【明報專訊】Thanksgiving Day (感恩節) is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to all the blessings they received during the year. What are the Smarties thankful for?
“ Dr Panda: Before starting our Thanksgiving feast, let's give our vote of thanks. ”
“ Bill: I'm thankful for the farmers and their good harvest over the year. ”
“ MoMo: I'm thankful for having companions like all of you. ”
“ Pat: I'm thankful for the Black Friday Sales the day following Thanksgiving Day! ”
“ MoMo: She's just a all-time shopaholic.. ”
■Culture tips
Thanksgiving
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday on the *fourth* Thursday of November. On that day, people who live a long way from their family members travel long distances to be with their loved ones, which makes Thanksgiving the busiest travel day of the year. Turkey is the traditional food for Thanksgiving dinner, and the annual "turkey pardon" is an interesting White House (白宮) tradition. Each year at Thanksgiving, the US President formally pardon one or two turkeys, allowing them to live the rest of their lives on a farm. (See photo C)
■English highway﹕Fourth vs forth
Don't misspell "fourth", a numerical word and "forth", an adverb referring to moving forwards or outwards.
e.g. He came fourth in the running race.
They set forth on their travels in late November.
■Glossary
thankful (adj) 感激的
set aside (v phr) 留出
companion (n) 同伴
pardon (v) 赦免
[Smarties' Power English 第199期]