords

17. sincere 1)(adj) (of feelings or behaviour) not pretended; genuine (指感情或行为 )真实的 ;真挚的 eg: sincere friendship, affection, dislike, disagreement 诚挚的友谊 ,真诚的爱 ,真正的厌恶 ,实质的分歧 He was a sincere offer of help 他真心实意愿意协助

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2)(adj) (of people)only saying things one really means or beliefs straight/ward (指人 ) 诚实的 ;直率的eg: She wasn't entirely sincere when she said she liked me.她说她喜欢我 , 这话有些言不由衷 .He was decent, sincere -- a good man. 他为人正派诚实 -- 是个好人。

WordsWords

18. swift1)(adj) quick or rapid; prompt 快的迅速的敏捷的eg: a swift reply, reaction, revenge 迅速的回答 ,反应 , 报复 He was swift to condemn the violence. 他立即谴责那种暴力行为 .

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2)(adj) (often in compounds 常用以构成复合词 )that can move fast 能快速移动的 eg: a swift runner, horse 跑的快的人 ,马swift-flowing rivers; 湍急的河流 ;

PhrasesPhrases

1. bring backcause to return to the mind 回想起That music always brings back happy memories. 那段音乐总是让人回想起美好的回忆。The lyric always brought back good memories of my childhood.抒情诗总是让我回想起快乐的童年时光。

PhrasesPhrases

2. in a flash instantly 转瞬，立即，一会儿e.g. The ceremony was over in a flash. 仪式一会就结束了。The ideas came in a flash. 瞬间有了主意。

PhrasesPhrases

3. go aboutto perform or do； to begin working at 着手做 , 从事，开始e.g. Despite the threat of war, people went about their work as usual.尽管受到战争的威胁，人们继续像往常一样进行工作。That’s not the best way to go about it. 那不是做此事的最好方法。

PhrasesPhrases

4. in secretsecretly 秘密地，暗自 e.g. we found that Mary had been meeting her boyfriend in secret. 我们发现玛丽秘密地和她的男友见面。 The negotiators were meeting in secret for several months before the peace agreement was reached. 在和平协议达成前，谈判者们秘密进行了为期几个月的会谈

PhrasesPhrases

5. put awayto remove to the place where it is usually

kept 把… 收起来 /放回原处 Put the books away in the cupboard.把那些书放回柜子里去。Put away the money for future use. 把钱存好为以后之用。

PhrasesPhrases

6. be exposed to be left uncovered; be made accessible to 暴露在 ```之下 , 接触eg: His fatness exposes him to a lot of joking at the office. 他长得肥胖 , 因此常被人笑话 . The immigrants’ children exposed to American pop culture often rebel when their parents try to impose the conservative values they brought with them.接触美国通俗文化的移民后代常会在他们的父母试图把它们自身的保守价值观强加给他们时，他们常会反叛。

PhrasesPhrases

7. in quest of seeking试图找到某物 ,寻求某物eg: She had come in quest of advice. 她曾来争求意见Mary told me that she was leaving New York City in quest of a tranquil life. 玛丽告诉我她将离开纽约去寻求一种安宁的生活。

PhrasesPhrases

7. get to sth/doing sth begin to give serious attention to or deal with开始或着手做某事 eg: He got to thinking that she perhaps wouldn't come after all. 他以意识到也许她根本不来了 .George meant o save his dime, but he got to thingking how good an ice cream cone would taste, and he spent it.乔治本打算省下一角钱硬币，但他开始想到冰激淋蛋筒的美味，于是还花掉了硬币。

PhrasesPhrases

9. on sb's behalf/ on sb’s behalfRepresentative of sb. 作某人的代言或代表人eg: Ken is not present, so I shall accept the prize on his behalf. 肯不在场 , 所以我代表她领奖 . On behald of my parents, I would like to express my gratitude to you for your help.我代表我的父母感谢你的帮助。

IV. Comprehension IV. Comprehension

122

1. 1. Text Organization Text Organization Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

Part 1 Paras1-9 On Thanksgiving Day of 1943, as a young coast guardsman at sea, the writer came up with the idea of ex pressing his gratitude to people who had helped him

Part 2 Paras10-16 The writer wrote three thank-you let ters to his father, the Rev. Nelson and his grandmother.

Part 3 Paras17-23 The writer got three letters in reply.

Part 4 Paras24-26 The writer wishes everyone to find the good and praise it.

2. Main Idea2. Main Idea

.

We should appreciate the people who are nice to us, and tell how much we value them.

3. 3. Paraphase Paraphase .

1) Yet my mind seemed to be in quest of something else—some way that I personally apply to the close of thanksgiving.

I was thinking about some individual way that 1 could use to celebrate the coming of Thanksgiving.

2) Not one time had I ever bothered to express to any of them so much as a simple. sincere "Thank you".

I had never taken the trouble to express my gratefulness to any of them.

So many times I have felt a sadness! when exposed to modern children so immersed in the electronic media that they have little or no awareness of the marvelous world to be discovered in books.

For many times I have felt sad when I saw modern children be in dulged in the electronic media and' know little about the wonderful world in books.

I reminded the Reverend Nelson how each morning he would open our little country town's grammar school with a prayer over his assembled students.

I made Reverend Nelson remember that each morning he would give a pray er to assembled students to start a day in the school.

5. Every time the ship's loudspeaker rasped, " Attention! Mail call!" two hundred-odd shipmates came pounding up on deck and clustered about the two seamen standing by those precious bulging gray sacks.

5. Every time the ship's loudspeaker rasped, " Attention! Mail call!" two hundred-odd shipmates came pounding up on deck and clustered about the two seamen standing by those precious bulging gray sacks.Whenever the ship's loudspeaker broadcast, "Attention! Mail call!" a-bout two hundred shipmates came to the deck in crowd, and assembled around the two seamen who stood by those sacks full of letters.

5. 5. Rhetorical Device Rhetorical Device .

Personification : personification is a figure of speech that gives human attribute or feelings to animals, or life and personal attribues o inanimate objecs, or o ideas and abstractions. It can make he descripion more vivid and more impressive.

eg. This Thankingiving morning had seen us busily preparing a traditional dinner featuring roast turkey.

The wind whistled through the trees. The sun kisses the green field.

6. Writing Technique6. Writing Technique

.

How to write thank-you letters: Feel free to respond to even the simplest

favor, gift, or courtesy with a thank-you letter. Everyone appreciates receiving kind words in the mail. Here are some tips for writing thank-you letters:

1. In relatively formal acknowledgements, a two-or three-line note is perfectly acceptable. In relatively informal acknowledgements, the type sent to people with whom you are more familiar, a longer note or letter is always appreciated, but one or two aragraphs will be enough.

2. In a formal thank-you letter, thanks should be expressed in the first line. In an informal thank-you letter, it’s fine to start more indirectly, but your thanks should be mentioned within the opening paragraph.

3. assuming you are writing a letter that communicates other information besides thanks, be sure to express your thanks first, them proceed with the rest of the letter.

4. A thank-you letter that properly reflets the tone of the occasion is slweays in good taste. For instance, in response to a formal gathering, a formal tone is appropriate for thainking someone with whom you were not previously acquainted.(You can retain a properly formal tone by using the surnames of the hosts in the greeting, by specifying the dateof the event, etc.)

V. Post-reading Discussions

1. We all know China has many traditional festivals. Can you name some? What about western ones?2. Compare the Spring Festival with Christmas and Mid-autumn festival with Thanksgiving. Which would you like to celebrate? Why?3. What kind of roles do festiva play in people’s life?