Passage one
On the fourth Thursday inNovember, Americans celebrate the feast of thanksgiving. This feast is a timewhen the family comes together for a meal and gives thanks to God for theblessings they have received. The first thanksgiving feast was celebrated bythe early American settlers who started the feast to give thanks to God fortheir good harvest.
The first thanksgiving meal in1621 was a traditional English harvest festival instead of a true“thanksgiving”celebration. It lasted three days. They had turkey, the traditional food atThanksgiving, but this included wild ducks and geese. That is because the term“turkey” was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild bird. Besidesturkey, another food at almost every Thanksgiving table today is pumpkin pie.But they had boiled pumpkin and a type of bread made from corn. The feast alsoincluded fish, fruit, animal meat and other food at hand.
The modern U. S. ThanksgivingDay was first declared by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and now takes place each yearon the fourth Thursday in November. It is one of the most important holidays inAmerica for gathering with family.
In America thanksgiving is thefamily holiday. It is on that holiday that all the family members make aspecial effort to gather together. The feast is always held on Thursday andmost people have a four-day holiday from school and work. Thus they are able totravel a great distance to be with their family.
The thanksgiving meal istraditionally turkey which was the food for the first thanksgiving. The tableis filled with fruits, walnuts and many types of vegetables. For dessert themain choice is usually pumpkin pie. The meal is a time for the members of thefamily to talk to each other. There will be talking before the meal, during themeal and long after the meal.
On thanksgiving morning thereare in many cities sporting events and parades to mark the day. The familydinner is usually held in the afternoon around 4 P. M. The mother will preparethe meal and the father will carve the turkey. He will preside at the head ofthe table. The meal will begin with a short prayer of thanksgiving to God forthe blessings the family received. The father will also thank the family forcoming together on this day. During the meal there is plenty of food foreveryone present. The meal is a very joyful time. When the meal is finishedsome will help with the dishes and other will return to the living room to talkor watch television.
In many ways the feast ofthanksgiving is similar to the Chinese feast of Mid-Autumn Festival. It is thetime for the family to gather together to give thanks and to share in meal.
Why does the writer say thanksgiving is the family holiday in America?()
A、It is a holiday for those who have a family.
B、People will try to get back to be with their family wherever they are.
C、People celebrate this holiday only at home and will not go out on this particular day.
D、Each family has its own way of celebrating this occasion.
【正确答案】：B
【题目解析】：根据文章第四段第二句，“It is on that holiday that...”可知，答案为B。